PhD Research Studentships

Tuning Structure and Flow of Soft (Active) Matter in Porous Media for Energy Engineering Applications

Supervisor: Edo BOEK
Apply by:28 February 2018

Description

A fully funded Research Studentship is available in the Soft Matter and Flow in Porous Media research group in the School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London [1]. The main objective of the PhD project is to develop experimental and / or computational methods to study flow and structure of complex fluids in confinement, such as micro-fluidic geometries and porous media. You will join a research group with strong industrial links and rich experience in soft matter, multi-phase and reactive flow, with applications in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and clean fossil fuels, see e.g. [2]. Here we will extend our existing expertise and develop applications in renewable energy, lab-on-a-chip technology, energy storage, and improved battery design.  Our research questions include: How can we tune the structural and flow behaviour of soft (active) matter in external fields or confinement? Can we apply this knowledge to self-assemble templates for novel battery materials or artificial tissues; create self-pumping micro-fluidic devices; or design new bio-inspired materials? The main goal is to understand and tune the collective macroscopic behaviour of such systems from the underlying microscopic principles.  

For this purpose, we will develop and use state-of-the-art experimental techniques including micro-fluidics, microscopy, rheology and X-ray micro-tomography. In parallel, we will extend our computational capabililties by further developing cutting-edge particle-based hydrodynamic simulations, including Lattice-Boltzmann (on both GPU and CPU), Molecular Dynamics, and Multi-Particle Collision Dynamics.  The research may be carried out with co-workers at the University of Cambridge, see [3].

[1] https://www.sems.qmul.ac.uk/staff/e.boek

[2] Zacharoudiou I, Chapman EM, Boek ES, Crawshaw JP, Journal of Fluid Mechanics  2017 824:550-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2017.363

[3] http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/esb30/

Requirements:

  • Strong experimental skills and / or
  • Strong code development skills, including C++, CUDA, Fortran, MATLAB, Python

QMUL Research Studentship Details

  • Available to Home/EU Applicants only.
  • The studentship arrangement will cover tuition fees and provide an annual stipend for up to three years (Currently set as £16,553 in 2017/18). 
  • The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good Honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
  • If English is not your first language then you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of 6 in Writing and 5.5 in all other sections (Reading, Listening and Speaking).
  • Please Note that this studentship is only available to Home/EU Applicants. (See: http://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/money/feestatus/ for details) 

Supervisor Contact Details:

For informal enquiries about this position, please contact 

Dr Edo Boek E-mail: e.boek@qmul.ac.uk 

Application Method: 

Materials Science programme (Full Time, Semester 1 start) please follow the instructions detailed on the following webpage: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/subjects/materials.html

Further Guidance available via: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/

Please be sure to include a reference to ‘2017 SEMS ESB’ to associate your application with this studentship opportunity. 

Eligibility

  • The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
  • If English is not your first language, you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in all sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking).
  • Candidates are expected to start in (Semester ).
  • SEMS and Principal-funded studentships: this studentship arrangement covers home tuition fees and provides an annual stipend for up to three years (currently set at the 2023/24 stipend rate of £20,622 pa)
  • Note that Queen Mary Research Studentships cover home-rated tuition fees only (See: www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/money/feestatus/ for details)
  • Overseas applicants would be required to meet the difference between home and international tuition fees

Contact

For informal enquiries about this opportunity, please contact Edo BOEK.

Related website:http://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/subjects/materials.html