PhD studentship in Indoor Photovoltaic Devices and Materials Integration for IoT Applications

Award summary

100% of UK tuition fees paid and annual living expenses of £19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate). Additional research funds may be available for materials, travel to conferences, etc

Overview

We are seeking an exceptional PhD candidate to join Prof. Marina Freitag's research group, funded by the Royal Society University Research Fellowship. This cutting-edge project aims to revolutionize sustainable energy solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) by developing smart indoor photovoltaic technologies integrated with artificial intelligence.

The research will focus on:

1. Creating "smart zombie" solar cells that combine exceptional light-harvesting capabilities with intelligent energy management
2. Exploring charge transfer mechanisms in low-dimensional coordination polymer systems
3. Developing copper coordination complexes to enhance device efficiency
4. Integrating photovoltaics with edge AI for IoT applications
5. Device characterization using advanced techniques (EIS, transient absorption spectroscopy, microscopy)
6. Applying machine learning for automated materials discovery

This interdisciplinary project offers the opportunity to work at the forefront of sustainable energy research, combining expertise in materials synthesis, device fabrication, and AI integration for IoT systems.

Number of awards: One

Start date: May 2025

Award duration: 4 Years

Sponsor

The Royal Society through the University Research Fellowship

Supervisors: Professor Marina Freitag

Eligibility Criteria

• Academic excellence of at least a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above) in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Strong background in at least one of the following areas: photovoltaics, materials science, device physics, or optoelectronics.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a demonstrated ability to work in interdisciplinary environments.
• Experience with materials characterization techniques and/or device fabrication is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB) for data analysis and device modelling is advantageous.
• If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills).
• This award is available to UK students. International students may apply but will be required to cover the difference between UK and international fees.

How to apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

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: 8100
• Leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank
• Select ‘PhD Chemistry (full time)' 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 SNES298 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  

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.

Contact Details

Professor Marina Freitag, marina.freitag@newcastle.ac.uk

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