At a Glance
- Tasks: Conduct research on lithium-ion battery failure and its impact on system design.
- Company: Join the WMG Battery Systems team at the University of Warwick, sponsored by BP.
- Benefits: Receive a competitive stipend and gain valuable research experience in a cutting-edge field.
- Other info: Collaborate with industry experts and tackle significant challenges in battery systems.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in battery technology for electric vehicles and aerospace.
- Qualifications: Must have a strong engineering background with a focus on experimental activities.
The predicted salary is between 20780 - 20780 £ per year.
There exists an inherent variability in how lithium‑ion batteries fail – an event commonly referred to as “thermal runaway”. This uncertainty drives additional cost and complexity into the design and validation methods employed for battery systems created for electric vehicles, aerospace or stationary storage. This PhD will aim to deliver a new validated methodology for scientifically assessing lithium‑ion cell failure and its implications for system‑level battery design.
By creating a new scientifically robust framework to assess and mitigate thermal runaway, this PhD project will develop a unique understanding of system‑level battery integration challenges, including but not constrained to:
- The need to initiate thermal runaway using repeatable techniques that do not influence or bias the resulting failure mode.
- The need to scale‑up the experimental assessment of a single device to a complete system that accounts for the influence of cell‑to‑cell propagation, cell topology and the use of active and passive methods of mitigation and containment.
- The need for multi‑modal measurement systems to characterise thermal runaway, allowing a deeper understanding of the properties of the thermal runaway and supporting the transition towards new methods of modelling and simulating battery failure, i.e.: gas venting, fire and explosion.
The PhD is sponsored by BP and will take place within the Battery Systems team at WMG, University of Warwick. The WMG Battery Systems Group combines academics and engineers with industrial experience to address significant challenges of cell manufacture and integration into battery systems across a wide range of applications, including e‑mobility, automotive, aerospace, rail, marine and stationary storage.
The ideal candidate will have a background in engineering (electrical, mechanical, electrochemical), achieving a 1st or 2(1) in their undergraduate studies with a focus on experimental activities, engineering design and numerical analysis. A good understanding of sensor selection and instrumentation is essential. You will need to be pro‑active, organised, and able to work well with technicians and laboratory support staff.
Funding Information: EPSRC IDLA Stipend Standard UKRI Stipend (£20,780 from 1 October 2025)
PhD Studentship: Understanding How Li-ion Cell Failure Affects Battery System Design in Coventry employer: University of Warwick
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