Available Roles & Projects
PhD Programme in Energy Transition Science
Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, University of Cambridge from 2025
The Institute for Energy and Environment Flows is launching a major new PhD research programme on energy transition science, with up to 10 PhD awards, available to start in October 2025 or later, including projects in the following topics:
- Large-scale hydrogen energy storage in the subsurface
- Carbon transport and storage as part of the emerging CCS industry
- Hydrogen production through electrolysis
- Drag reduction through design of new lubricant systems
- Geothermal power generation
- Thermal energy storage and decarbonisation of buildings
- Deep-sea mining and its environmental impact
- Low-energy hybrid and natural ventilation
- Wind turbine wake dynamics and array design
- Industrial process modelling for energy efficiency
- Energy efficient polymer film processing
The focus of the research at the Institute is on fluid mechanical and surface science problems related to these topics, and their interaction with the environment. The research will build on the past 25 years of collaboration between the Institute and Industry, and there are a raft of new partnerships being developed in these specific topics. Details of the Institute’s faculty members and research activities may be found on the Institute website.
PhD students will be supervised by the faculty of the Institute, and their collaborators across the University of Cambridge. Students will be based in the Institute, and will have access to the extensive laboratories and also the computing resources available in the Institute and beyond.
In addition to their core research, the cohort of students will be able to join some of the ongoing graduate training programmes at the Institute and its partner Departments including the annual Institute Masterclass in Energy Supply and Demand, held each December, and short training programmes related to presentation and communication of science.
*To apply, please submit a formal application to the Board of Graduate Studies using the Applicant Portal. In your application mention the interest in this PhD Programme at the Institute. It may be useful to discuss potential projects with the faculty members of the Institute prior to submitting a formal application, and to help facilitate such discussions it would be good to email admin@ieef.cam.ac.uk or to email the individual faculty members.
PhD in Electrohydrodynamics
Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, University of Cambridge
A fully funded PhD at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Alex Routh is available. It is in collaboration with a Dynamic Smart Glass manufacturer.
Dynamic Smart Glass windows become opaque or clear in response to an external trigger. Example uses can be temperature modulation in cars through to maintaining a pleasant environment in a house.
To optimize the operation of such systems, we will examine the dynamics of colloidal particles in an applied electric field. The aim is to understand the resulting particle motion and accumulation under the electrodes. The project will be a combination of experimental rig design, construction and measurement as well as mathematical modelling. The exact balance of the project will be determined by the student’s interests.Suitable candidates will have a good undergraduate degree in either Chemistry, Physics, Applied Maths, Chemical Engineering or similar.
Candidates should apply for admission as a PhD student via the University of Cambridge website and list this project as the research area. The deadline for applications is 14 March 2025 and please contact Alex Routh (afr10@cam.ac.uk) for more information