Development of novel phosphide and sulfide catalysts for sustainable hydrogenation processes

The University of Aberdeen is seeking applicants for a PhD project focused on developing novel phosphide and sulfide catalysts for sustainable hydrogenation processes. Candidates must fund their own tuition and research costs. The project involves preparing catalysts from commercial supported metal catalysts and evaluating them for various reactions, particularly those upgrading biomass-derived chemicals. A UK Honours Degree in Chemistry or a related field is required.
These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

In recent years, it has been reported that metal sulfide, phosphides and mixed sulfide/phosphide catalysts are effective catalysts for a variety of hydrogenation processes. Many of these catalysts are prepared from scratch which limits more widespread applicability as they are not derived from more commonly available commercial catalysts. This project will aim to prepare metal sulfide and phosphide catalysts via sulfidation/phosphidation of a commercial supported metal catalyst. The research will therefore focus on the development of simple and effective treatments which yield uniform materials. The catalysts will be evaluated for a variety of reactions, including those which involve the use of chemicals derived from biomass that require upgrading via hydrogenation.

Informal enquiries are encouraged. Please contact Dr A McCue (a.mccue@abdn.ac.uk) for further information.

Essential Background:

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Chemistry or a cognate discipline.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the project.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts, along with 2 academic references (we will not request these).

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk