Are you holding Master’s degree and looking for fully funded PhD positions? University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland invites online application for multiple funded PhD Programs / fully funded PhD positions in various research areas.
Candidates interested in fully funded PhD positions can check the details and may apply as soon as possible. Interested and eligible applicants may submit their online application for PhD programs via the University’s Online Application Portal.
1. Fully Funded PhD Position in Nucleate Boiling on Patterned Liquid-Like Surfaces
Summary of PhD Program:
Nucleate boiling is a type of boiling mechanism where the heat is transferred from a hot surface to a liquid through the formation and release of vapor bubbles. This process occurs at discrete points on the surface where the liquid is in direct contact with heat. During nucleate boiling, small bubbles of vapor form at nucleation sites, typically surface imperfections, and grow until they are buoyant enough to detach and rise through the liquid. Surface modification is a passive method to increase heat transfer in nucleate boiling by controlling bubble nucleation and detachment using structures or coatings that modify a surfaces morphological parameters.
Application Deadline: Open until filled
2. Fully Funded PhD Position in Molecular simulation of phase separation in amino acid carbon capture solutions
Summary of PhD Program:
This project aims to understand the key driving forces that lead to both bulk and microphase separating AA and AAS solutions, especially for carbon capture processes. The successful student will use molecular simulations to model and understand this behaviour at the microscale. It is expected that the applicant will have a good degree in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, or any other related subject. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants who want to develop expertise in the molecular simulation of fluids. Prior experience in this area is useful but not a requirement.
Application Deadline: 31/08/2025
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3. Fully Funded PhD Position in Modelling particles subject to permanent plastic deformations
Summary of PhD Program:
A plastic wear model for ductile materials was recently developed within the supervisor’s group, based on the discrete element method (DEM). An initial model developed for flat surfaces [1] has since been extended to arbitrarily shaped closed surfaces representing abradable particles. Each particle is essentially a multi-sphere clump in which the non-interacting constituent spheres are arranged to form a hollow shell. A constituent sphere is displaced in the direction of the local normal to the surface once a material yield criterion has been met. This has been implemented in a fork of the open-source LAMMPS [2] code.
Application Deadline: 30/11/2025
4. Fully Funded PhD Position in Metamaterials for Oil/Water Separation
Summary of PhD Program:
In this project, the focus will be on creating hydrophobic mechanical metamaterials using foams and characterizing their properties when in contact with different liquids. The project will also consider a possible application in the programmable separation of oil-water mixtures and de-fouling of materials. The project will investigate whether strain might be used as a switch to allow oil to either be blocked to to pass through the material and whether strain can be used to release particulates blocking the material when it is used as a filter.
Application Deadline: 11/11/2025
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5. Fully Funded PhD Position in Machine Learning (ML) for Polymer Blending Optimisation
Summary of PhD Program:
A wide spectrum of target thermoplastic materials can be manufactured by tailoring polymer blends to achieve particular combinations of end-user performance (e.g. mechanical, electrical, structural support) properties, important in various industrial sectors, especially in extreme-condition environments. These polymeric material classes include the widely used polyolefins (PE, PP), but also others derived from higher-MW monomers (PS, PVC, PVP, PC, PTFE, etc. ). The key challenge here is to computationally predict (and experimentally confirm) optimal blend compositions which can be manufactured reasonably easily (high processability via extrusion, blow moulding, etc.), in order to achieve formulated products which achieve (or exceed) the said end-user properties, under reasonable total (fixed+operating) cost per unit mass.
Application Deadline: 31/12/2025
6. Fully Funded PhD Position in Improve the Energy Sustainability of AI Data Centers in Future Energy System
Summary of PhD Program:
This cross-disciplinary PhD program in electrical engineering and computer science aims to develop real-time strategies for minimizing the carbon footprint of data centers. The research will optimize the jobs scheduling at large scale data center, addressing the challenge of managing high volumes of computational tasks required by large AI models. Advanced machine learning, optimization, and data analytics techniques will be explored to enable a more proactive response to the electricity supply profile, ensuring that data center operations are effectively integrated with the broader energy network.
Application Deadline: 01/09/2025
7. Fully Funded PhD Position in Heat integration to provide whole system flexibility
Summary of PhD Program:
The project will investigate heat integration techniques across various levels of the energy system, including industrial processes, district heating networks, and residential heating solutions. Key areas of focus will include the integration of advanced thermal storage technologies, the utilisation of waste heat recovery, and the implementation of innovative heat pump technologies. This multi-scale approach ensures that the project addresses both high-grade industrial heat and low-grade residential heat requirements.
Application Deadline: 31/12/2025
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8. Fully Funded PhD Position in Fouling Control of Water Treatment Membranes through Optimal and Sustainable Cleaning Strategies
Summary of PhD Program:
This PhD project will formulate tailored CiP strategies for membranes in Scottish Water (SW) treatment plants. The overarching goal is twofold: i) to identify the CiP temperature resulting in optimal membrane performance; ii) to identify CiP formulations (or mixtures thereof) suitable for application at ambient feed water temperatures (i.e., in cold water). Considering that CiP at SW membrane plants is often carried out at ambient water temperature (Tamb = 10 °C or lower), we anticipate significant improvements in cleaning efficiency if CiP were carried out at slightly higher temperatures.
Application Deadline: 22/06/2025
9. Fully Funded PhD Position in Engineering sex-differences to improve science
Summary of PhD Program:
This PhD project proposes an innovative exploration of how sex-specific differences in hormonal profiles and blood flow dynamics impact liver function, utilizing cutting-edge techniques involving liver organoids and microfluidic technology. Males and females differ significantly in their liver function and pathology, thought to be largely due to variations in hormonal environment and hemodynamics. Despite these observations, current approaches to elucidating these effects are limited, and rely heavily on expensive, time-consuming, and ethically challenging animal models and clinical trials.
Application Deadline: 04/02/2026
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10. Fully Funded PhD Position in Elucidating molecular transport mechanisms through atomistic simulations
Summary of PhD Program:
Membrane-based processes for water treatment, such as reverse osmosis (RO), hold promise in tackling water scarcity locally and globally. Nevertheless, conventional polyamide membranes for RO exhibit low rejection of Small, charge-Neutral Contaminants (SNCs), which endanger human health and biota. Progress towards highly selective membranes has been hindered by insufficient understanding of the mechanisms that underlie separation efficiency: how water and contaminants sorb into, and diffuse through, polyamide membranes. Both contaminant sorption and transport require a molecular-level treatment, at far higher resolution than is afforded by conventional (continuum) membrane transport models.
Application Deadline: 22/06/2025
11. Fully Funded PhD Position in Electrolytes in Zinc ion Batteries
Summary of PhD Program:
This project focuses on the development and optimization of advanced electrolytes for high-performance zinc-ion batteries. Unlike lithium, zinc is abundant, non-toxic, and operates in aqueous environments, making it safer and more affordable. However, challenges such as zinc dendrite formation, limited electrolyte stability, and slow ion mobility need to be addressed for ZIBs to compete with LIBs in commercial applications.
Application Deadline: 24/11/2025
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12. Fully Funded PhD Position in Dropwise Condensation and heat transfer on Patterned Liquid-Like Surfaces
Summary of PhD Program:
Condensation is a heat transfer process in which a vapor releases energy/heat as it changes its phase to become a liquid, which typically occurs when the vapor is cooled below its dew temperature, often upon making contact with a cooler surface. This process is critical in numerous applications, including in HVAC systems, power generation, and refrigeration. The effectiveness of dropwise condensation in transferring heat makes it essential in condensers, where minimizing the surface area for dropwise condensation and optimizing conditions for heat transfer can significantly enhance system efficiency.
Application Deadline: 30/11/2025
13. Fully Funded PhD Position in Droplet Dynamics on Topographically Patterned Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces
Summary of PhD Program:
The interaction of droplets with structured surfaces is extremely important in microfluidics, with target applications in medical diagnostics, self-assembly and printing. In this project you will study the dynamic interactions of droplets with structured solid surfaces coated by a thin liquid lubricant layer. Depending on your skills and interests, you will tackle questions about the fluid dynamics of this system using experimental/computational approaches, or a combination of both.
Application Deadline: 21/10/2025
14. Fully Funded PhD Position in Droplet Dynamics on Patterned Liquid-Like Surfaces
Summary of PhD Program:
Recently, we have initiated research on the interaction between droplets and liquid-like surfaces. These are surfaces created by grafting polymer chains to a solid substrate, thus creating an ultrasmooth surface. In this project you will study the dynamics of droplets on patterned LLS, where a surface topography, or a chemical pattern, is applied. The scope of the project will be experimental, theoretical, or a combination of both, depending on your specific skill set. By addressing the questions of this project, you will be pushing the boundaries of knowledge in this new field and kick-start your postgraduate career.
Application Deadline: 21/10/2025
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15. Fully Funded PhD Position in Designing Structured Surfaces with Superwettability Properties
Summary of PhD Program:
The underlying theme of this PhD project is to study the rich interplay between fluid flow dynamics, surface chemistry, geometry, roughness, and solid elasticity in the context of wetting phenomena. Depending on the interests of the student, they can focus on modelling or combine modelling and experiments to develop engineering design principles for structured surfaces with superwettability properties. We will consider both model surfaces with regular patterns (e.g., posts, holes) and non-ideal, industrially relevant substrates (e.g., complex fibres, meshes). This project will also involve collaborations with our international experimental and industrial partners, Dr.-Ing. Hutomo Suryo Wasisto (Infineon Technologies AG, Germany) and Prof. Kuwat Triyana (Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia), to explore how these design principles can be exploited for applications in microelectromechanical system (MEMS) and sensor technologies.
Application Deadline: 31/08/2025
16. Fully Funded PhD Position in Design and testing of microflyers for environmental monitoring
Summary of PhD Program:
By contrast, some natural flyers, such as the dandelion fruit, travel unpowered for days and hundreds of kilometres. Recent Edinburgh research revealed the aerodynamics underlying the extraordinary flight ability of the dandelion, including the energy scavenging mechanisms that allow it to regain altitude at every wind gust. The present project aims to exploit these aerodynamic findings to enable a step change in the endurance and range of flying sensors. The candidate will design and test an ultra-light (c.a. 1 mg) insect-scale bioresorbable flyer with sensing and communication capabilities in a bespoke wind tunnel.
Application Deadline: 31/12/2025
17. Fully Funded PhD Position in Bottom-up assembly of multi-compartment synthetic cells
Summary of PhD Program:
The building blocks will be lipid vesicles, both large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), as well as membrane embedded and encapsulated proteins. To do so, the student will develop methodologies for lipid vesicle formation, including bulk techniques such as water-in-oil emulsions, and microfluidic systems (e.g. micro-droplets). Bottom-up synthetic cells can shed light on natural biological cell functions but can also be used for future industrial applications like biofuel production or in biomedical applications such as drug delivery.
