PhD Studentship : Designing Catalysts for Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

A fully funded 3.5 year Ph.D. studentship is available to UK nationals and outstanding international students, with Professors Lynn Gladden, Mick Mantle and Andy Sederman, to start 1 October 2025.

The transition to net zero is driving a new phase in the development of innovative catalysts and processes because the reactants required for these 'net zero' processes come from new sources, and the products of the reaction are required with increasingly high specifications. This project addresses Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) which is considered, if adopted in an environmentally responsible way, to have the potential to cut the greenhouse gas emissions of the aviation sector by up to 80% compared with traditional jet fuels (World Economic Forum) and can also be used as an energy vector where high energy density is required. 

Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalysis is one of the primary catalytic conversions used to produce SAF, using green hydrogen and biogenic or captured carbon dioxide. Magnetic resonance techniques are now sufficiently advanced that they can provide unique insights in to how a catalyst operates under reaction conditions. Whilst FT processes have existed for many years, the new feedstocks used in SAF as well as the new product specifications required mean that there is real need to re-design the catalysts and processes conditions to deliver carbon-neutral fuels and contribute to delivering net zero.

Our approach is to use new magnetic resonance methods developed in the group which allow us to understand how molecules move in and out of the catalyst, and how the reaction occurs inside the catalyst under reaction conditions, much like the way magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to study blood flow and the internal structure and behaviour of the human body. For applicants interested in learning and developing new skills in magnetic resonance imaging techniques applied to catalysis, there is much scope for building this interest into the project.

Applicants can only be considered for this studentship if they meet the Department's entry criteria:  https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/egcepdcng/requirements

Applicants for the studentships should have a First Class (or a high 2:1) or equivalent degree in a relevant discipline such as chemical engineering, engineering, chemistry or physics. If your degree was taken outside the UK, please check the International Qualifications before you apply:  https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/before/international-qualifications 

To apply for these studentships, you will need to submit a formal application for our PhD in Chemical Engineering programme, which is available at the entry criteria page above.  You will need to note Profs Lynn Gladden, Andy Sederman, and Mick Mantle as your prospective supervisor, and you will need to note vacancy reference number NQ45075 in the research proposal field.  We are unable to consider late or incomplete applications.

Please quote reference NQ45075 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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