PhD Studentship - Biorenewable Antioxidants Production for Enhanced Sustainability of Polymeric Materials

Several types of polymeric materials undergo rapid degradation under both storage and use, unless antioxidants and stabilisers are added to suppress undesirable reactions. This project is co-funded by Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd. and will be focused on the identification and further development of routes for effective extraction and modification of biorenewable antioxidants and stabilisers in order to enhance the sustainability of polymeric materials. The candidate will research biomass sources and extraction techniques, exploit chemical modification pathways, and investigate performance of the novel preservatives in final application scenarios. 

You will be co-supervised by a team of supervisors at Newcastle University and the industry sponsor Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd. Project co-creation with our industrial partner will guarantee the industrial relevance and impact of the research. Some projects may also be in collaboration with our partners at the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at University of York. 

You will be taught a range of skills to complement, drive and strengthen your research: life-cycle analysis, techno-economic analysis, digital and business skills, ethics etc. You will also undertake short courses in the core subjects of this PhD programme including process intensification and green chemistry. 

This project is part of the Process Industries: Net Zero (PINZ) Centre for Doctoral training. The aim of the PINZ CDT is to train the next generation of process and chemical engineers, and chemists, to develop the new processes, process technologies and green chemistries required for the process industries’ transition to Net Zero. 

Number of awards: 1 

Start date: 15th September 2025 

Award duration: 4 years 

Application closing date: 24th June 2025

Sponsor: EPSRC 

Eligibility Criteria 

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related subjects, or equivalent industrial experience. Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

How to apply    

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal. Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’. 

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’. 

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study: 

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8856F 
• Leave the ‘Research Area’ blank 
• Select ‘PhD in Process Industries; Net Zero (PINZ’) as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section: 

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form 
• The studentship code PINZ05-25 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field 
• ‘Research Proposal’ - when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal. 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details: pinz.cdt@ncl.ac.uk