Are you passionate about sustainability, green innovation, and making a real impact on the planet?
We’re thrilled to announce 12 fully funded PhD scholarships starting in October 2025 through an exciting collaboration between the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, and leading industry partners.
This unique opportunity is part of the Res-Chem Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), designed to equip the next generation of researchers with the tools and knowledge to drive the UK’s Net-Zero transition.
🔬 Why Join This PhD Programme?
🌍 Tackle Real-World Challenges
From resource recovery to green manufacturing, your research will contribute directly to solving some of the most urgent global environmental issues.
💡 Innovative Research Themes
Explore groundbreaking solutions across four core areas:
1️⃣ Circular Recovery of Wastes
2️⃣ Greener CO₂-to-Energy Conversion
3️⃣ Plasma-Driven Chemical Synthesis
4️⃣ Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing
🎓 What’s Included in the PhD Scholarship?
✅ Full tuition coverage
✅ Annual stipend of £20,780
✅ Generous research support funding
✅ Open to UK and limited international candidates
We proudly support diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and disciplines. 🌱
🚀 Be Part of the Solution
This is more than just a PhD – it’s a chance to shape the future of sustainable chemistry, collaborate with top-tier researchers and industry leaders, and make a meaningful difference.
🔗 Apply now: https://reschem-nottingham-cdt.ac.uk/apply/
PhD Scholarships available to start October 2025
We invite suitably qualified and highly motivated applicants from STEM disciplines to apply for a series of multidisciplinary PhD scholarships hosted by the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.
In partnership with leading industrial stakeholders, we are launching a new collaborative approach to PhD projects. Our PhD projects will develop skills targeting the urgent need in transition to sustainable chemicals manufacturing. Our projects will define the next generation of multidisciplinary innovators driving the technologies and chemistries needed for Net-Zero economies.
Research Themes 25/26
We have 4 research themes funded for studentships in 2025-26.
1. Circular Recovery of organics and metals from wastes-CROme project. Theme Lead – Ifty Ahmed, University of Nottingham. As the world faces increasing resource scarcity, the transformation of waste products into new materials is emerging as a powerful strategy. Hence, this theme will develop circular economy concepts to recover organic and inorganic materials from varying waste sources. The outcomes will include converting organic wastes into valuable chemicals and bio-products, and recovering critical metals from industrial waste. Evaluating the lifecycle and techno-economic impacts of the technologies developed will also be for downstream impacts. Proposed research areas:
Project 1: Developing adsorption processes to recover organic materials from wastewater streams.This project will explore organic materials recovery from wastewater using MOF/COF-based membrane technology.
Project 2: Developing engineering biology and industrial biotechnology solutions for organic material production.This project will develop microbial biotechnology solutions for producing new chemicals from organic waste streams.
Project 3: Recovering metals from inorganic waste feedstocks.This project will extract and recover precious and critical metals from automotive catalysts and mine-waste tailings via novel processing and green solvent technologies.
2. Manufacturing Liquid Energy through Greener CO2 Conversion. Theme Lead – Darren Lee, Nottingham Trent University. CO2 is a harmful waste stream generated by various large industries, including energy, steel, and concrete manufacturing. However, we can view CO2 as a valuable resource for producing chemicals and fuels. By combining cutting edge green reaction methodologies (such as catalysis, photochemistry, and electrochemistry) with engineering and flow chemistry the team will deliver scalable solutions to produce valuable molecules from CO2. Potential candidates will need an open mind, flexibility and be adaptable to new areas of research. In brief, two of the projects in this collaborative theme will involve more synthetic work and one will involve more engineering and reactor design but all projects in the theme will involve multidisciplinary researchers from both NTU and UoN in addition to collaborators from Yale University in the US.
3. Non-Thermal plasma promoted bulk chemical synthesis. Theme Lead – Elmar Slikboer, Nottnigham Trent University. Unlock the future of chemical synthesis with Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP) technology. NTPs use renewable electricity to energize chemical reactions, making and breaking bonds that traditional methods cannot achieve at room conditions. This groundbreaking approach, which relies on synergy with heterogeneous catalysts, opens new pathways for efficient and selective chemical transformations. Our research theme is dedicated to exploring these innovative opportunities, with three exiting projects respectively focusing on transforming stable molecules N₂, CO₂, and CO. Join us in revolutionizing organic synthesis and catalysis with cutting-edge ‘Cold Plasma’ technology!
4. Enhancing sustainability in chemical manufacture. Theme Lead – Connor Taylor, University of Nottingham. Revolutionizing chemical manufacturing for a greener future – this CDT theme explores cutting-edge strategies like flow chemistry, electro & photochemistry, and AI-driven optimization. By minimizing waste, reducing emissions, and replacing non-renewable feedstocks, researchers will drive real-world sustainability solutions. Students will gain highly interdisciplinary expertise and support from industrial collaboration, leading to impactful careers in academia and industry.
Funding Details: Successful candidates will benefit from a fully funded 4-year scholarship, which includes: fees, stipend (£20,780 – 25/26 UKRI rate) and Research Training Support Grant.
For 2025 entry, a limited number of studentships funded by UKRI (EPSRC) are available to international students, in accordance with current UKRI guidance.
Application criteria
Ideally, candidates will hold one of the following:
- A minimum of an upper second-class honours’ degree from a 4-year undergraduate course (or equivalent), in a STEM based subject, which may include: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, Material Science, Natural Sciences, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Pharmacy, Synthetic Biology, Computational Biology/Chemistry or a related subject
- A 3-year undergraduate course in one of the above disciplines plus a master’s degree and/or some experience in industry
We particularly welcome enthusiastic and highly motivated applicants with a strong academic curiosity and aptitude for research. Applicants should be committed to working in cross-disciplinary teams and be passionate about working towards a more sustainable future.
If English isn’t your first language, you will also need to meet the relevant English language requirements. An IELTS score of 6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element) is required, although we also accept alternative qualifications.
Our partnership is committed to providing an inclusive study environment for all students. We welcome applications from candidates from different backgrounds and protected characteristics, including those from BAME backgrounds. We are dedicated to a diverse and inclusive research culture that is characterised by fairness and equality of opportunity for all.
We offer flexibility in provision of student support including disability support plans and mechanisms to accommodate those with caring responsibilities including maternity and paternity leave.
Deadlines:
Application deadline: 23 May 2025 – 5pm
Interviews: To take place during early June 2025
How to apply
Please complete the following forms:
Email completed forms to cdt-suschem@nottingham.ac.uk
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