PhD scholarships

Reconfigurable Systems - Towards Zero Waste

The PhD scholarships in this research programme have all been recruited. 

Future Computing - Towards Low Energy Tech

Modelling approaches for percolating nanoparticle/nanotube networks

This project aims to develop a modelling framework describing the complicated but sought-after highly non-linear electric properties of networks made from metallic/semiconducting nanoparticles or nanotubes. These networks show interesting properties when prepared close to the percolation threshold where conducting pathways are formed. The ability to predict macroscopic properties from interactions of the nanocomponents leads the way to design intelligent materials with applications as stretch sensors and for neuromorphic computing. This work will be done in close collaboration with experimental groups.

Ideal candidate

We are looking for a student with a strong Honours or Master's degree in physics, engineering or a related field with a background in computational modelling.

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Dr Elke Pahl at Elke.Pahl@auckland.ac.nz, with "PhD project: Modelling approaches for percolating nanoparticle/nanotube networks" in the subject line.

Pūtaiao Māori Research Programme - Sustainable Resource Use

Projects incorporating indigenous knowledge via collaboration and co-design are available. Contact the Programme Leader, Professor Pauline Harris, from Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Rakaipaaka and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, directly if interested. Potential candidates will be hosted at Victoria University under the supervision of the MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigators.

Catalytic Architectures - Towards Zero Carbon

Plasma-assisted electrochemical ammonia synthesis

Ammonia (NH₃) is one of the world's most important industrial chemicals, widely used in the manufacture of fertilisers. Currently, ammonia is synthesised by the Haber-Bosch process which has a very large carbon footprint. Researchers are now seeking alternative and greener ways of synthesising ammonia. Recently, Dr Ziyun Wang (University of Auckland) and I published the paper "Controlling the Reaction Pathways of Mixed NO_xH_y Reactants in Plasma-Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis" in Journal of the American Chemical Society (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 51, 35305–35312).

In this work, we reported the successful development of a continuous flow plasma-electrochemical reactor system for the direct conversion of nitrogen from air into ammonia. In our system, nitrogen molecules are first converted into a mixture of NO_x species in the plasma reactor, which are then fed into an electrochemical reactor to convert the generated NO_x species into NH₃. Using a CuPd foam catalyst as the cathode catalyst in the electrolyser, a remarkable ammonia production rate of 81.2 mg h^–1 cm^–2 was achieved with excellent stability over 1000 h at an applied current of 2 A. This project will continue this exciting work, developing high-performance electrocatalysts for NO_x reduction to NH₃.

Ideal candidate

The ideal candidate will be highly self-motivated, with previous experience in the design, characterisation and testing of electrocatalysts for processes such as NO_xRR, CO₂RR, ORR and/or HER, and a good track record of publishing in international peer reviewed journals.

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Professor Geoff Waterhouse at g.waterhouse@auckland.ac.nz, with "PhD project: Plasma-assisted electrochemical ammonia synthesis" in the subject line.

External PhD scholarship opportunities with MacDiarmid Institute Investigators

Please see this section for externally-funded PhD scholarship opportunities which will be supervised by MacDiarmid Institute Investigators. While the students will be affiliated with the MacDiarmid Institute and will automatically be part of the MacDiarmid Emerging Scientists Association (MESA), the scholarships are not funded by the MacDiarmid Institute.

Leveraging Ferromagnetism in Superconducting Electronics

This PhD project focusses on the incorporation of rare-earth nitride materials in superconducting electronics, especially to fill the gap in available cryogenic memory technology. The candidate will undertake fundamental materials science on thin films and devices. The project will encompass experimental and computational studies of the electronic and magnetic properties of the rare-earth nitrides and the design, modelling, and fabrication of memory structures and circuits, and has applications in superconducting and quantum computing.

Eligibility

• A strong background in physics or possibly electrical engineering.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving abilities, along with strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Ideally, but not necessarily, experience in magnetic and superconducting materials.

Total value and tenure of scholarship

NZD$35,000 per year, plus university tuition for three years.

How to apply

The requirements for the application can be found at https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/fgr/apply/how. Before submitting a formal application, interested candidates must send a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a brief statement of interest to Professor Ben Ruck (ben.ruck@vuw.ac.nz) and Dr Simon Granville (simon.granville@vuw.ac.nz) with "PhD project: rare-earth nitride cryogenic devices" in the subject line.

Thermally sprayed synthetic high-silica volcanic glass formation to study the critical phase reactivity of pozzolanic pumice in concrete

Modern concrete production relies on Portland cement, which has a significant CO₂ footprint (5%-8% of global greenhouse emissions). One of the most common methods to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete is by using Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs), with significant research attention and industrial interest being paid to the application of natural pozzolans. Pumice is a volcanic glass produced during explosive eruptions and is abundant in New Zealand. It is a proven natural pozzolan with the capacity to harden into a cementitious material when used as a partial cement replacement in concrete.

The PhD student allocated to this work will be part of a wider team investigating New Zealand pumice as a partial cement replacement in New Zealand cements. As a naturally produced material, pumice has a complex elemental and phase composition, together with a marked variability in the amorphous-to-crystalline structure ratio. All of these variables potentially play a role in the degree to which pumice acts as a SCM. It is challenging to identify the critical variables defining the SCM response with natural pumice materials because there is no way to independently control them. For full details of the scholarship, please see the full advertisement.

Candidate profile and eligibility

The ideal applicant:

• Has an Honours/Master of Materials Engineering or Materials Science, Honours/Masters of Chemistry or Honours/Masters of Geology (Volcanology specialisation) with a strong research component.
• Is able to demonstrate a proficient scientific writing ability, ideally through papers published in top journals but alternatively through conference proceedings or Master thesis A minimum GPE equivalent to the University of Auckland GPE of 7, which can be calculated here: Grade Point Equivalent (GPE) calculator.
• Has English language skills that comply with the University of Auckland requirements, which can be seen here: Postgraduate English language requirements.
• Is able to work independently in the lab or at least have experience in working in the lab with some of the following methods:
  • Materials characterisation and surface analysis (XRD, XRF, SEM/optical microscopy, XPS, FTIR).
  • Thermal analysis (DSC, TGA and isothermal calorimeter), thermal spraying (plasma spraying).
  • Sample preparation (metallographic preparation), and materials processing such as grinding, calcining and sieves.
  • Is confident with materials chemistry analysis (including the use of equilibrium phase diagrams and equilibrium thermodynamic analysis) and the interpretation of data generated from the surface analysis techniques above.

Total value and tenure of scholarship

Full funding through the PhD programme (NZD$35,000 per year stipend + University fees for three years).

How to apply

The full details of this scholarship and how to apply can be found here: Funded PhD opportunity - Thermal Spray simulated pumice. Please contact Associate Professor Steven Matthews, s.matthews@auckland.ac.nz with any questions, with "PhD project: Thermal Spray simulated pumice" in the subject line.

Materials science or chemical engineering for the development of novel controlled-release fertilisers and manufacturing processes

The New Materials and Technologies Development Research Team led by Professor James Johnston in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, is seeking a highly motivated and dedicated PhD candidate in chemistry, materials science or chemical engineering (or similar), to contribute to our research programme on the development, characterisation, applications, and manufacture of new materials and products derived from our proprietary, nanostructured calcium silicate material, produced sustainability from geothermal resources.

The successful candidate will be an integral part of a dynamic and multi-disciplinary research team working on the chemistry and process engineering, manufacturing methods, performance testing, and refinement of novel controlled-release fertilisers and other materials, that utilise the proprietary nanostructured calcium silicate (CaSil) material together with expertise and knowhow developed by the team.

This PhD project combines particular aspects of chemistry, engineering, and agriculture. It has the potential to contribute to more sustainable agricultural and horticultural farming practices. The overall aim of the research area is to develop, characterise, optimise and demonstrate the effectiveness of new and more efficient fertiliser products where the nutrient availability from the fertiliser matches plant demand more closely, thereby reducing the run-off of excess nutrients to surface waters and preventing pollution.

The PhD research project will involve further developing our understanding of the chemistry, characteristics and performance properties of these nanostructured calcium silicate based composite fertiliser materials, together with scaling the science and technology to pilot plant operation and production. Also on-farm trials of the composite fertilisers produced. The research will be guided by the propensity to upscale the science and engineering to commercial scale and the overall technical and economic feasibility.

The PhD candidate will utilise and build upon the substantial proprietary knowledge already developed by the team on the laboratory scale development and glasshouse demonstration of CaSil-based fertiliser products, together with our experience in scale-up, pilot plant operation and product performance testing. For further details regarding the responsibilities of the role, please see the full advertisement.

Eligibility

• Applicants must have completed a Master's degree or Bachelor's degree with Honours in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering, with First or Upper Second Class Honours (or similar), or an equivalent GPA score.
• The Chemistry qualification should have an emphasis on materials science, the Chemical Engineering qualification on process engineering, or similar.
• Candidates must meet the entry requirements for a PhD degree in Chemistry or Engineering at Victoria University of Wellington.
• Applicants must be able to commence their PhD programme by mid 2024. Māori students are strongly encouraged to apply.

Total value and tenure of scholarship

NZD$35,000 per year, plus all student fees for three years. Assistance with travel to Wellington may be provided.

How to apply

Enquiries and applications should be provided by email and addressed to Professor James Johnston, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, jim.johnston@vuw.ac.nz, with "PhD project: Development of novel controlled-release fertilisers and manufacturing processes" in the subject line. For full details regarding the scholarship and what the application should include, please see the full scholarship advertisement.

Processing and characterisation of Ti-Fe alloys as H₂ storage materials from NZ feedstocks (2 PhD scholarships)

Green hydrogen will become a pivotal vector to carry and store renewable energy in a future net-zero carbon New Zealand. Ti-Fe alloys demonstrate high hydrogen uptake at ambient conditions and are an attractive candidate material for stationary bulk hydrogen storage applications. Nevertheless, several key issues require further investigation, such as surface activation, cycle stability, impurity tolerance, and supply volume of the metallic feedstocks.

Two PhD candidates will explore the production and processing of Ti-Fe alloys from New Zealand-sourced feedstocks using metallurgical and mechanochemical methods as part of collaborative research within the German-New Zealand Green Hydrogen alliance. The alloys prepared will be characterised by a range of methods (XRD, SEM/EDS, ICP-MS, XRF, DSC), and their hydrogen storage capacity and kinetics studied using custom 'Sieverts apparatus'. Furthermore, the presence of common impurities within the Ti-Fe alloys will be systematically studied to better understand how locally-sourced feedstocks are likely to perform as hydrogen storage materials, including the effect of surface impurities on reactivity/diffusion characteristics.

Supervision and support for the project will be provided by staff at the University of Otago and University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and the Institute of Hydrogen Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany. The students will be enrolled at the University of Otago, but it is expected that the candidates will spend time at both the New Zealand and German host institutions over the course of the PhD studies.

Eligibility

The applicant needs a degree equivalent to the 4-year BSc (Honours) degree in New Zealand, with 1st class Honours, or an MSc or Postgraduate Diploma in Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering, or equivalent. Practical experience with hydrogen materials, metallurgy, mechanochemistry and/or the characterisation techniques listed above will be advantageous. Māori and Pasifika students are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a PhD candidate at the University of Otago.

Total value and tenure of scholarship

The PhD scholarship will include tuition fees and a stipend of NZD$30,000 per year (tax-free) for three years.

How to apply

To apply, please send your full CV, including academic record, research experience, and the names and contact details of two referees, to: Associate Professor Nigel Lucas, nigel.lucas@otago.ac.nz, and Professor Alex Yip, alex.yip@canterbury.ac.nz, with "PhD project: Hydrogen storage materials PhD" in the subject line.

Hydrogen generation with sustainable resources - a combined molecular, computational and engineering approach

There are three PhD positions available in Chemistry at the University of Otago - two positions in synthetic inorganic chemistry and one in spectroscopy of inorganic systems. The supervisors are Professor James Crowley and Professor Keith Gordon.

Hydrogen is an important fuel source and commodity chemical used in a wide range of industrial processes. Unfortunately, almost all the hydrogen produced currently is obtained from the steam reforming process which is both energy intensive and generates carbon dioxide as a by-product. There are already several photocatalytic systems, including bimetallic metal complexes that can efficiently generate hydrogen in this way. However, the current technologies use Noble metals which are expensive and rare. We will use earth abundant transition metals such as iron, cobalt and copper by re-designing the photocatalytic systems. This project is a Marsden funded project involving researchers in Jena, Germany (Professors Kupfer, Shilitto and Weigand) and Nottingham, UK (Professor George) The project may involve visits to collaborators in Germany and the UK.

Kindly contact either jcrowley@chemistry.otago.ac.nz or keith.gordon@otago.ac.nz with any questions.

Eligibility

The projects involve the synthesis of new metal complexes and their study using spectroscopy and computational chemistry. Two of the researchers will focus more on synthesis with the third undertaking computational studies and spectroscopic measurements including transient spectroscopy. Some overlap of expertise and interest is welcome. Experience in any of these areas is useful.

Total value and tenure of scholarship

The scholarship provides a non-taxed stipend of NZD$35,000 per year plus the PhD tuition fee for three years.

How to apply

As part of your application package, kindly include:

• CV (including 2-3 referee information)
• Cover letter (this may include: a description of why you want to undertake a PhD; how your previous experiences have prepared you for the research project that you are applying for; what your passions are within or outside of academia)

Applications should be sent to jcrowley@chemistry.otago.ac.nz or keith.gordon@otago.ac.nz, with "PhD project: Hydrogen generation with sustainable resources" in the subject line, and will be accepted beginning February 2024 until the positions are filled.

New industry-funded PhD studentship: Connecting structure and rheology in dairy protein concentrates

New and improved concentrated dairy products are constantly being designed for their nutritional value and health benefits. The goal of this project is to use both theory and experiments to develop rheological models for emerging products. The project is affiliated with the MacDiarmid Institute and funded by Fonterra, and represents a rare opportunity to carry out research embedded with the expert team at Fonterra's Research and Development Center, in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Eligibility

The ideal candidate will have a strong Honours or Masters degree in soft matter physics, materials science, physical chemistry, engineering or a related field. Experience with rheology (and especially rheological models) would be an advantage. In addition, they should have excellent analytical skills to assist with interpretation of experiments, and a strong command of written English. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a PhD candidate at University of Auckland.

Total value and tenure of scholarship

NZD$35,000 per year (not taxed), plus all student fees for three (3) years.

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Professor Geoff Willmott, g.willmott@auckland.ac.nz, with "PhD project: Connecting structure and rheology in dairy protein concentrates" in the subject line.

Further PhD scholarships with non-MacDiarmid Institute Investigators:

Postgraduate scholarships in green H₂

• NZ national energy system modelling - role of hydrogen (1 PhD scholarship)
• Green hydrogen integration (6 PhD scholarships)

For more information and to apply.

Tags: Towards Zero Waste - Reconfigurable Systems, Towards Zero Carbon - Catalytic Architectures, Towards Low Energy Tech - Hardware for Future Computing, Pūtaiao Māori Research Programme