PhD Position in Theoretical Modelling and Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy of Microporous Materials

A fully-funded 4 year PhD studentship is available under the joint supervision of Dr John Griffin (Lancaster University, UK) and Dr Nathan Barrow (Johnson Matthey plc). This project is an industrial collaboration meaning that the student will be based at Lancaster University but will spend at least 3 months over the 4 years working at the Johnson Matthey Technology Centre near Reading.

The aim of this project is to develop combined theoretical and experimental methodologies for characterising structure and dynamics in microporous materials using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Porous materials have a wide range of current and emerging applications in materials science and industry, although in many cases their development is held up due to the presence of atomic-level disorder and dynamics, and a lack of understanding of the behaviour of guest species. Solid-state NMR is one of the most powerful techniques for studying atomic structure in challenging materials, and state-of-the-art NMR facilities have recently been installed at Lancaster University.

Central to the project will be the use of DFT calculations to determine the electronic structures and NMR parameters for structural models, which can then be combined with molecular dynamics and NMR simulations to understand the locations and behaviour of guest species within a range of frameworks. Materials of interest include zeolites and metal-organic frameworks, as well as emerging materials such as conjugated microporous polymers and chalcogenide frameworks. The overall aim is to develop new methods that will enable us to ‘watch’ molecules moving around inside microporous materials and link this to their macroscopic properties.

This PhD is an excellent opportunity to gain both academic and industrial research experience. Training will be provided in a wide range of cutting-edge  computational and analytical techniques, providing a strong grounding for a future career in materials science. Transferable skills in programming, data analysis and scientific communication will also be acquired. Lancaster University is ranked in the top ten in the Guardian League table and is consistently highly placed in all major league tables.

The studentship will cover fees at the UK/EU rate plus the standard maintenance stipend (£14,296 per annum for 2016/2017).

The Department of Chemistry at Lancaster operates a research student mentor programme. One of our current student mentors will be available to answer any of your questions about life and study in our Department throughout the application stage and during your research degree at Lancaster.

Informal email enquiries should be made to Dr John Griffin ([email protected]).