PhD Studentship: New Electrode Materials for Ultra-high Power Energy Storage

Project title: New electrode materials for ultra-high power energy storage  

Supervisory Team: Andrew Hector and Nuria Garcia-Araez

Project description

This project will contribute to a major Ministry of Defence (MoD) research programme as part of a MoD/EPSRC Energy Transfer Technology Skills and Training (S&T) Hub. The hub will develop generation after next technologies for applications in defence and security, and this project will be co-funded by Qinetiq. The student will be based at the University of Southampton but will be part of a cohort of 12 PhD students across a number of UK institutions.

The project is concerned with synthesis and development of 3D electrode materials to produce batteries that can be charged and discharged very quickly. The student will carry out synthesis to make the electrodes and work on fully characterising the materials and their electrochemistry. They will work closely with Qinetiq accessing the company’s facilities and expertise as well as gaining understanding of the industrial perspective.

The S&T Hub is committed to providing an inclusive environment in which diverse students can thrive, and encourages applications from women, disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who are currently under-represented in the sector. The Hub offers training for research and industrial career paths, as well as activities to facilitate cohort building and group learning exercises throughout the PhD programme.

The Southampton Electrochemistry group has a rich history of research and training in electrochemistry and in materials over more than 50 years. Professor Hector has extensive experience on research at the electrochemistry/materials interface including for battery and supercapacitor applications.

QinetiQ will support this project from its Power Sources business area that is situated in Gosport and Farnborough. The Power Sources team has many years’ experience developing, manufacturing and testing batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells. The team has a pilot production facility and dry-room in Gosport to support this programme and enable the student to gain experience in an industrial setting.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact:

Professor Andrew Hector, Email: A.L.Hector@soton.ac.uk.

Entry Requirements

Candidates must hold a minimum of an upper Second Class UK Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant science or engineering discipline. Candidates must be UK Nationals and be willing to apply for and able to obtain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance.

Closing date: applications should be received no later than 30 December 2023, but the position may be filled before this date.

Funding: This is a MoD/EPSTC Energy Transfer Technology Skills and Training Hub project. The duration of the PhD is 4 years. Funding will cover tuition fees and a stipend set at the UKRI rate (£18,622 in 2023/2024), and funds will be available for conference attendance and training, for students to travel to industrial partners and to do longer placements with the industrial partner.

The funding is for home students and applicants must be UK Nationals.

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk). Select programme type (Research), 2023/24, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, next page select “PhD Chemistry (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Andrew Hector

Applications should include:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Two reference letters
• Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk

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