PhD Studentship - Reducing the Carbon Footprints of Syngenta Processes by Process Intensification via Flow Chemistry

Award Summary

100% fees (UK home only), a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate), and a research training support grant of £20,000. 

Overview

Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural science and technology, is committed to developing innovative solutions that help farmers grow crops more sustainably while addressing global food security challenges. With a focus on cutting-edge research and development, Syngenta continually explores new methodologies to enhance its product development and manufacturing processes. 

In line with this commitment, Syngenta is exploring the potential of "flow chemistry" in agrochemical research and production. This approach, which has gained significant traction in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, offers numerous advantages for rapid process development and scale-up, while ensuring more efficient continuous processing compared to traditional batch methods. 

This project aims to design and test cutting edge laboratory-scale continuous reactors, applying them to various agrochemical reactions currently performed in batch. This initiative seeks to demonstrate "process intensification" and facilitate rapid, scalable process development and optimization. Previous work in this area has shown that many batch processes can be made significantly more sustainable through this method. 

This work will potentially lead to substantial reductions in Syngenta’s carbon footprint and supporting Syngenta's journey towards Net Zero emissions. 

To bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial application, this project includes a valuable secondment opportunity at one of Syngenta's key manufacturing sites. During this period, researchers will work closely with production teams to: 

1. Assess the feasibility of implementing flow chemistry processes in a real-world manufacturing environment 
2. Identify potential challenges and opportunities for scaling up laboratory successes 
3. Collaborate on adapting flow chemistry techniques to meet specific production requirements 
4. Gain insights into regulatory and safety considerations for industrial-scale implementation 

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 15^th September 2025

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor

EPSRC

Supervisors

Lead Supervisor: Professor Adam Harvey 

Co-Supervisor: Dr Jonathan McDonough 

Industry Supervisor: Steve Alston 

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 

This studentship is available to home students only. 

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: 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 PINZ09-25 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. 
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You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details

pinz.cdt@ncl.ac.uk

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