PhD Studentship – Process Industries: Net Zero – Renewable and Advanced liquid fuels from Lignocellulosic Residues

The PINZ CDT will train the next generation of process and chemical engineers, and chemists, to develop the new processes, process technologies and green chemistries required for the process industries’ transition to Net Zero.

 Renewable and advanced liquid fuels will play an important role in the transition to Net Zero emissions by 2050, particularly in “hard-to-abate” sectors. Although lignocellulosic residue- derived liquid fuels have been investigated via bio/chemical and thermochemical processes, significant challenges remain in that pre-treatments remove large percentages of the feedstock (lignin), low yield overall and/or low quality of products. This project will focus on the development of a novel approach to convert the residues to advanced liquid fuels with minimum upgrading requirements. This is a co-created project with PuriFire Labs Ltd.

 The candidate will investigate advanced liquid fuels production focusing on mechanistic understanding effects of types of feedstock and operating conditions on products properties, as well as assessing sustainability and techno-economic feasibility of the developed technology and products in Newcastle University.

 The candidate will also work with the industrial partner, PuriFire Labs Ltd, in aspects of process engineering design features for a scalable prototype facility, industrial installation, commissioning and product output testing. 

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 15th September 2025

Award duration: 4 years

Application closing date: 24th November 2024

Sponsor: EPSRC

Name of supervisor/s: Academic supervisor: Prof Anh Phan, Process Intensification Group, Newcastle. There will also be an industrial supervisor from PuriFire Labs Ltd.

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (usually chemical engineering or chemistry, but please get in touch if you think your qualification may be relevant). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

How to apply

Once registered select Create a Postgraduate Application

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8856F
• Leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank
• Select ‘PhD in Process Industries; Net Zero (PINZ’) as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) – upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form
• The studentship code PINZ03-25 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• ‘Research Proposal’ – when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal –select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact Details

pinz.cdt@ncl.ac.uk