XJTLU

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)

XJTLU is an international joint-venture university founded by Xi’an Jiaotong University in China and the University of Liverpool in the UK. As a Sino-foreign cooperative university, it captures the essence of both parent universities and is the largest of its kind approved by China’s Ministry of Education.

Research Impact

Since 2006, 5398 publications from XJTLU have been indexed in WoS (Web of Science) Core. The average Category Normalized Citation Impact (CNCI) for all publications from XJTLU for 2018-2022 are 1.35. XJTLU’s CNCI was higher than global’s and China’s CNCIs in each of the past 5 years.

Under the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) schema, XJTLU has been most productive in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science and Economics & Business in 2018-2022. Computer Science and Environment/Ecology have contributed the most ESI Highly Cited Papers. As of June 2023, there are 4 fields for XJTLU entering the Top 1% worldwide in the ESI rankings, namely Engineering, Computer Science, Social Sciences, and Environment/Ecology.

PhD Programme at XJTLU

The PhD programme at XJTLU will equip you with a range of professional skills to help you undertake world-changing research and maximise your future employability. We offer a wide range of funding opportunities and a supportive academic environment where you’ll get tailored training and development.

It normally takes three to four years to complete a full-time doctoral programme. Upon successful completion of PhD programme at XJTLU, you will be awarded a doctoral degree from the University of Liverpool.

To explore more information regarding doctoral studies at XJTLU, please visit our doctoral admission page.

Minimum Entry Requirement

Applicants holding a UK first or 2:1 class Bachelor's degree with Honours or Pass with Merit Master's degree meet the minimum academic requirement of our PhD programme. Applicants must also meet the English language requirement for the relevant research area.

Each doctoral programme has specific academic qualification and English language proficiency level required to enter the programme. Please visit the doctoral entry requirement page to find out the entry requirement for each programme.

How to Apply

You may find the required materials for PhD application in our How to Apply page. After preparing all the application documents, you are welcome to start your PhD application. PhD applications are accepted all year round. There will be four entry points each year, and the application deadlines are outlined below for each entry.

Entry Point Programme Start Date Application deadline
September entry 1 September 30 June
December entry 1 December 30 September
March entry 1 March 15 December of the previous year
June entry 1 June 31 March

For general queries on the application, please contact DoctoralStudies@xjtlu.edu.cn.

Funding Opportunities

XJTLU offers a range of scholarships to highly motivated and dedicated full-time doctoral candidates to pursue research leading to a doctoral degree. Qualified applicants may receive financial support including:

  • A full scholarship: consists of a tuition fee waiver for three years (RMB 297,000 total value) and a monthly stipend of RMB 5,000 for three years (RMB 180,000 total value).
  • A fees-only scholarship: consists of a tuition fee waiver for three years (RMB 297,000 total value)
  • A partial tuition-fee scholarship: consists of up to 50% tuition fee reduction for three years (RMB 148,500 total value).

1. Apply for a Scholarship for an Existing Funded PhD Project

You can apply for an existing PhD project which has received funds from the University or external funding bodies. These projects have an established research topic and a formed supervisory team. You can check the below list of funded PhD project for information about specific projects available or contact potential supervisors to discuss funding opportunities.

Please note, the reference number with * refers to PhD project collaborated with industry.

Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2212017 Anomaly detection for pathology diagnosis by using EEG Jun Qi
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD PGRSLG230601 Development of High Voltage GaN Bidirectional Switch Based on GaN Monolithic Integration Huiqing Wen
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD PGRSLG230602 Development of a multi-port zero carbon building energy router based on GaN power integration Huiqing Wen
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD PGRSLG230603 High-voltage and low leakage current AlGaN/GaN Fin-HEMTs Huiqing Wen
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD PGRSLG230604 Development of High-Power-Density Power Module Based on GaN Monolithic Integration Huiqing Wen
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2212015 Investigation of Eclipse Attacks against Permissionless Blockchain P2P Networking Wenjun Fan
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2112005 Collaborative and Immersive Visualization Environments for Data Exploration Lingyun Yu
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOS2208JM03* The hydrogen embrittlement mechanism of Aluminum Alloys Min Chen
Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD FOSA2206012 Machine Learning-Enhanced Predictive Controls of Power Electronic Converters Chee Shen Lim
Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD FOS2111JF01* Study on Treatment of onychomycosis with soluble microneedles loaded with Terbinafine nanogels Jie Sun
Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD FOS2109JM02* Microstructural evolution and its relationship to properties of spray formed high performance aluminum alloys during thermomechanical process Jie Sun
Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD FOS2210JB01* Materials and devices for room-temperature infrared photodetection Ye Wu
Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD FOS2111JD01* High Performance Analog and RF IC Design Technology Research Miao Cui
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSA2212007 Study on Cyber-Physical Attacks in Power Grids by Artificial Intelligence and Complex Networks Fei Xue
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSA2212013 Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer for WPAN Applications Zhenzhen Jiang
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2212016 Data-driven approach to information-based Traffic flow modelling Dongyao Jia
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOS2210JJ02* Man-machine collision detection algorithm Yuqing Chen
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSA2212018 The research on the impact of socio-economic development to power network expansion for developing countries Lurui Fang
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSA2306012 Deep SLAM and Navigation: A Deep Reinforcement Learning - driven integrated SLAM and navigation framework for intelligent and connected vehicles Xinheng Wang
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2306019 Context-aware Dynamic Encoding for Efficient Big Data Processing Dapeng Dong
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOS2308JBB01* Monolithic integrated GaN power devices with Integrated Gate Drivers Wen Liu
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2212011* Cuffless Blood Pressure Estimation by Fusing Information from Multimodal Wearable Sensors Qing Liu
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSA2306016 Enhanced Sensorless Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors Tianru Zhang
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Civil Engineering PhD PGRS2012007 Study on the effect of partially multi-layered vegetation on open-channel flows Xiaonan Tang
Civil Engineering PhD FOS2201JN01* Lightweight design and development of graphene / aluminum composites for new energy vehicles based on carbon neutralization Charles Kwet Shin Loo Chin Moy
Civil Engineering PhD PGRS2106033 A lattice-Boltzmann study on the effect of porous media morphology on immiscible displacements Konstantinos Papadikis
Urban Planning and Design PhD FOSLG210402 Sustainable planning and implementation of eco-oriented enclave projects through knowledge transfer and management Yunqing Xu
Urban Planning and Design PhD PGRS2206054 Non-optimum temperature-related mortality burden in Suzhou, China: its spatial pattern, associated risk factors and potential effect modifiers Jinglu Song
Architecture PhD PGRS2212053 Computational design and optimization of internal porous scaffold and skeleton morphology for designing and making extra-light 3D-concrete printed precast facade components Iasef Md Rian
Architecture PhD PGRS2212015 The contemporary and cross-cultural interpretation of Jiangnan heritage: A case study of new architecture in Suzhou and Hangzhou Jiawen Han
Urban Planning and Design PhD PGRS2212052 A Study of Land Property Rights and Rural Revitalisation in China Xuefeng Wang
Civil Engineering PhD PGRS2212056 Research on local scour mechanism of bridge piers under extreme flood peaks Wei Zhang
Civil Engineering PhD PGRS2112018 Strengthening of masonry walls subjected to horizontal loads strengthened with pre-stressed Textile Reinforced Mortrars (TRMs) Theofanis Krevaikas
Civil Engineering PhD FOS2305JJ01* Information Fusion Navigation Algorithm based on Lidar-Vision Integration Lei Fan
Civil Engineering PhD PGRS2306058 Green Electronic Interconnections (GEI): Optimal Design for Lead-free Solders Tianhong Gu
Urban Planning and Design PhD PGRS2306057 Barriers and Opportunities of Regional Planning Collaboration in China: Mapping Subjective Landscape in Implementing Integrated Watershed Revitalisation in the Yangtze River Delta Joon Sik Kim
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
English, Culture and Communication PhD PGRSSP220301 New Directions in Literary Biography Thomas Duggett
English, Culture and Communication PhD FOSA2306023 English writing processes and products of young Chinese learners: The roles of motivation and cognition Dawei Wei
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOS2210JM01* Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Methodology Development for Liquid Cooling Plate of Power Battery: Stamping and Materials Properties Distribution Chen Xuan
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOS2211JM01* AI-based Materials Design and Development of Advanced Metals and Alloys Chen Xuan
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOSA2112016 Heterogeneous Photo Electrically Responsive Liquid Crystal Polymers and Their Smart Actuators/Robots Chen Xuan
Mathematical Sciences PhD PGRS2112033 The Functional Degree and the Dispersion of Multivariate Functions Uwe Schauz
Mathematical Sciences PhD PGRS2206050 Extreme Value Analysis of Certain Risk Models Long Bai
Mathematical Sciences PhD PGRS2112032 Mathematical Modeling of Liquid Droplet and Thin Film in a Vertical Gas Channel Xinyao Yang
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOSLG221204 Interplay of Heavy-tailedness and Tail dependence in extreme systemic risks: from static to dynamic evaluation Jiajun Liu
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOSLG221205 Optimal dividend and capital injection with practice constraints and risk management restrictions Ran Xu
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOS2210JJ01* Stability Control of Hydraulic Foot-legged Robot in Complex Environment Chen Xuan
Mathematical Sciences PhD PGRS2212033 Multiple Partonic Interactions at the LHC: enabling the discovery of new physics Arthur Moraes
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOSA2306027 Generalized Multiscale Methods Based on the Projection Embedded Discrete Fracture Model and Its Application in Unconventional Reservoir Simulation Jie Chen
Mathematical Sciences PhD FOSA2306028 Research on Identification Methods of Industrial Networked Control System with Multi-rate Characteristics Feiyan Chen
Mathematical Sciences PhD PGRS2306028 Magnetic Skyrmions, Berry Phase and Topological Hall Effect Hao Yu
Mathematical Sciences PhD PGRS2306060 Casimir-Polder repulsion induced by a Chern insulator Bing Sui Lu
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Biological Sciences PhD PGRS2206022 Energy harvesting and photovoltaic conversion properties of hybrid light-harvesting system Xia Huang
Biological Sciences PhD FOSA2206021 Multi-omics study of host perturbations by DWV infection Tatsuhiko Kadowaki
Biological Sciences PhD FOS2112JG01* Chromosome substitution strains from Chinese wild mice Minyan Wang
Biological Sciences PhD FOS2112JT02* Development of a multi-gene detection model for Chinese Luminal-type early breast cancer and its clinical translational study on the predictive value of breast cancer recurrence risk Jia Meng
Chemistry PhD FOS2207JO01* Lead-free Perovskite Solar Cells Yi Lin
Chemistry PhD FOS2209JR01* Study on the tunable cell structure of polymer foam via supercritical fluid micro-foaming Lifeng Ding
Environmental Science PhD PGRS2206057 Ripple formation under different atmospheric conditions Bailiang Li
Environmental Science PhD PGRS2206030 The influence of species interaction on the ecological niche of selected microalgae Bastian Steudel
Environmental Science PhD FOSA2212022 How to respond to future elevated atmospheric [CO2] on selenium in plants: A comparative study among a selenium hyperaccumulator and staple crops? Linxi Yuan
Biological Sciences PhD PGRS2306039 Metagenomic investigations into the temporal dynamics, transmission potential, and antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms in an ICU environment Xinzhao Tong
Chemistry PhD FOSA2306005 Exploring MOFs for Ammonia Storage as an Alternative Hydrogen Carrier using GCMC and ML methods Lifeng Ding
Chemistry PhD FOS2309JM01* Machine Learning in Predicting Printability and Shape Fidelity of Bioink for 3D Bio-printed Organoids Xuan Xue
Chemistry PhD FOS2309JAK01* High-efficiency organic photovoltaics based on nano structure Yi Lin
Chemistry PhD PGRSSP230401 Photo- and electro-catalyst designs using combination of electrochemistry and electrodynamics implemented in multi-scale simulations Heechae Choi
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Biological Science PhD FOSA2212029 Investigation of Appropriate Models and Design Strategies for TB household contact studies Tenglong Li
Biological Science PhD FOS2211JF01* Study on an industrial-grade nucleic acid delivery system based on exosomes Jinhui Chen
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSLG230505 Research of domain adaptive computer-aided quantitative analysis for digital pathological images Jingxin Liu
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOS2205JL01* Investigation of Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy Yinchao Zhao
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOS2205JL02* Brain-inspired optical computing Yinchao Zhao
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSA2206005 A Study on Vertical Structure-based Flexible Artificial Synaptic Transistors Eng Hwa Ya
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSLG230503 Multi-Physics Optimization of Control Valve Structure – An Integrated approach with Approximation Assisted Models Long Huang
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSLG230504 Intelligent Flow Control for Liquid-Gas Two-Phase Flow Distribution Long Huang
Electrical and Electronics Engineering PhD FOSLG230801 Energy-efficient motion control of a turtle-like biomimetic amphibious robot Sze-Hong Teh
Programme Reference Number Title of PhD Project Supervisor
Computer Science and Software Engineering PhD FOSA2306024 Design and Development of AIoT-enabled Automated Product Inspection for SME Manufacturing Industry Hadyan Hafizh

2. Apply for a scholarship with your own project

If the above funded projects don’t match your research interest, you can also bring your own research project to apply for a scholarship. This scholarship is available to potential doctoral candidates whose principal supervisor is from following schools:

Please note there will be two application rounds for student applying for scholarship with own project in each academic year:

  • First round – applications submitted by 17:00 CST (UTC+8), 15 October will be reviewed in the first round and the successful scholarship recipients will be announced in December.
  • Second round – applications submitted by 17:00 CST (UTC+8), 15 April will be reviewed in the second round and the successful scholarship recipients will be announced in July.

The scholarship deadlines must be strictly adhered to and late submissions will not be accepted.

Life in Suzhou

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is located in Suzhou, a charming city in eastern China that can be conveniently connected to Shanghai by a high-speed train in less than 30 minutes.

As a beautiful and ancient city, Suzhou combines a 2,500-year-old history with a drive to become one of the most modern cities in China, which has a population of 13 million and a GDP of more than 2 trillion RMB – far larger than those of many entire countries!

Suzhou is one of the top 10 most attractive cities in China to foreign talents. The city has a permanent foreign population of almost 30,000, half of which are in the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) area, where XJTLU is located. Please visit the Life in Suzhou page to explore food, shopping, sports and activities in Suzhou.