PhD Studentship - Generating Green Hydrogen Out of Thin Air

Project advert

Vapour fed electrolysers have been demonstrated to circumvent the performance losses associated with dissolved species in water. However, water vapour itself inevitably contains impurities such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane and other gases. During this 3-year PhD, we will design and characterise mitigation strategies to prevent performance losses due to these impurities. We will explore both experimental techniques as well as computational models to provide feedback to design higher efficient devices. The materials characterisation will include XRD, SEM/TEM, XPS, and Raman amongst other techniques. The modelling aspect will involve adapting existing liquid water fed PEM/AEM models to operate in vapour fed mode in COMSOL. 

The project will be jointly supervised by Dr. Yagya Regmi and Prof Laurie King. This new project will be highly collaborative and interactive, and so you will have the opportunity to learn all of the required techniques from our highly supportive and skilled research group at the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre. The project will also provide you with many opportunities to work alongside our industrial and academic project partners. Our research group is housed within the state-of-the-art £117M Dalton building facilities and the vibrant doctoral community at Manchester Met.

Project aims and objectives

The primary objective of the study is to study the effects of impurities on vapour fed water electrolysers and the primary aim is to develop mitigation strategies to make the vapour fed electrolysers a commercially viable technology for niche applications. The outcomes of the PhD will be equally applicable to hydrogen production as well as utilising carbon dioxide to generate valuable chemicals. 

Funding

The student will be in receipt of a stipend payment; the Research Council minimum rate (set by UKRI) is £20,780 for 2025/26.

Only Home students can apply. Home fees are covered. 

Specific requirements of the candidate

The qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience applicants should have for this project, in addition to our standard entry requirements.

Essential requirements:

• A background in chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering or related fields.
• Enthusiasm for multidisciplinary research and problem-solving.
• Highly motivated student.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Desirable skills (but not essential, as training will be provided):

• Either an excellent undergraduate degree or an MSc/MRes in Chemistry.
• Experience in materials synthesis, computational modelling and/or electrochemistry.
• Familiarity with analytical techniques such as XRD or electrochemical methods.
• Research experience (e.g., undergraduate project, summer internship, or industrial placement).

How to apply

Interested applicants should contact Dr. Yagya Regmi (Y.Regmi@mmu.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in Chemistry (or download the PGR application form).

You should also complete a narrative CV (500-1000 words) addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have map to the area of research, how your experience makes you suitable for this position, and why you see this area as being of importance and interest.

If applying online, you will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section, or email the application form and statement to PGRAdmissions@mmu.ac.uk. 

Expected start date Oct 2025.

Please quote the reference: SciEng-YR-2025-VopourEL

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