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SalaryVACANCY INFORMATION
The Department of Chemical Engineering at UCL (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/) is one of the top research and teaching departments in the UK, with world-class standing. The department offers several undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has an extensive research portfolio across a wealth of areas, from the molecular scale to the scale of industrial plants. It hosts 35 academics undertaking collaborative, ground-breaking research, focused on solving many of the grand challenges for society.
The research will be conducted in the Manufacturing Futures Laboratory (MFL) (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/manufacturing-futures-lab/) at UCL East, UCL’s new campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. The MFL is an innovative facility, bringing together core expertise from several departments, enabling the development of new strategic research, focused on knowledge-based manufacturing to deliver the sustainable products and processes of the future.
The post is fully funded for 3.5 years starting Jan 2024.
STUDENTSHIP DESCRIPTION
To meet the increasing energy needs of our society, we urgently need to develop new energy technologies that are based on renewable sources and more sustainable in the long term. Towards this goal, we seek to develop new materials for solar cells. Of great interest are those materials that can be deposited directly from inks or solutions, making industrial scale production both inexpensive and fast through the currently available printing technologies.
In recent years, perovskites have been found to be excellent materials for use in solar cells due to their remarkable properties and the fact that they can be deposited from solutions. High-efficiency perovskite solar cells have been successfully demonstrated on the lab-scale. Nevertheless, key aspects of the material formation are not yet fully understood, and this knowledge is crucial as we move towards scaling up these devices for manufacturing.
This project aims to understand fundamental aspects of the formation of these materials prepared via solution-processing. The research will involve the use of various materials characterization techniques to unravel how the materials are formed. This cutting-edge interdisciplinary project combines aspects of Engineering, Chemistry and Material Science; and the MFL, with its outstanding facilities bringing together researchers from different disciplines with a focus on manufacturing, is the ideal place to conduct this research.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
The successful candidate will have completed or be close to completing a first-class degree at the MEng or MSc level in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Material Science or a related discipline. The successful candidate will be a motivated student, with an interest in the areas of energy, sustainability, and manufacturing.
The ability to work independently while being a productive member in a collaborative team, within the context of a dynamic research field and a demanding environment, is a must. Demonstrable prior experience with semiconductor devices and material characterization tools are desirable, but not necessary requirements. The post-holder will have the opportunity to present results at international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals of high international standing.
ELIGIBILITY
First-class degree at the MEng or MSc level is required.
Funds are only available to cover UK-equivalent fees.
Applications should be submitted through: https://evision.ucl.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RRDCENSING01&code2=0035
Please nominate Dr. Amita Ummadisingu as supervisor and include a statement of interest.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr. Amita Ummadisingu at a.ummadisingu@ucl.ac.uk.
For further information on the MPhil/PhD course as well as the recruitment and selection process, please click on the link below:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/study/mphilphd
Funding Notes
Stipend: £20,622 (in line with the UCL rate) + UK fees
Duration of Studentship: 3 years fees and 3.5 years stipend
Start date: January 2024
