Research opportunities
Our research uses advances in science and mathematics to develop solutions to challenges faced by industry and society. These challenges include manufacturing medicines, delivering clean water and providing renewable energy.
We research areas from the controlled assembly of nanostructured materials to the design of advanced reactors, and from combating global warming with novel energy storage and gas separation technology to understanding protein aggregation in degenerative diseases.
We have strong links with other engineering and science departments both within Strathclyde and externally. We also work with many industrial partners.
MPhil & PhD
Students can study towards an MPhil in one year or a PhD in three to four years. You can study either option in any of our key areas of research:
There are also opportunities to research engineering education and knowledge exchange. Find out more about the postgraduate research degree structure.
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PG Cert RPD) programme
As part of your PhD degree, you'll be enrolled on the Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PG Cert RPD).
This certificate is designed to support you with your research and rewards you for things you'll do as a research student here.
It'll help you improve skills which are important to professional development and employability:
- the knowledge and intellectual abilities to conduct your research
- the personal qualities to succeed in your research and chosen career
- the standards, requirements and conduct of a professional researcher in your discipline
- working with others and communicating the impact of your research to a wide range of audiences
All you have to do is plan these activities alongside your doctorate, documenting and reflecting your journey to success along the way.
Find out more about the PG Cert RPD programme.
Outreach
The Department of Chemical & Process Engineering hosts a busy outreach group called ReallySmallScience. It visits schools and takes part in public events throughout the year. As a PhD student, you can volunteer to take part in activities to inspire the next generation of chemical engineers and turn your research into an engaging activity for all.
Find out more about our outreach opportunities.
Turbulence, Plumes and Transport of Pollutants in Gases at Very High Temperatures
With this project, we propose an investigation into a variety of flow configurations driven by gravity (buoyancy convection) at very high temperatures and/or driving temperature gradients
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unfundedMinimising the impact of incomplete washing on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) particle properties caused by drying
Minimising the impact of incomplete washing on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) particle properties caused by drying; developing strategies to mitigate undesirable effects and a workflow to optimise isolation
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unfundedSustainable paper making using foam
This project is aimed at obtaining detailed mechanistic understanding of the foam-based papermaking process, including foam-fibre interactions and foam-mediated fibre-fibre interactions.
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unfundedComputational design of hierarchical porous materials
The aim of the project is to develop coarse-grained mesoscale models of synthesis solutions from higher-level quantum chemistry and atomistic simulations, then apply them to predict the structure of porous materials.
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unfundedNanoporous materials for removal of pollutants from water
This project proposes the development of novel sorbent materials for the removal of persistent organic species, identified as emergent pollutants, from water process streams, including groundwater supplies.
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unfundedControl of organic gels for tailored applications
The application of gel materials is linked to their unique characteristics, which can be manipulated through control of the synthetic procedure used; by further understanding the underpinning science of gel formation, these materials can be extended to new frontiers.
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unfundedAdvanced fuel quality control in biomass torrefaction process
The project will develop advanced control solution for the optimisation of torrefaction process.
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unfundedValorisation of waste biomass for production of hydrocarbon fuels
This project will undertake studies on the process and technology to convert solid waste into varying range of hydrocarbons to optimise the process.
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fundedComputational design of polymer thin films for flexible sensor devices
The aim of this project is to use computer simulations to investigate the effect of a surface on polymer polymorph formation, for applications in polymer thin films or polymer composites.
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fundedDirect numerical simulation of polymeric-fluid flows
The purpose of this project is to apply a formulation to polymeric turbulent boundary layer flows and, in this way, to make some first, yet decisive, steps in the physics and algorithmics of fully-coupled polymeric boundary layer turbulence.
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fundedDirect Numerical Simulation of Ferrofluid flows
The project aim is to investigate particle-flow interactions in ferrofluids in both mesoscopic and macroscopic domains, paying equal emphasis on particle aggregation and structure formation and their possible effects on turbulence structures in flows through pipes and other devices.
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fundedGelation in suspensions and porous materials with complex interactions
Many porous materials and ‘soft’ solids consist of gels of particles. The project will use computer modelling to analyse how particles with complex interactions aggregate to form solid gels. Applications include porous adsorbents, ‘smart’ rheological materials, foods and biomaterials.
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unfundedDisruptive technologies in chemical engineering education and training
The project will focus on how chemical engineering education and training may change in the next decade, comparing with other areas of engineering, science and related industry. Where are the opportunities or threats, what are the barriers and encouragers?
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unfundedInhibiting amyloid development using natural compounds: a molecular dynamics study
This project will utilise molecular dynamics simulation, exploiting the ARCHIE_WeSt supercomputer at Strathclyde to understand how the inhibitors interact with protein aggregates; how they interfere with the nucleation and growth pathway of the fibrils, and if aggregation can be reversed.
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unfundedFibre optic sensors for pH measurement in harsh environments
In this project, a novel pH sensor for high temperature, high pressure (HTHP) environments using a functionalised optical fibre will be developed.
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fundedInvestigation of pharmaceutical crystallisation using small angle x-ray scattering
The project will focus on the applications of latest Small-angle X-ray scattering system in CMAC (EPSRC Centre of excellence in continuous manufacturing and crystallisation) to provide mechanistic understanding of interparticle interaction in dense system under repulsive or attractive interactions.
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unfundedDevelopment of multi-sensor measurement for characterizing biological suspensions and tissue
The project will focus on the development of novel multi-sensor measurement-analysis platform which integrate optics (instrument configuration) and theories of light propagation through particulate media to extract physical and chemical information of biological suspensions.
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unfundedModelling the effect of the electric double layer on electron transfer kinetics
This project will combine recent theories for the influence of charge correlations on the structure of the electric double layer with a simple quantum description of charge transfer to to develop a new model for electrochemical reactions.
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unfundedDeveloping a multiscale description of complex fluids from the molecular to the continuum scales
This ambitious project attempts to build a single, unified description of complex fluids that incorporates molecular-level detail but can be applied on a wide range of length and time scales that extends to the continuum scale.
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unfundedModelling the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks for continuous manufacture
The project aims to develop new models for predicting the performance of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) in adsorption applications and in computational design of nanoporous silica materials, as well as obtaining experimental insight into the synthesis of MOFs.
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unfundedProduction of membranes using green, safe and sustainable alternative solvents
This research project aims to develop polymer membranes produced via “green” polymer solutions. The selection of acceptable alternative solvents will follow a “holistic” approach that will take into consideration both experimental data and molecular simulations.
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unfundedNucleation of organic crystals in flows
This project investigates how crystals nucleate and how fluid flows can be used to influence crystallisation, using cutting edge experimental facilities, including high speed high resolution imaging, Brownian microscopy, static and dynamic light scattering and small angle X-ray scattering.
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unfundedDevelopment of learner autonomy in student-centred learning environments in engineering
This project will investigate behavioural and performance characteristics of students when working in Problem-Based and Enquiry-based learning activities in order to elucidate the link between the use of these approaches and the development of learner’s autonomy.
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unfundedInvestigating the relationship between human responses and major safety incidents in the process industries
This project will investigate the relationship between human responses and major safety incidents in the process industries, in particular in the oil and gas industry, and the context in which these occur (e.g. company safety culture, Process Safety Management Systems).
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unfundedFabrication and development of hollow fibre membranes for advanced gas separation applications
This project will focus on polymer science, rheology, material/fibre science, gas separation, gas transmission modelling and spectroscopy for the manufacture of advanced performance gas separation hollow fibre membranes.
