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Faraday Institution PhD and EngD Studentships

Cohort 9 (commencing October 2026)

Thank you for your interest in the Faraday Institution PhD and EngD studentships. In addition to applying directly to projects with UK universities, please complete this short survey to support the process.

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1) The quantification of fire safety for new battery materials, specifically answering the question of the cell-level stability and propensity to fire risk of these new materials. King’s College London
2) How do local structural motifs in graphene-based carbons—such as curvature, stacking order, and defect density—govern electronic conductivity and percolation in battery electrodes? Lancaster University
3) Developing solid boosters to increase energy density of flow batteries while maintaining energy and power decoupled. Queen Mary University of London
4) Understanding ion (de)solvation at interfaces to enable faster, safer battery charging. University of Warwick
5) Characterising lithium and transition metal ordering in disordered rocksalt cathode materials and its link to electrochemical properties. Lancaster University
6) How to realise low/zero volume change Li-rich 3D cathodes using earth-abundant metals for solid-state batteries? University of Oxford
7) How can we better understand and predict electrochemical behaviour inside large format lithium iron phosphate cells in real-world applications over their lifetime? Loughborough University
8) How can innovation in electrode architecture improve interfacial contact, enhance Li-ion transport and enable higher-performance solid-state cells? Loughborough University
9) Exploring the potential for applied magnetic fields to aid in the formation process and subsequent cycle life of anodeless (zero-excess Li) NMC/liquid electrolyte systems. University College London
10) What are the operating windows for stable, defect-free battery electrode coatings (considering the complexities of slurry rheology and the interaction between multiple coating layers)? University of Warwick
11) How can sodium-ion batteries overcome limitations in capacity and cycling lifetime to rival lithium-ion? This project will parameterise the Multi-scale Modelling project’s atomistic-to-continuum simulations specifically for sodium-ion systems. University of Southampton
12) Developing a predictive framework for battery interphase formation mechanisms by delivering machine learning-accelerated formation protocols for next-generation NMC / silicon/graphite materials. University of Warwick
13) How can federated AI link manufacturing parameters to microstructural failure while protecting IP? Using physics-constrained graph neural networks to bridge the gap between synthesis and performance. University of Greenwich
14) How can embedded sensing inside battery cells be fused with in-situ intelligence to create physical-AI battery systems that autonomously monitor, predict, and respond to internal states? University of Warwick
15) How can we rigorously quantify and reduce uncertainty in microstructure-derived parameters used in electrode-scale battery models by linking state-of-the-art FIB-SEM characterisation and AI-driven image analysis to performance simulations? Imperial College London
16) How can physics-based diagnostics be used to infer degradation pathways within EV battery packs when only imperfect first-life operational data is available? University of Bristol
17) What gas evolution mechanisms and swelling behaviour are triggered during fast-charging at elevated temperature in lithium-ion cells, and how do these processes link to degradation, safety and internal pressure build-up and how can they be mitigated? Imperial College London
18) How does the state-of-health of a battery change when it experiences an extended period of disuse, at any stage of its life? University of Birmingham
19) Determination of the most sustainable and scalable sodium-ion cathodes for stationary storage and e-mobility applications by comparing cathodes families, assessing their economic manufacturability, and evaluating environmental impacts at scale. Imperial College London
20) Can high-performance, long-life Li-S batteries be achieved through electrolyte engineering? University College London
21) How can we catalyse sulfur redox reactions in the solid state? University of Nottingham
22) How can long-life, efficient, safe, and scalable anode-free batteries be unlocked through high-throughput interface design? University of Cambridge
23) Leveraging Gaussion’s unique MagLiB™ technology, this project will explore the role of magnetic fields in the performance and lifetime of Li-ion, Li-S and solid-state batteries. University of Oxford
24) Enabling cost-effective, long-duration energy storage by developing low-cost, scalable and highly selective microporous membranes that can replace expensive, low-selectivity commercial options. Swansea University
25) How can we mitigate or control lithium plating in Li-ion batteries, reducing dendrite growth and battery degradation? Lancaster University
26) Designing new oxide-based solid electrolytes for practical sodium solid-state batteries (including exploring use of new doping strategies and using modelling and data-driven methods). Newcastle University
27) How can low‑cost, waste‑derived next-generation tin–carbon anodes for sodium‑ion batteries be engineered to enable fast‑charging, high energy density, and long cycle life? Queen Mary University of London
28) Can we develop new lithium-rich alloy and/or intermetallic anodes for high energy high power (quasi-) solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries? University of Birmingham
29) What are the mechanisms by which sulfide solid electrolytes degrade in commercial cathodes and how can coatings suppress this process? University of Oxford
30) Can we reliably detect, and parameterise, metallic lithium plating non-destructively in industry-relevant cell formats, to improve physics-based battery degradation models, and enable predictive diagnostics based on the lithium plating–stripping behaviour? STFC
31) Can organomagnesium complexes act as proficient electrolytes? Design, synthesis, characterisation and testing potential magnesium battery electrolytes focusing on carbon-based anions. University of Strathclyde
32) Developing humidity-resistant air-cathodes for refuellable primary magnesium–air batteries, while elucidating the underlying degradation mechanisms to establish material–environment interactions that ensure stable oxygen reduction and long-term discharging performance under realistic climatic conditions. Loughborough University
33) How can we develop a physics-based self-learning lithium-sulfur battery management system that could automatically learn from real-time data? Cranfield University
34) Can end-of-life Li-ion batteries produce a viable source of lithium-6 (6Li) for application within the nuclear fusion industry – complementing the valorisation of waste and securing supply for the UK’s energy sector? University of Birmingham
35) Are multivalent batteries a viable, low-cost, and sustainable technology capable of reducing our dependence on lithium-ion batteries and supporting a resilient UK battery supply chain? King’s College London
36) How do shredding conditions, such as state of charge and stabilisation processes influence the recyclability, morphology, physical and chemical properties of various active materials during a recycling process? University of Birmingham
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