PhD Studentship - Revealing Solvents Under Confinement

Application deadline: 30/04/2026

Research theme: Catalysis and porous materials, Gas Capture

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

This 3.5-year PhD project is fully funded and home students are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£21,805 for 2026/27) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. The start date is October 2026.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

Many technologies essential to a Net Zero future, including sustainable chemical processing, separations, and energy storage, rely on liquids operating inside nanoporous materials. At this scale, liquids behave in unexpected ways that cannot be predicted from bulk properties, yet these effects often control performance and efficiency.

This PhD project focuses on data-driven analysis of confined liquids structure, informed by total neutron scattering. The emphasis is on developing new analysis strategies that capture the complexity of real materials, including disorder and heterogeneity, rather than on routine experimentation.

The project will be carried out between the University of Manchester and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, with extensive time spent at ISIS (to be agreed with the student). ISIS is a world-leading facility for advanced materials characterisation, providing access to unique instruments, large-scale datasets, and an international research community. Training on neutron scattering techniques will be provided.

The project is ideal for students who are interested in computational chemistry, modelling, and scientific coding, and who are keen to develop these skills while contributing tools that advance the field and support clean growth and Net Zero technologies.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

To apply, please contact the main supervisor; Dr. Marta Falkowska - marta.falkowska@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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