PhD Studentship: Unravelling Electrical Treeing Mechanism for Next-Generation HV Cable Insulation

Deadline: 12.12.25

How to apply: https://uom.link/pgr-apply-2425

For UK students

This 3.5-year PhD studentship is open to Home (UK) applicants and EU students with settled status. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26; subject to annual uplift) plus home tuition fees will be paid.

Exceptional overseas candidates may also be considered.

If you are currently based overseas, please inform the supervisor of your location when you first make contact.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert will be removed once the position has been filled.

Electrical treeing is a primary degradation mechanism in polymer insulation leading to the ultimate failure of high-voltage (HV) cables. Despite being a phenomenon first observed and studied for over a century, the fundamental physio-chemical processes governing tree initiation and propagation remain inadequately understood, representing a significant scientific and engineering challenge. This limits our ability to design next-generation insulation materials for higher voltage applications across different sectors.

A fundamental reason for the stalled progress in electrical treeing research is that experiments have historically been conducted without precise control over the environmental conditions, allowing too many variables to influence tree growth simultaneously. For decades, the field has focused enormously on visualising the nanoscale structure of trees after initiation, rather than investigating the underlying thermodynamic forces that drive their propagation. To address this fundamental challenge, the PhD candidate will be part of a wider team to establish methodological framework, combing utilisation of controlled tree growth test, thermodynamic modelling and advanced optical characterisation in-situ.

This PhD project will investigate fundamental factors that drive electrical tree growth using this methodology. The research will conduct comprehensive measurement of under precisely controlled conditions, including changing the ambient gas, gas pressure, temperature and materials (from thermoplastics to thermosets), modelling the growth rate using kinetic models as a function of those specific parameters and advanced in-situ optical characterisation for real-time capture of the tree initiation, propagation and transition to breakdown.

This project aims to provide a promising route as part of wider research effort to achieve a clear understanding of this century-old scientific challenge, transforming it from a persistent engineering problem into a well-understood physical phenomenon. Its success will provide the fundamental insights needed to design next-generation high-voltage insulation systems used in various application scenarios, enabling significantly improved reliability and performance through physics-driven insulation material design.

Applicants should hold a first-class (or equivalent) degree in a relevant engineering or science discipline (upper second class may be considered depending on the bachelor's/master's dissertation project. The candidate is expected to start the PhD before September 2026. 

To apply, please contact the supervisors;  Dr Chen - lujia.chen@manchester.ac.uk and Dr Mufeng Liu - mufeng.liu@manchester.ac.uk . Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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