At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop innovative methods to reduce energy consumption in polymer manufacturing.
- Company: Collaborate with Victrex, a leader in polymer production.
- Benefits: Gain hands-on experience and access to real industrial data.
- Other info: Opportunity for a 4-year PhD with excellent career prospects.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact on sustainability in the process industries.
- Qualifications: Must have a 2:1 Honours degree in Engineering or related field.
The predicted salary is between 18000 - 25000 £ per year.
Project Aim
To develop quantitative process systems engineering methods and models to identify, evaluate, and enable step‑change reductions in energy consumption in industrial polymer manufacturing through system‑level process redesign.
Core Research Focus
- Construct high‑resolution energy and mass balance models of industrial polymer processes
- Identify key sources of thermodynamic and operational inefficiency
- Quantify opportunities for heat integration, energy recovery, and process optimisation
- Develop and evaluate alternative process configurations and plant architectures
- Investigate process intensification and advanced separations for reduced‑energy operation
- Assess techno‑economic trade‑offs: energy vs cost vs operability vs scalability
Industrial Collaboration (Victrex)
You will work closely with Victrex engineering teams, including access to the Hillhouse manufacturing site. This provides exposure to:
- Real industrial process data
- Large‑scale polymer production systems
- Operational constraints and engineering decision‑making
- Direct pathways for translation of research into industrial practice
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. Due to the nature of this project, the candidate should have a strong background in Engineering, especially chemical engineering or another closely related engineering subject. Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.
Additional Information
- Number of awards: 1
- Start date: 1 October 2026
- Award duration: 4 years
- Application closing date: 22 July 2026
Sponsor: EPSRC
Supervisors: Richard Law (Richard.Law2@newcastle.ac.uk); Adam Harvey (adam.harvey@newcastle.ac.uk)
Contact Details: General enquiries: pinz.cdt@ncl.ac.uk
