Control of crystallisation is essential in many applications across food (e.g. chocolate and ice cream), chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Nucleation is the first step in formation of crystals but is a poorly understood phenomenon. It is well known that nucleation tends to occur at interfaces between the solution and container or vessel holding it or impurities within the solution. This project will investigate crystal nucleation at solid or liquid interfaces, and can be experimental, simulation, or both. The student will gain research experience in a variety of techniques, including high-throughput nucleation rate measurements, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, and molecular simulations.
The student will contribute to a lively and creative research environment and regularly communicate their work within the research team. In addition to undertaking cutting edge research, the student will be registered for the Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Development (PGCert), which develops a student's transferable skills, networks and career prospects.
The student will be supervised by Dr. Karen Johnston and Prof. Jan Sefcik in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering and will be closely linked with the Future Manufacturing Research Hub in Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation (CMAC), a world-class centre for manufacturing research and training working in partnership with global industry partners to transform current manufacturing processes into the medicine supply chain of the future (cmac.ac.uk).
The studentship is open to UK/EU candidates (subject to EPSRC studentship eligibility), who have (or expect to achieve) a good undergraduate degree in a relevant science/engineering discipline, and who are highly motivated to undertake multidisciplinary research. To apply please complete an online application:
https://ben.mis.strath.ac.uk/pguserprofile/control/enterDetailsPage
The studentship is available from October 2020.
For informal enquiries, please email Dr. Karen Johnston (karen.johnston@strath.ac.uk).