PDRA Positions

Postdoctoral workeris in the group are paid according to the University scale at either level 6 or 7, depending on the nature of the post. Postdoctoral workers come in two forms, a) those working on projects funded by a research council or industry grant, b) those with personal fellowships.

We are also interested in hearing from good candidates who are able to provide their own source of funding through fellowships etc. For the right candidates we are able to provide state-of-the-art facilities for research (1900 processor core computer system), a stimulating research environment and excellent academic support.

Ph.D. positions (EU students)

Normal entry requirements for a Ph.D. would be a good Masters degree in Chemistry, Physics or a related topic. We would also consider applications from exceptional BSc students, though these students would be required to register for a Masters degree initially.

Fees to study for a Ph.D. or a research based MSc. must be paid to the University. The costs of fees can be found through the university tuition fees pages, to be found at http://www.dur.ac.uk/treasurer/students/tuition_fees/

Each year there is normally funding in the group to pay tuition fees and a stipend (approximately 13000 GBP) for one new EU student to start a research degree in the research group. Usually these projects are linked to existing areas of research (soft matter, liquid crystals, polymers, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, chirality).

For more information on how to apply for a Ph.D. in the group, see...
Chemistry Department page for postgraduate applications
The University Graduate School
Applications for postgraduate study should be carried out online

Non-UK candidates must normally have the appropriate qualification in English or have considerable experience in using the English language.

Ph.D. positions (Non-EU students)

We are pleased to welcome good overseas students with fellowships who are keen to do a Ph.D. in the UK. We have students from all continents (apart from Antarctica) in the Chemistry Department; and the University provides excellent support services to help new students settle into Durham. Many of the best research students in the department in recent years have gone on to establish their own research careers, gaining professorships in many other countries.

We regret that it is often difficult to provide full funding for non-EU students. Non-EU students must normally pay overseas fees to the University, as (unlike EU students) the UK government does not provide the University with additional money to fund the costs of study.

There are various national and international scholarship funds available for non-EU students (depending on country of origin) but (of course) it is up to the interested student to hunt these out. We currently have two overseas students in the group.