PhD Studentship - Advanced Electro-Active Coordination Polymers as Energy Materials

Award summary

100% of UK/EU 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 our research team. This forward‑looking project aims to transform sustainable energy technology through the innovative synthesis and integration of electro‑active coordination polymers (eCPs).

As a PhD candidate, you will:

1. Develop a new class of eCPs, integrating earth-abundant metals to create materials with unprecedented charge transport and storage capabilities.
2. Utilize state-of-the-art combinatorial inkjet printing for materials dicovery and optimization of eCP compositions.
3. Design and fabricate next generation "smart" solar cells and photocapacitors that seamlessly integrate energy harvesting and storage functionalities.
4. Leverage advanced techniques such as transient absorption spectroscopy, operando XRD, KPFM and electrochemical impedance to understand structure-property relationships.
5. Contribute to the development of low-cost, highly efficient indoor photovoltaics

This interdisciplinary project offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of synthetic chemistry, materials science, and device engineering to redefine the landscape of sustainable energy technologies.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 1^st September 2025 – 6^th January 2026

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: The Royal Society

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.
• Experience with advanced materials characterization techniques is highly desirable and/or synthesis (organic/inorganic) is highly desirable.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills; willingness to collaborate across materials synthesis, device physics, and AI-driven research.
• If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5).
• This award is available to UK students. International students may apply but will be required to cover the difference between UK/EU and international fees.
• International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.

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: 8100F
• 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 SNES298a 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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