Postgraduate Research Projects

Please find below a list of research projects available for students interested to do Master by Research or Doctor of Philosophy(Ph.D) in PARTCAT group. Please note that all Master/Ph.D student candidates must have current scholarships or are applying for scholarships to support their studies. A range of scholarships are available for domestic and international students (from $28,597 per annum (tax free) in 2021). Top-up scholarship is available for high achieving candidate - please enquiry within.

For full information on any of the following projects or if you are interested with any of our research, please contact corresponding supervisors as outlined in the project.

• PEC selective organic oxidation using composite photocatalyst with multifunctional properties (NEW project)
• Carbon-based absorbent material for environmental remediation (NEW project)
• Hydrogen production with high-density single-atom catalyst (SAC) (NEW project)
• Ion kinetics in electrochemical energy conversion and storage process (NEW project)
• Techno-economic Feasibility of Power to X Pathway in Australia (NEW project)
• Value added chemicals produced via electrochemical CO2 reduction (NEW project)
• Single Atom Catalysts and Nanoclusters Supported on Nanoscale Silicon Carbide/Nitrides for the Partial Oxidation of Methane using Tunable Preceramic Polymer Templates (NEW project)
• Improving the properties of powder products for beverage applications (Industry funded PhD project) - (NEW project)
• Combinatorial design and high-throughput screening of potential solar hydrogen photocatalysts (NEW project)
• Novel Carbon Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage (NEW)
• Computational materials design of catalytic materials and water filtration membranes (NEW)
• Photocatalytic CO2 conversion to methanol (NEW)
• Atomatically thin 2-D materials for electrochemical conversion of nitrogen to ammonia (NEW)
• Solar energy utilisation for direct CO2 reduction to sustainable fuel (NEW)
• 3-D printing approaches for electrochemical conversion of nitrogen to ammonia (NEW)
• Seawater electrolysis for simultaneous chlorine and hydrogen production  (NEW)
• Machine learning-augmented high-throughput catalyst design for NH3 synthesis (NEW)

Past PhD projects in the group:

• Novel nanostructured catalysts toward efficient and cost-effective fuel cell stacks 
• Engineering of novel ozonation activation catalysts to degrade micropollutants 
  
• Advanced battery nanotechnologies
• Two-dimensional organic-inorganic materials
• Single-cluster electrocatalysis for electrical energy storage
• Development of novel 3D hybrid catalyst materials toward efficient conversion of energy 
• Functionalized carbon-based materials for electrochemical energy applications 
• Surface-plasmon enhanced catalytic CO2 conversion on bimetallic nanoparticles

If you are unsure which project is most suitable for you, but would like to join PARTCAT research group, please send/email your resume, academic transcript and proof of English proficiency to Scientia Prof Rose Amal at  r.amal@unsw.edu.au or Mandalena@unsw.edu.au 

To check on your eligibility for admission and competitivenes for scholarship, please do the HDR Self Assessment available on: https://selfassessment.research.unsw.edu.au/ (Note: Course code: 1010 for PhD in Chemical Engineering)

Top Up Scholarship maybe available for high achieving candidate. Please enquiry within.

UNSW Scientia PhD Project and Scholarships

The Scientia PhD scholarship is aim to attract new PhD candidates of exceptional quality to work on research projects aligned with UNSW's 10-year strategy. These prestigious scholarships offer unique benefits, individualised support and a generous funding package to reach your personal development goals. Applicants are required to express their interest in a specific research area with an identified supervisory team. There are over 190 research projects to choose from.

Benefits of UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarships:

• Work on high quality research projects with the best supervisory teams in world class environments
• Stipend of $41,209 per year for 4 years (2019 rate, indexed)
• Tuition fees covered for the full 4 year candidature
• Coaching and mentoring as part of your personalised leadership development plan
• Career development of up to $10,000 each year to build your career and support your international research collaborations
• Priority scholarships reserved for indigeneous candidates

The Scientia PhD Scholarship is NOW CLOSED.

Below are the previous Scientia PhD Scholarship project (2019):

• Next Generation Catalyst Development through Artificial Intelligence (supervisory team: Dr Nick Bedford, Prof Rose Amal and Dr Amanda Barnard (CSIRO - Data 61))
• A solar thermal-driven biomass preconditioning reactor for hydrogen generation (supervisory team: A/Prof Robert Taylor, A/Prof Jason Scott and Dr Qiyuan Li)
• New generation supercapacitors and related materials (supervisory team: A/Prof Dawei Wang, A/Prof Alison Lennon, Dr Aditya Rawal)

Visit the FAQs, Guidelines, and Terms and Conditions for more detailed information on the process and the Scheme.