Discover Funding Opportunities

Digitally Enabled Self-Optimisation of Heterogenous Chemical Processes

This PhD research project focuses on developing an advanced platform utilizing AI and self-optimizing reaction technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of heterogeneous chemical reactions, thereby accelerating product development. The project aims to expand automated reaction platforms beyond homogeneous reactions to heterogeneous reactions, which constitute 75-80% of reactions in pharmaceutical synthesis. The research will combine automated reaction platforms with optimization algorithms to create Self-Optimization Flow Reactors (SOFRs) for heterogeneous processes. This industrially supported project builds on collaboration between the University of Leeds and Dr Reddy's Ltd, harnessing complementary expertise to address real-world challenges in pharmaceutical synthesis and chemical manufacturing.

EPSRC Faculty Doctoral Landscape Award 2026/27 - Engineering & Physical Sciences

For 2026 entry, the University of Leeds is offering up to 8 talented budding researchers the opportunity to secure funding for postgraduate research and join the thriving community of leading researchers within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. These competitive EPSRC Faculty Doctoral Landscape Awards offer full tuition fees, together with a tax-free maintenance grant (currently £20,780 for academic session 2025/26) for 3.5 years. Training and support will also be provided. This opportunity is open to UK applicants only and all candidates will be placed into the EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship Competition, with selection based on academic merit. The funding opportunity is linked to specific projects only and includes collaboration with Industry partners across various schools including Chemical and Process Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics and Astronomy. Successful applicants will study in an active research environment with 96% of the university's research being world-leading (REF 2021), benefiting from UK-leading facilities, close industry links, professional skills development, and comprehensive personal wellbeing services.

Engineering Surfactant Powders: Drying Dynamics, Structure and Performance

This collaborative PhD project, supported by the University of Leeds and Innospec, offers the opportunity to uncover the science that governs how surfactant powders form. The project will deliver new mechanistic insight into AOS (alpha-olefin sulfonates) drying, connecting formulation chemistry and processing conditions to structure and performance, with direct relevance to industrial manufacturing. At the heart of the research is a unique acoustic levitation platform that allows individual droplets to be dried without contact, enabling real-time observation of shape changes, crust formation, and internal structural evolution. This will be combined with state-of-the-art small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) to probe nanoscale structure development during drying, including phase transitions and crystallisation. The student will be based in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering (SCAPE) at the University of Leeds and supported by a highly interdisciplinary supervisory team spanning chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, food science, and industrial formulation science. The project offers access to world-leading experimental facilities, pilot-scale drying equipment, and close industrial collaboration with Innospec, including the opportunity for an industrial placement.

Establishing the transport mechanism through leaf waxes

This PhD studentship investigates the transport mechanisms through leaf waxes, focusing on how agrochemicals penetrate hydrophobic leaf wax barriers to deliver nutrients while maintaining plant water content. The research addresses a critical challenge in plant healthcare as global population rises and agricultural yields need to increase. Building on previous research exploring plant wax phase diagrams, the project will examine diffusion of molecules through wax films and the impact of composition on physical properties, conducting comparative assessments between crop species (maize) and weed species (amaranthus). The studentship is in collaboration with Syngenta, a world-leading agrochemical company, and will be primarily based at the University of Leeds with regular engagement with Syngenta researchers and a 3-6 month placement at Syngenta's Jealott's Hill international research centre.

Measurement and modelling of hydrogen retention and release from complex sediments

This PhD project addresses the challenge of managing hydrogen gas in the decommissioning of the UK's nuclear legacy sites. The project will develop a fundamental understanding of how hydrogen gas bubbles are retained and released in granular sediment wastes, similar to common ion exchange and filtration media used for effluent treatment. The research will combine state-of-the-art 3D x-ray computer tomography (CT) with enhanced machine learning (ML) simulations of hydrogen gas diffusion flows. CT will be used to visualise bubble clusters in waste sediments, allowing quantification of their size and abundance for different hydrogen generation rates. The 3D CT reconstructions will be transferred as input meshes for the simulation of hydrogen transport through pore spaces, enabling prediction of hydrogen transport in these complex operations. This project is part of the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in SATURN (Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear), led from the University of Manchester and including leading nuclear research universities in the North of England and Scotland. The project offers an opportunity to work at the interface of cutting-edge experimental visualisation techniques and computational modelling, directly impacting the safe and cost-effective decommissioning of sites like Sellafield, Dounreay, and Magnox. Candidates will develop highly sought-after skills in advanced diagnostics, CFD, and nuclear safety, supported by close collaboration with industrial partner Sellafield Ltd.