PhD Studentship under Supervision of Prof Reisner

A PhD studentship (home or international) is available at the University of Cambridge, starting in October 2026 under the supervision of Professor Erwin Reisner in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. This fully funded studentship supports research in solar chemistry, specifically developing innovations and technologies to convert solar energy and renewable electricity into sustainable fuels and organic platform chemicals for a circular economy. The PhD project will develop application strategies and prototype devices for the solar-powered valorisation of biomass and plastic waste streams. Students will design and develop solar-powered technologies to convert biomass/plastic waste into renewable fuels and commodity chemicals. The assembly and engineering of photon-to-chemical conversion devices will be achieved by integrating bespoke photocatalyst materials into suitable device configurations. Advanced materials design, physical characterisation and device engineering will be employed to optimise the technologies, assemble prototype devices and scale-up the technology. The Reisner Lab is an international and multidisciplinary environment where collaborations are strongly encouraged, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies programme.