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Two PhD vacancies at Prof. Coppens’ NICE Group
15 December 2024
The following PhD projects are available at the Department of Chemical Engineering at University College London (UCL), in the NICE (Nature-Inspired Chemical Engineering) group of the UCL CNIE, led and advised by Professor Marc-Olivier Coppens.
Positions are available immediately, funded (tuition, stipend, lab expenses, and support) for up to 4-year PhD duration by Synfuels China Ltd:
1. Dynamically structured fluidized beds for precise, scalable gas-solid processes
2. Bio-inspired nanoconfinement to increase catalytic performance
More details on these project are provided further on.
Requirements
For both positions, an MEng or MSc degree in chemical engineering or related applied or scientific discipline (minimum of 2:1 Honours) or its overseas equivalent (e.g., 4-year BSc degree) is essential. The post holder is required to write-up the results for reports and journal publications, and present them at conferences. Some travel is desired to interact with Synfuels China and other collaborators, as well as for conferences.
The candidate should be:
- proficient in conducting scientific experiments;
- able to prioritise among different tasks, manage time and work to deadlines;
- able to analyse, develop and solve open-ended research problems;
- able to work effectively in groups and at interdisciplinary boundaries;
- able to to interact with technical staff efficiently in order to achieve objectives;
- an effective communicator, both in speech and in writing;
- enthusiastic in continuing education.
Candidates from underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
PhD student duties and responsibilities include:
- To write reports and produce peer-reviewed journal publications, and present them at conferences and other professional meetings. Generally, two or more first-author papers in highly respected journals, with other collaborative ones as co-author are expected.
- To interact professionally and collegially with co-workers in the department, as well as in other institutions, including industry and academia.
- To take responsibility for ensuring that the laboratory work is properly maintained and documented.
- To travel and visit collaborators, including the project sponsor, Synfuels China Ltd., unless there are (personal or family) factors that would make this particularly difficult.
- To contribute to the overall activities of the research team as required, in particular collaborating with colleagues and contributing to the induction, direction and management of masters-level students.
- The postholder will actively follow UCL policies including Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies.
- The postholder will maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health & Safety Regulations.
- This job description reflects the present requirements of the post, and as duties and responsibilities change/develop, the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the postholder.
- The postholder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the thesis advisor or Head of Department.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should write to the following administrative email address for the UCL CNIE: cnie.admin@ucl.ac.uk. In your application, include:
- Curriculum vitae (cv)
- Cover letter, including your interest and motivation in a PhD in Professor Coppens’ NICE group at the UCL CNIE, and discussing your experience
- If possible, sample writing (thesis, article, notable report)
- Names and contact information of at least two references, and whether these can be contacted.
Applications will be considered until 15 January 2025, shortly after which shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview. The posts are immediately available.
General information on postgraduate research at UCL’s Department of Chemical Engineering is included here: Link.
Applicants are already encouraged to use UCL Select to apply, although this is not essential in first instance; however, UCL Select must be used to be officially considered, for shortlisted candidates.
More details on the PhD projects
PhD 1: Dynamically structured fluidized beds for precise, scalable gas-solid processes
Research in the NICE Group of the CNIE has shown that pulsating the gas flow rate of a gas/solid fluidized bed can lead to regular bubble patterns with bubbles of a well-controlled size, well-controlled solid circulation around them, and well-controlled distance between the bubbles. The regularity is a result of energy dissipation and the interplay between fluid and solid mechanics, leading to a transformation of the typical chaotic bubble and particle flows in fluidized beds with a constant gas inlet flow to a spatiotemporally self-organised periodic pattern, once the inlet gas flow is pulsed, within a range of flow rate offsets, amplitudes, and pulse frequencies. In shallow beds, the regularity is like that of sand patterns witnessed on dunes or beaches, due to gusts of wind or waves, respectively. In fluidization, we have called this regime “dynamically structured fluidization”. This opens tremendous opportunities for the control of catalytic chemical reactions, but also for particle processing (like drying, coating and a wide variety of functional materials syntheses). To investigate the impact and potential of dynamically structured fluidization, the PhD student in this project will carry out fundamental experimental and computational studies of heat transfer, started in a previous project funded by Synfuels China, as well as mass transfer, and a gas-solid physicochemical process. Apart from steering the gas flow periodically, also other types of intermittent flow and dynamic process control will be investigated – leveraging principles of chaos control. Also, scale-up of dynamically structured fluidized beds will be investigated at the UCL East MFL, in a new dedicated setup.
The candidate has preferably some experience with one or more of the following: nonlinear/complex systems; computational simulations for multiphase flow and/or reaction engineering; experimentation and characterisation of multiphase flows; basic, hands-on expertise in building equipment.
Figure: K. Wu, S. Jiang, V. Francía, M.-O. Coppens, 2023, Powder Technology 431, 119096.
PhD 2: Bio-inspired nanoconfinement to increase catalytic performance
Research in the NICE Group of the CNIE has shown that controlling nano-confinement effects in mesoporous materials (pore curvature, surface chemistry and charge) may have a remarkable effect on catalytic properties of immobilized homogeneous catalysts, enzymes, and nanoparticles, e.g., increasing catalyst activity, selectivity, and stability. This is akin to and was inspired by the nano-confinement effects witnessed in biological systems, including chaperonins that fold enzymes into their 3D active shapes, and stabilise them. Hitherto, studies were isolated and not considered together. How general this nano-confinement effect is and could be exploited for nature-inspired catalysis and process intensification, is unknown. The PhD student will carry out a range of catalytic reactions to investigate the fundamentals of nature-inspired nano-confinement, particularly with the goal to increase the effectiveness of molecular transformation essential to sustainable manufacturing. Experimental synthesis and characterisation studies will be complemented by computational quantum chemical studies and spectroscopy, to provide insight into the nano-confinement effects.
The candidate must have comprehensive knowledge of transport phenomena, physical chemistry, and general chemistry; general chemistry and/or chemical engineering laboratory experience. Desirable, but not essential would be some experience in materials synthesis and catalysis; and basic, hands-on expertise in building equipment.
