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.
PhD Studentship - Chemistry-based Modelling of CO2 Corrosion in High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) Conditions
Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering (NAOME) is delighted to offer a PhD studentship for research on Chemistry-based Modelling of CO2 Corrosion in High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) Conditions
Deadline:
1 November 2017Funding:
fundedSustainable 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.
Deadline:
31 March 2018Funding:
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.
Deadline:
31 March 2018Funding:
unfundedMaterials development for water treatment processes
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.
Deadline:
28 February 2018Funding:
unfundedNovel porous materials for gas separation and storage
This project aims to use current understanding of framework and materials engineering, along with characterization of sorption properties to synthesize, test and retro-engineer porous materials for selective gas uptake and storage.
Deadline:
28 February 2018Funding:
unfundedProduction of hydrocarbon fuels from biomass waste
This project studies the process and technology required to convert solid waste into a range of hydrocarbons via pyrolysis, involving intensive process modelling with experimental tests to analyse the waste to energy process and fuel properties of the hydrocarbons produced.
Deadline:
28 February 2018Funding:
unfundedDesigning novel systems for clean, sustainable heat production from biomass
This project aims to develop a novel heat production system which negates the need for expensive cleaning or upgrading of syngas prior to combustion thereby creating a technically-feasible and cost-effective option for the use of syngas in small-medium scale operations.
Deadline:
28 February 2018Funding:
unfundedComputational 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.
Deadline:
28 February 2018Funding:
unfundedComputational Analysis of Polymeric Turbulent Boundary Layers
The aim of this project is to apply a mesoscopic approach to polymeric turbulent boundary layer flows and make some first, yet decisive, steps in understanding the physics and algorithmics of fully-coupled polymeric boundary layer turbulence.
Deadline:
Funding:
fundedComputational Analysis of Superfluid Turbulent Boundary Layers
The purpose of this project is to extend previous homogeneous, isotropic superfluid turbulence theoretical studies to superfluid boundary layer flows towards understanding the physics and algorithmics of superfluid boundary layer turbulence.
Deadline:
Funding:
fundedModelling the structural statistics of jamming to enable predictive formulation and flow of high solids content suspensions
Improved understanding of the structural causes of jamming is the focus of this PhD project, using novel computer-simulation based structural methods linked to experimental statistical measurements.
Deadline:
Funding:
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?
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
unfundedDesigning Environmentally Friendly Corrosion Inhibitors
This project aims to develop environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors for oil-field and other applications using different modelling approaches based on experimental data gathered in the laboratory, then using validated models to predict the behaviour of existing and new inhibitor formulations.
Deadline:
Funding:
unfundedInvestigation 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.
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
unfundedHigh fidelity Direct Numerical Simulation of alternative fuel flames
The aim of this project is to conduct high fidelity parametric Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) studies of the turbulent combustion of syngas fuel mixtures with air.
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
unfundedDevelopment of new functional coatings for sensor technology
This project aims to explore how Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) can be used to develop novel functional coatings and how their properties can be modified towards applications in sensor technology
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
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).
Deadline:
Funding:
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.
Deadline:
Funding:
unfundedA tensor network approach to the quantum many body problem
A shared PhD between Strathclyde and ICFO that will address collective emergence in the framework of quantum many-body systems described through tensor networks.
