Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Deadline: 05 May 2025
Wales
Closing date: 05 May 2025
Funding provider: EPSRC
Subject areas: Chemical Engineering, Catalysis, Water treatment and Net-Zero
Project start date: 1 October 2025 (Enrolment open from mid-September)
Supervisors:
Primary: Dr Afsanehsadat ‘Mary’ Larimi
Secondary: Prof Chedly Tizaoui
Additional Supervisor: Dr Rui Tan
Additional Supervisor: Dr James Courtney
Aligned programme of study: PhD in Chemical Engineering
Mode of study: Full-time
Project description:
In the UK, industries such as pharmaceuticals, food processing, and agriculture generate significant amounts of organic wastewater. Annually, the UK produces 2.4 billion cubic meters of wastewater, with about 50-70% being organic. Environmental regulations, including the Water Resources Act 1991, the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the Water Industry Act 1991, mandate that wastewater must be treated before being discharged into the environment. Thus, these industries require effective wastewater treatment solutions to mitigate environmental impacts and comply with regulations. However, conventional treatment technologies face limitations related to high energy consumption and inefficiencies in removing toxic non-biodegradable organics. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are also energy-intensive. To reduce emissions while maintaining the benefits of AOPs, this project explores catalytic means of organic wastewater treatment. Heterogeneous catalysis, an emerging technology, offers the potential to enhance treatment efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimize sludge production. This technology uses solid catalysts such as titanium dioxide, activated carbon, and zeolite-supported materials.
This project aligns with the Net-Zero Water Industry's goal of minimizing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
For more details please see here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/engineering-epsrc-phd-chemical-engineering-2025-rs804.php
Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations.
Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. See - Country-specific Information for EU and International Candidates.
English Language
IELTS 6.5 Overall (5.5+ each comp.) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.
Funding
This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26).
Additional research expenses of up to £1,000 per year will also be available.
To apply, please complete your application online here with the following information
In the event you have already applied for the above programme previously, the application system may issue a warning notice and prevent application, in this event, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.
*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.
One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.
NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.
Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.
As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):
Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Dr Afsanehsadat ‘Mary’ Larimi via a.larimi@swansea.ac.uk
*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.
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