PhD Studentship :Marie Sklodowska-Curie ESR: Computational Approaches for Nano-Confined Water

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years.

We invite applications for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher (MSC-ESR) Fellowship, starting 1 October 2025, to work with Professor Angelos Michaelides on the development of theoretical modelling of the interaction of water with surfaces and interfaces.

There are few molecules, if any, more important than water.  Yet remarkably little is known about how water interacts with surfaces and interfaces.  This is particularly true at the all-important molecular level, where absolutely fundamental questions about the structure and dynamics of interfacial water remain unanswered.  In this project we aim to tackle some of those questions through the development and application of computational modelling.  A particular emphasis will be placed on the development and application of first principles and/or machine learning approaches.  Some of the specific questions we seek to answer include:

(a) How does water flow through narrow (nanometer-scale) pores?

(b) What is the pH of interfacial water?

(c) Can interfacial water remain frozen above 0 Celsius?

Each of these questions is scientifically fascinating in its own right but also key to the development of novel technologies in the water-energy nexus.  The project builds upon recent work in the Michaelides group (see e.g. Nature 609, 512 (2022); ACS Nano 16, 10775 (2022); Science 372, 1444 (2021); Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 118 (38), e2110077118 (2021)).

The project will form part of a EC Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Training Network (FLUXIONIC), which involves academic teams across Europe.  Although based in Cambridge, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with different members of the network, including secondments, yearly summer schools and attendance at international meetings.  This project will be carried out in collaboration with experimental groups in ENS Paris and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz.

More information about the research in the Michaelides group can be found at: Professor Angelos Michaelides FRS | Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

Applicants must satisfy the EC's eligibility requirements for MSC-ESR Fellowships, and must not have resided in the UK for more than 12 months in the last three years. Candidates should have (or expect to obtain) at least the equivalent of a UK upper second class honours degree (and preferably a Masters degree) in chemistry, physics, or materials science.  Knowledge of quantum mechanics is highly desirable, as is experience in coding.  Experience of a computational or theoretical research project is also desirable.  Although this project will be based in the Department of Chemistry, students with a mathematics or physics background are also strongly encouraged to apply.

The Fellowship is offered in conjunction with a PhD position, subject to the Fellow satisfying the university's admissions requirements for PhD study.  The Fellowship will provide a salary that includes a living allowance of around £36,000 p.a. plus a mobility allowance of around £4,500 p.a..

Applications should include a CV, a half-page summary of any master/diploma thesis, certificates of examination grades, a cover letter (up to 1 page) describing your research career goals, skills and experience, and contact details for at least two academic referees, and should be sent by email to Professor Angelos Michaelides (am452@cam.ac.uk).  Informal enquiries about the position can also be addressed to Professor Michaelides.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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