PhD Studentship in Chemical Engineering

Campus: South Kensington, London

The Molecular Systems Engineering group (MSE) in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London has a fully-funded PhD studentship available for October 2022 start. The PhD project will be focused on the computer-aided design of novel sustainable processes for the chemical recycling of plastics, a key enabling technology to allow material re-use rather than relying on virgin materials to make palstics.

The success and ubiquity of plastics as inexpensive, durable, and resistant materials has led to the major global environmental problem of plastic pollution. Almost 400 tonnes of plastics are produced worldwide on an annual basis, The production and incineration of plastics are also major contributors to greenhouse house emissions with ~900 million tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year. In contrast to the lucrative recycling of metal and glass, less than 10% of the plastics produced have ever been recycled. An increased effort in the recycling of plastics is essential to mitigate both plastic pollution and the carbon footprint of plastic production. The project will be focused on developing a novel chemical recycling process as part of this effort.

Specifically, the potential of deep eutectic solvents, an emerging “green” class of solvents, to achieve plastic recovery will be investigated. The PhD candidate will develop models of the chemical recycling mixtures and processes as well as optimisation-based design methods. The project will be conducted as part of an international collaboration with a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), who will obtain experimental data and contribute to model development. The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with a TUM PhD student, both in the UK and in Germany.

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London is one of the world's leading research schools in chemical engineering and offers many exciting opportunities for science and engineering graduates to advance their skills. Witin the Department, the MSE group has been developing state-of-the-art approaches to design molecules and processes to address sustainability challenges. The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team of researchers at all levels and will work closely with Professors Claire Adjiman, Amparo Galindo and George Jackson. The MSE group and Department offer a supportive environment with opportunities for professional development including courses, participation in international conferences and interactions with industry partners, especially via the Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering.

Applicants are expected to have obtained (or be heading for) a high 2:1 or First Class Honours degree at Master’s level in chemical engineering, another branch of engineering or a related science. Applicants should also be able to demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/requirements/english ), which will be essential in collaborating with industrial partners, and disseminating the results via journal publications.

Applications should be made through the College’s online application system:

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/how-to-apply/

To facilitate the shortlisting process, applicants are strongly encouraged to confirm the submission of their application by sending a CV via email to [email protected] , stating “JADS MSE 2022 application” as the subject.

Important information about the College’s PhD application process can be found on the following page: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg

Informal enquiries about the post can be made by writing to Professor Claire Adjiman ([email protected] ) and Professor Amparo Galindo ([email protected] )