Current opportunities

General Information

Postgraduate projects undertaken in the Chemistry Department here in Durham cover all of the traditional areas of chemistry and other contemporary, often interdisciplinary topics. PhD projects are available each year that span all aspects of the Department's research activities.

• It is important to note that funding is awarded throughout the year, which means that new projects regularly become available throughout the year, so please check this web page frequently for the latest information.

Individual supervisors should be contacted for further project-specific information, while general enquiries may be made to the Postgraduate Admissions Tutors:

All general enquiries: - Mrs Anne Carrahar
Postgraduate Admissions: - Dr Steven Cobb
Director of Postgraduate Studies: - Prof. Jon Steed

The following are fully funded PhD positions that are available now to start in October 2013.

"Fundamentals of Selective Olefin Oligomerisation Using Heterogeneous Catalysis"
- Dr Phil Dyer
An EPSRC-funded industrial CASE award with Johnson Matthey is available to work on a PhD position in the research group of Phil Dyer on a project entitled "Fundamentals of Selective Olefin Oligomerisation Using Heterogeneous Catalysis", which will probe the synthesis and mode of operation of a range of different heterogeneous initiators. The project work will be undertaken in the Department of Chemistry at Durham and will involve aspects of organometallic chemistry, catalyst testing, and the synthesis of novel heterogeneous catalyst packages. This area of research is of particular interest for upgrading alkenes (increasingly available from light hydrocarbon feeds and by dehydration of ethanol) and to maximise yields of fuel (petrol and/or middle distillates) grade components from residual crude oil- and biomass-derived fractions. This position is open to UK students only.

Please contact Phil Dyer (p.w.dyer@durham.ac.uk) for further details.

"Application of the catalytic asymmetric beta-borylation of unsaturated imines for the synthesis of bioactive compounds"
- Prof Andy Whiting
 

Deposition of Complex Fluids in Inkjet Printing
- Prof. Colin Bain (Chemistry) and Dr. Arganthaël Berson (Engineering)

A 42-month EPSRC-funded PhD studentship is available from October 2013 on a collaborative project entitled I4T: Innovation in Industrial Inkjet Technology between Durham, Cambridge, Leeds and a consortium of companies interested in inkjet printing and drop delivery. The studentship will be based in the Department of Chemistry at Durham University but you will work collaboratively with PhD students, post-docs and senior researchers across the three institutions. The project involves the measurement and modelling of the evaporation of drops of complex fluids on surfaces that are smooth, textured, porous or ‘smart’. We are particularly interested in how to use internal flows and chemical interactions in order to control the final morphology of a deposit on a surface. The project will involve suspensions of solid particles and emulsions. Experimental techniques include high-speed imaging, particle tracking and optical and electron microscopy.

Please contact Prof. Colin Bain (c.d.bain@durham.ac.uk) for further details.

Spatially Resolved Polymer Dynamics in Filled Rubbers
- Dr. R.L. Thompson (Durham), V. Garcia-Sakai (ISIS neutron source, RAL) and Prof. N. Clarke (Sheffield)

A 42 month STFC funded PhD studentship is available starting October 2013 in the Department of Chemistry, Durham University. The project will be supervised by Dr Richard Thompson (Durham, Chemistry), Prof Nigel Clarke (University of Sheffield, Physics) and Dr Victoria Garcia Sakai (STFC ISIS facility). The key objective will be to improve our understanding of energy dissipation in materials used for vehicle tyres by using techniques such as quasi elastic neutron scattering. The project is funded through the STFC Global Challenges/Futures scheme and will make extensive use of the UK and international neutron scattering facilities. No prior experience of neutron scattering is required as a full package of training and support will be provided.

Please contact Dr Richard Thompson (r.l.thompson@dur.ac.uk) for further details.

"Migration of Materials Within Films and Film-Seal Interfaces."
- Dr Richard Thompson
Encapsulation of detergents in PVA film is a new technology of growing industrial importance. An interdisciplinary Ph.D. project starting October 2013, will address for the first time the mechanisms of migration, dissolution and sealing in PVA pouches used for detergent encapsulation. The project involves an experimental investigation of diffusion into PVA films and the relationship between these processes and dissolution and loss of mechanical strength. The impact of these nanoscale processes on macroscopic physical properties will be explored using our novel suite of rheology equipment and ultimately modelled with state-of-the-art rheological modelling software. An excellent opportunity exists for an enthusiastic graduate with a good first degree in a physical science e.g. physics, chemistry, natural sciences etc.
This project is a CASE studentship with a newly formed team at P&G, Newcastle & Belgium.

Please contact Dr Richard Thompson (r.l.thompson@dur.ac.uk) for further details.

Multi-Functional Surfaces - TWO funded studentships
-Professor J. P. S. Badyal, Sponsored by P2i Ltd
The aim of this project will be to devise surfaces which concurrently display a range of molecular level responsive behaviours; these will include catalysis, opto-chirality, bioactivity, solar harvesting, and capture and release. http://www.dur.ac.uk/jps.badyal/index.htm

Contact: Prof. Jas Pal Badyal (j.p.badyal@durham.ac.uk)

Computer simulation pathways to studying solubility and partitioning in polymers and complex fluids
- Professor Mark Wilson
The solubility of small molecules and oligomers in polymeric systems is of fundamental importance to a wide variety of real world materials. Similar problems relating to poor solubility, undesired small molecule migration and undesired phase separation occur in areas as diverse as aerospace and off-the-shelf consumer products. This studentship is a computational chemistry project sponsored by P&G's German Innovation Centre. The project will involve the development of efficient methods to determine the solubility of molecules in polymers and the partitioning of molecules between polymers. The project will combine state-of-the-art atomistic simulation, coarse-grained modelling and theory, and will aim to develop new tools to improve the design of polymer materials in the next generation of consumer products.

Quantum properties of ultracold molecules
- Professor Jeremy Hutson
Molecules can now be made at temperatures below 1 microkelvin, where every aspect of their motion can be controlled with great precision and fascinating new quantum properties emerge. This studentship will explore the properties and interactions of ultracold molecules using state-of-the art theoretical methods. Further information is available at

http://www.dur.ac.uk/j.m.hutson/studentships-info.pdf

“The Synthesis of Complex (Co)polymers by Living Anionic Polymerisation”
- Dr Lian Hutchings
This PhD project will involve the synthesis and characterisation of a variety of complex polymers and copolymers by living anionic polymerisation and is a collaboration with Synthomer Ltd. Further details will be forthcoming in the near future.
If you are interested in this position please contact Dr Lian Hutchings (l.r.hutchings@durham.ac.uk)