New Materials Institute (NMI) Scholarships (2020 Entry)
Reference: |
202003NMI |
Length of Scholarships: |
up to 36 months, subject to satisfactory progression |
Places: |
20 |
Closing Date: |
Open till filled |
The scholarships are competitive and we advise you to apply as early as possible.
The available PhD scholarships cover:
- Tuition fee
- Monthly stipend (RMB4,500)
- Medical insurance with designate providers
- All above items are covered for up to 36 months based on satisfactory progression
- All regulations set out in the UNNC PGR Scholarship Policy apply
In addition to the above scholarship, successful candidates also have the opportunity to carry out paid teaching (after the completion of Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) training) or research assistant duties at UNNC since second year of their PhD programmes.
Available PhD research areas:
The above scholarships are to support research projects outlined under the following themes:
Polymer Composites Material
The team focuses on the strategic needs of aerospace, automotive, marine/shipbuilding industries and biomedical application, combining them with the trending areas of international research, as well as basic researches in material science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and automation for in-depth fusion, in order to carry out high quality R&D of composite technology. The team works with AVIC Composite Corporation Ltd., Sinoma, ARKEMA,Technical Fibre Products (TFP) and other well-known domestic and overseas enterprises and institutes in close cooperation, and in addition, as a platform which provides services including R&D of products, talent training for enterprises, and offers opportunities of visits and internships to these well-known enterprises. The Advanced Polymer Composites Team wish to combine industry, education and research together, making full use of the advantages of all parties of cooperation, and eventually promoting the commercialization of scientific research.
Current research projects include:
- Research on new concept technology of fire-protective light-weight sandwich composites
- Engineering research on multi-functional composite panels for maritime cabin application
- Research on dark acoustic honeycomb sandwich composite (metamaterial) technology
- Study on electromagnetic properties of structured conductive composites
- Research on multi-functional structural-damping composite technology
- Research on new cost-effective bio-source resin-based structural composite materials technology
- Research and development of new bio-sourced honeycomb materials
- In-situ structural health monitoring of carbon fiber composites
- Study on pultrusion technology of plant fiber hybrid composites
- Research on Friction Stir Welding Technology of Continuous Fiber Reinforced Composites
Basic admission requirements are,
- Background studies in composite, polymers, materials science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, etc.
- With good ability of creative thinking and research, and having good academic virtue and teamwork spirit.
- Applicants with academic publications will be treated favorably
For more details before submission
New Energy and Environmental Materials
Centre for New Energy and Environmental Materials (CNEEM) is a multidisciplinary research team composed of young researchers of international background. The R&D focuses of CNEEM cover clean coal technologies, sustainable energy conversion technologies, pollutant and heavy metal removal, technologies, new materials for environmental protection and energy storage as well as some fundamental research in energy and environmental related areas. At present, the CNEEM is carrying out research projects funded by national, provincial, municipal funding bodies as well as industry.
Current research projects include:
- The green synthesis of advanced materials from renewable sources
- The optimization of bio-energy from a biological, chemical and physical perspective
- Microwave-enhanced catalytic pyrolysis for biomass and organic waste
- Steam reforming of methanol over nanostructured catalysts for hydrogen production
- Study on metal-organic frameworks synthesis and their applications
- Novel catalyst development for low temperature tar cracking
- Abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using catalytic oxidation
- Treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
- The development of adsorbent/catalyst for Hg0, SO2 and NOx removal at coal-fired power plants
- Controllable synthesis of catalysts with promising application in catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide
- Development of high performance photoelectrocatalytic catalyst for water and CO2 reduction
- Application of molecular simulation, high-throughput computation and machine learning in prediction and design of catalytic materials
- Migration of heavy metals during large-scale coal gasification
- DFT modelling for the screening of novel materials for energy and environmental applications
- First Principles Calculations for the discovery and design of functional materials
Informal inquiries may be addressed to Professor Tao Wu tao.wu@nottingham.edu.cn, but formal applications should follow the instructions in ‘How to apply’ page.
Granular Materials and Geotechnology
Granular materials are collections of distinct macroscopic particles. Although simple to define, they exhibit complex behaviour, much of which has not yet been well explained, which leads to uncertainties in their engineering applications. In geotechnical engineering, granular materials such as sand, gravel and crushed stone are often encountered or used. They are assessed, selected or treated for the short/long-term stability of foundations, slopes, pavements, tunnels and other geotechnical structures. Geotechnology, based on the understanding of soil properties (including granular materials and clays), involves the application of scientific methods and engineering techniques to the mitigation of natural hazards (such as landslides, floods, typhoons and earthquakes), the design of geotechnical structures and the utilization of geological resources.
Current research projects include:
- Long-term response and shakedown of geo-structures under cyclic loads
- Special soils for transportation infrastructure
- Advanced materials and technologies for pavement maintenance
- Behaviour of geomaterials under multiple dimensional principal stress rotations
- Study of soil-structure interactions
- Sustainable construction materials
- Fiber reinforced cementitious composites for construction
Informal inquiries may be addressed to Dr Juan Wang Juan.Wang@nottingham.edu.cn, but formal applications should follow the instructions in ‘How to apply’ page.
Advanced Nanomaterials and Devices
The Center for Advanced Nanomaterials and Devices is led by two Li Dak Sum Chair Professors, Prof. Guang Zhu and Prof. Jim Greer. The research areas are mainly focused on the following two themes.
- Rapid preparation of polymer-based nanocomposite materials and flexible electronics for applications in human-machine interface, healthcare, and consumer products.
- Semimetals material science for novel transistor design including extremely high electron mobility devices. Advanced electronic materials at nanometer lengths scales for new low power devices and sensors to enable high speed communication and the Internet of Things.
Current research projects include:
- Stretchable and ultra-robust electrode
- Flexible tactile sensors
- Fast-response soft robots
- Flexible nanogenerators based on ultrafast 3D printing
- Surface chemistry and characterisation of bismuth thin films for nanoelectronics and spintronics
- Electronic structure and charge transport in semiconductor nanowires
- Many-electron interactions in nanostructures
- Interplay between surface functionalization and quantum confinement in semiconductor and semimetal thin film
Informal inquiries may be addressed to Professor Guang Zhu Guang.Zhu@nottingham.edu.cn, but formal applications should follow the instructions in ‘How to apply’ page.
Flexible Electronic Materials and Devices
The Research Centre for Flexible Electronic Materials and Devices (CFEMD) at New Materials Institute (NMI) is led by Prof. ZhiKuan Chen. The aim of the Centre is to develop high-quality multi-disciplinary fundamental research in flexible organic electronics and to train human capital to provide high caliber researchers and skilled workforce for organic electronics research field and industry. The R&D focuses of CFEMD cover organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) technologies, sustainable energy conversion technologies, i.e., organic solar cells (OSCs), new organic light emitting materials for display and lighting as well as new materials and device physics in energy. At present, the CNEEM is carrying out research projects funded by national funding bodies.
Current research projects include:
- TADF light emitting materials for OLEDs
- Novel phosphorescent emitters based on non-expensive metal elements for OLEDs
- Non-fullerene acceptors for OPVs
- Flexible and large area OPVs
- Tandem OPVs
- Informal inquiries may be addressed to Professor ZhiKuan Chen (zhikuan.chen @nottingham.edu.cn) or Dr Fei Chen (fei.chen@nottingham.edu.cn), but formal applications should follow the instructions in ‘How to apply’ page.
PhD programme structure
PhD programmes at the UNNC are composed of 3 years research and a 1 year thesis pending period for full time PhDs. Full time PhDs are expected to submit their theses within a maximum of four years from initial registration. PhD supervision is undertaken jointly by academics from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and the University of Nottingham UK (UNUK). On successful completion, students will be awarded the University of Nottingham PhD degree, and no reference will be made on the degree certificate as to where the degree has been completed. The University of Nottingham PhD degree will be accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
Eligibility
Applicants must have a first class honours undergraduate degree or 65% and above for a Masters’ degree from a British university, or the equivalent from other institutions.
Applicants must meet the required English language proficiency for the relevant subject area. IELTS 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all elements) or its equivalent is required for Faculty of Science and Engineering (FoSE) scholarship applicants.
More details can be found on the ‘entry requirements’ page of the website.
How to apply
No separate application is required for applying for a scholarship but please make sure you quote the scholarship reference number in your PhD application form. It normally takes 7-8 weeks for a final decision to be made after the closing date. List of required documents can be found on the ‘how to apply’ page.