3-year PhD studentship: 3D printing of low dimensional materials for sensing

Closing Date:  Saturday 26 August 2023

Reference:  ENG1669

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship (3 years) within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham. The student will work with an interdisciplinary supervisory team with expertise in 3D printing, functional low dimensional materials and sensing.

We seek to use 3D printing to create novel multimaterial functional structures capable of new ways of sensing underlying material properties. We will use low dimensional materials, including graphene, perovskites and nanodiamonds incorporated into polymers, ceramics and glasses and we will use 3D printing to form them into geometrically complex structures. We will explore how low dimensional materials behave when included within a 3D printed matrix, and we will use their functionality to design and create sensors that can be used for, e.g., examining tissue health or failure in structures under load.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for research and an interest in using 3D printing, chemistry, materials science, or materials engineering to create innovative products. They will have a background in engineering, physics or chemistry, but also be willing to learn and explore other disciplines, as required to meet the project goals. The studentship is an exciting research collaboration between supervisors based within the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/cfam/) and the Optics and Photonics Group (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/optics-and-photonics-research-group/index.aspx). The project will be part of an EPSRC Programme Grant: Dialling Up Performance for On Demand Manufacturing led by Professor Ricky Wildman and Dr. Lyudmila Turyanska and a Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship in Emerging Technologies, held by Professor Melissa Mather and will have access to state of the art laboratories and be part of a wide multi-institution and multidisciplinary team. The University of Nottingham facilitates access to a range of networking and training opportunities in addition to the above, including our Researcher Academy and the successful candidate will benefit from alignment with other programmes such as those provided by the Quantum Technology Sensing and Timing Hub, which our groups are members of.

Eligibility

•    Due to funding restrictions, the position is only available for UK candidates

•    Candidates must possess or expect to obtain, a 2:1 or first class degree in an Engineering or Physical Sciences related discipline.

•    Candidates will be available to start on 1st October 2023.

How to apply

Please send a copy of your covering letter, CV and academic transcripts to cfam@nottingham.ac.uk referring to the project title.

Closing date: applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is appointed.