PhD Studentship: Metal Additive Manufacturing of Multi-Functional and Multi-Material Structures

Area: Engineering

Supervisors: Dr Negar Gilani and Professor Richard Hague 

The Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) Research Group within the Faculty of Engineering and the University of Nottingham, acknowledged as one of the world’s leading centres for Additive Manufacturing research, development, and dissemination, invites applications for a 3-year PhD programme.

A cutting-edge bespoke Drop-on-demand Metal Jetting platform, recently developed at CfAM, allows the printing of components from various metals in a single piece. This involves coordinating the jetting of dissimilar materials on a base substrate, enabling the direct creation of components with spatially varied compositions. Distinguishing itself on the global stage, this multi-material printing system stands as the first of its kind, boasting the capacity to print dual materials in a voxel-by-voxel fashion at a resolution of less than 50 µm. This intricate capability opens avenues for manufacturing complex designs, setting a new standard in the realm of 3D printing.

We seek a student who could lead the maturation of this multi-metal MetalJet technique, which offers substantial prospects in the direct manufacturing of multi-functional metallic structures. The successful candidate will develop a comprehensive understanding of the Drop-on-demand Metal Jetting process and the compatibility of dissimilar materials within the printed structure. There is a particular interest in exploring novel designs and manufacturing techniques for cartridges used in producing molten droplets. An ideal candidate should have experience or a strong interest in additive manufacturing, materials science, and computational mechanics but also be adaptable to learning and exploring new disciplines as the project evolves.

This research will be conducted within a wider research team comprising academics, post-doctoral researchers and technical staff. This exciting research is industrially highly relevant and of great scientific interest and, therefore will offer the candidate the possibility to establish successful industrial and academic collaborations and disseminate at national and international conferences.

Eligibility: 

• First or upper second-class academic qualification in Engineering or Physical Sciences or a related discipline.
• Some coding abilities in MATLAB and LabView.
• Creative thinking and the ability to work independently.
• Familiarity with Multiphysics simulation is a plus. 
• Industry experience is advantageous.

Fully funded studentships, for home fee-eligible students. Subject to approval of funding. 

Please send a copy of your covering letter, CV, and academic transcripts to negar.gilani@nottingham.ac.uk (via the ‘Apply’ button above). Please note applications without academic transcripts will not be considered.

Closing date: applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is appointed. Early applications are encouraged.

Our University is a supportive, inclusive and caring community, and we encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds. The Faculty of Engineering was the first in the UK to be awarded an Athena SWAN Gold Award, in recognition of our commitment to supporting and advancing women’s careers in Engineering.

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