Developing net-zero power technologies for future marine application
We are recruiting new doctoral researchers to our EPSRC-funded Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) PhD studentships starting 1 October 2025.
Applications are invited for the project title: Developing net-zero power technologies for future marine application.
Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) of approximately £21,237, including inner London weighting, plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of 42 months (3.5 years).
You should be eligible for home (UK) tuition fees there are a very limited number (no more than two) of studentships available to overseas applicants, including EU nationals, who meet the academic entry criteria including English Language proficiency.
You will join the internationally recognised researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering research and PhD programmes | 明星八卦.
The project
The global shift towards decarbonization has positioned ammonia as a highly attractive green fuel for transportation, power generation, and marine applications. Its advantages include a mature production process, ease of storage, and high energy density (nearly twice that of liquid hydrogen). However, ammonia presents challenges due to its slow burning rate, low efficiency, and high ignition energy requirement. To overcome these limitations, a carbon-neutral fuel, methanol, will be used as an additive to improve the efficiency and emissions of carbon-free ammonia. More importantly, a hybrid system will be designed using digital twins to further ensure the optimum operation of the engine and the best utilisation of the power generated on a ship. The project proposed aims to develop a net-zero hybrid power solution for marine transport by integrating dual-fuel ammonia/methanol combustion with advanced energy management strategies.
Please contact Dr Changzhao Jiang at changzhao.jiang@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the studentships.
Eligibility
Applicants will have or be expected to receive a first or upper-second-class honours degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Mathematics, Physics or a similar discipline. A Postgraduate Masters degree is not required but may be an advantage.
Skills and experience
Applicants will be required to demonstrate the following skills:
- Engineering mathematic
- Matlab proficiency
- Good spoken and written English skills
You should be highly motivated, able to work independently as well as in a team, collaborate with others and have good communication skills.
How to apply
There are two stages of the application:
1. Applicants must submit the pre-application form via the following link
by 4 pm on Friday 17 January 2025.
2. If you are shortlisted for the interview, you will be asked to email the following documentation in a single PDF file to cedps-studentships@brunel.ac.uk within 72hrs.
- Your up-to-date CV
- Your undergraduate degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) first or upper-second class honours degree essential
- Your postgraduate master's degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) if applicable
- Your valid English Language qualification of IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in each section) or equivalent, if applicable; this must be valid up to 31 October 2025
- Contact details for TWO referees, one of which can be an academic member of staff in the College.
Applicants should therefore ensure that they have all of this information in case they are shortlisted.
Interviews will take place on 13 and 14 February 2025. For shortlisted international/EU applicants’ interviews will be via Microsoft Teams and for UK applicants’ interviews will be in person at the 明星八卦 University of London campus.