Overview
The goal of this project is to develop digital tools comprising AI methods, cheminformatics and, high-throughput virtual screening, to explore the non virtual assessment of novel polymeric materials in these applications. The project will give the opportunity of interacting with our industrial partner, a multinational research-intensive organization who will provide guidance and supervision through industry experts in AI/Cheminformatics, Polymer Chemistry and Materials Engineering/Composite Materials
About this opportunity
Structural composites materials are used in a vast number of applications from aerospace to sport and recreation. Their polymeric constituent is in the majority of cases made by materials formed by epoxy-aromatic amine chemistry while there are many alternative chemistries, which are, in principle, capable of similar or better performances and can be more sustainable. The chemical space to explore is so vast and the current technologies so well developed that it is impossible to find viable
alternatives in reasonable time with conventional methods. The goal of this project is to develop digital tools comprising AI methods, cheminformatics and, high-throughput virtual screening, to explore the non virtual assessment of novel polymeric materials in these applications. The project will give the opportunity of interacting with our industrial partner, a multinational research-intensive organization who will provide guidance and supervision through industry experts in AI/Cheminformatics, Polymer Chemistry and Materials Engineering/Composite Materials.
This project will be supported by Syensqo and will be supervised by Prof Neil Berry (Chemistry), Dr Tom Hasell (Chemistry) and a supervisor from the industry sponsor Syensqo.
The global need for researchers with capabilities in materials chemistry, digital intelligence and automation is intensifying because of the growing challenge posed by Net Zero and the need for high-performance materials across multiple sectors. The disruptive nature of recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and emerging quantum computing offers timely and exciting opportunities for PhD graduates with these skills to make a transformative impact on both R&D and society more broadly.
The University of Liverpool EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital and Automated Materials Chemistry is therefore offering multiple studentships for students from backgrounds spanning the physical and computer sciences to start in October 2025. These students will develop core expertise in robotic, digital, chemical and physical thinking, which they will apply in their domain-specific research in materials design, discovery and processing. By working with each other and benefiting from a tailored training programme they will become both leaders and fully participating team players, aware of the best practices in inclusive and diverse R&D environments.
This training is based on our decade-long development of shared language and student supervision between the physical, engineering and computer sciences, and takes place in the Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), the largest industry-academia colocation in UK physical science. The training content has been co-developed with 35 industrial partners and is designed to generate flexible, employable, enterprising researchers who can communicate across domains.