ReNU+ is a fully funded PhD programme. 100% fees are covered for four years and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £20,780 (2025/26 UKRI rate). An additional allowance will be provided to contribute towards consumables, equipment, and travel related to the project.
We welcome and encourage applications from candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Find out more about this via the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion page.
We have two projects still open for application, with a deadline of 30th June 2025. Click on the on the drop down section below for further details on how to apply. Please note: these are competition funded PhD projects for UK students only.
If you have applied before the deadline, you will be contacted about the outcome of your application by the University you applied to but you may find some useful information on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
If you have any questions or queries please contact us.
Durham University
Deadline for applications: 30th June 2025
Provisional date for interviews: 14th July
Start date of course: 1 October 2025
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Project Title: Advancing Trigeneration Recovery Efficient Energy Storage (TREES) Technology for multi-vector sustainable energy systems
Are you passionate about advancing energy systems and contributing to the future of sustainable energy solutions? We invite applications to work on groundbreaking research in Trigeneration Recovery Efficient Energy Storage (TREES) technology.
This is a unique opportunity to join a cutting-edge project focused on industrial waste heat recovery and energy system optimisation. As a PhD researcher, you will play a key role in advancing TREES technology through high-quality research and real-world demonstration.
Your Research Focus Will Include:
· In-depth theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigation of thermochemical-based sorption technology.
· Developing and optimising the TREES system for multi-vector energy services.
· Research and development in scaling up and refining manufacturing processes.
· Conducting techno-economic assessments to evaluate system feasibility and efficiency.
· Implementing technology demonstrations and real-world case studies to showcase TREES applications.
Why Join Us?
This studentship offers more than just a research project—it’s a pathway to transformative opportunities within a world-class academic and industrial ecosystem. As part of our active and dynamic research team in the Department of Engineering at Durham University, you will:
· Gain access to state-of-the-art facilities and advanced research tools.
· Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team working on groundbreaking, high-impact energy solutions.
· Participate in diverse research initiatives, broadening your expertise and professional network.
This studentship provides an excellent platform to develop expertise in energy systems, collaborate with leading researchers and industrial colleagues, and contribute to impactful solutions for industrial energy challenges.
Embark on this exciting journey and help shape the future of sustainable energy!
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Huashan Bao: huashan.bao@durham.ac.uk
Eligibility Requirements:
A minimum of 65% in an MEng degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field in thermal energy.
Appropriate English Language qualifications (Direct Entry Band E - Durham University), if required.
Applicants cannot apply if they are already a PhD holder or if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Durham or elsewhere.
Must be able to commit to campus-based full-time or part-time study.
Only Home students are eligible for the award of a scholarship. International students are not eligible for a scholarship.
In addition to the eligibility requirements above, experience or capability to learn software tools such as AutoCAD, MATLAB/Simulink, Python, ANSYS, and similar technologies would be an advantage.
To be classed as a Home student, candidates must:
Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
have settled status, or
have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.
Modes of study
Full time or Part Time at 0.6 Full Time Equivalent at Durham.
How to apply
For further details on how to apply, and the link to Durham’s Postgraduate Application portal, see
https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/how-to-apply/
In the Postgraduate Application portal apply for the H1A601 PhD Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (EPSRC RENU CDT) Course. When completing the form on the application portal:
· On the funding tab select ‘yes’ you are applying for a scholarship, select ‘Other’, write RENU/BAO in the name of the scholarship, and select 1st October 2025 as the start date. No scholarship documents are required.
· On the project course details tab write RENU/BAO in Field of Study.
In addition to completing the form on the Postgraduate Application portal, ensure you upload the following additional documents to the portal:
1. A completed ReNU Plus Competency Assessment Form in the place of a proposal. Please read further instructions within the form.
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV).
3. Two satisfactory academic references.
4. Any other required documentation as listed on https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please ensure you follow all these steps to ensure your application is considered.
By submitting your application to ReNU+ you are agreeing for your data to be used as described in the. ReNU+ privacy notice.
Funding Notes
Please note that ReNU+ Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis between projects at Durham, and that there are fewer scholarships available than the number of projects advertised. There are no international fees scholarships available at this time.
Deadline for applications: 30th June 2025
Provisional date for interviews: 14th July
Start date of course: 1 October 2025
Durham University
Deadline for applications: 30th June 2025
Provisional date for interviews: 14th July
Start date of course: 1 October 2025
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Project Title: Joint computational and experimental study of novel materials for photoferroic applications
A PhD project at Durham University is available in the design of new materials for novel renewable energy applications. Theoretical predictions will be experimentally synthesised and tested.
Photovoltaics rely on the separation of photoinduced charge carriers, which normally requires careful engineering of electron and hole attracting electrodes or p-n junctions, as in conventional solar cells. However, materials called ferroelectrics display a spontaneous polarisation that can induce spontaneous photocurrents, allowing for greater flexibility in photovoltaic device architectures. This spontaneous photocurrent may also allow ferroelectric photovoltaics to circumvent the Shockley-Queisser limit. Unfortunately, most ferroelectrics are poor absorbers of sunlight and poor conductors due to their relatively large optical band gaps. In addition, the polarisation of conventional ferroelectrics is unstable to charge carriers, and depolarisation fields, both of which are essential for spontaneous photocurrents. These key issues have prevented the “photoferroic" concept from receiving greater attention, despite over 40 years of research into the effect. This project will consider a novel strategy to bypass these issues by designing unconventional ferroelectrics, called improper ferroelectrics, which can have optimised optical band gaps and are more likely to be robust towards charge carriers and depolarising fields.
This research project – to design novel photoferroics for next generation photovoltaics - is interdisciplinary, providing the student with the opportunity to develop expertise in both theory and computation (quantum mechanical simulations based on density functional theory) and experimental techniques (materials synthesis, structural and properties measurements). The supervisory team has previously enjoyed success employing these combined approaches in related materials. The exact split between theory and experiment can be adapted to the student.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Nick Bristowe: nicholas.bristowe@durham.ac.uk or Dr Emma McCabe: emma.mccabe@durham.ac.uk.
Eligibility Requirements:
A minimum of a 2.1 MPhys or 1st BSc (or equivalent qualification level) in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science or another relevant degree with sufficient focus on one of these areas, e.g. Engineering or Natural Sciences.
Appropriate English Language qualifications (Direct Entry Band E - Durham University), if required.
Applicants cannot apply if they are already a PhD holder or if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Durham or elsewhere.
Must be able to commit to campus-based full-time or part-time study.
Only Home students are eligible for the award of a scholarship. International students are not eligible for a scholarship.
To be classed as a Home student, candidates must:
Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
have settled status, or
have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
· Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.
Modes of study
Full time or Part Time at 0.6 Full Time Equivalent at Durham.
How to apply
For further details on how to apply, and the link to Durham’s Postgraduate Application portal, see
https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/how-to-apply/
In the Postgraduate Application portal apply for the H1A601 PhD Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (EPSRC RENU CDT) Course. When completing the form on the application portal:
· On the funding tab select ‘yes’ you are applying for a scholarship, select ‘Other’, write RENU/BRISTOWE in the name of the scholarship, and select 1st October 2025 as the start date. No scholarship documents are required.
· On the project course details tab write RENU/BRISTOWE in Field of Study.
In addition to completing the form on the Postgraduate Application portal, ensure you upload the following additional documents to the portal:
1. A completed ReNU Plus Competency Assessment Form in the place of a proposal. Please read further instructions within the form.
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV).
3. Two satisfactory academic references.
4. Any other required documentation as listed on https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please ensure you follow all these steps to ensure your application is considered.
By submitting your application to ReNU+ you are agreeing for your data to be used as described in the ReNU+ privacy notice.
Funding Notes
Please note that ReNU+ Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis between projects at Durham, and that there are fewer scholarships available than the number of projects advertised. There are no international fees scholarships available at this time.
Deadline for applications: 30th June 2025
Provisional date for interviews: 14th July
Start date of course: 1 October 2025
ReNU+ welcomes and encourages applications from candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences such as:
Find out further information at the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion page.
Programme Duration: 4 years (Full Time). Studentships are also available for applicants who wish to study on a part-time basis (please see individual adverts on findaphd for further details).
Funding: Each studentship supports a full stipend, paid for four years at UKRI rates (for 2025/26 full-time study this is £20,780 per year) and full tuition fees and a Research Training Support Grant (for travel, consumables, and further training). UK and international (including EU) candidates may apply.
Please access the FindaPhD landing page for ReNU+ here.
If you do not hold the entry requirements but you feel you have evidence of relevant skills and expertise that is equivalent, please get in touch with both the project contact and relevant institution director.
Please note: to be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an International student. Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence, and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.
Immigration Health Surcharge https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application
If you need to apply for a Student Visa to enter the UK, please refer to the information on https://www.gov.uk/student-visa. It is important that you read this information very carefully as it is your responsibility to ensure that you hold the correct funds required for your visa application otherwise your visa may be refused.
Costs associated with English Language requirements which may be required for students not having completed a first degree in English, will not be borne by the university. Please see individual adverts for further details of the English Language requirements for the university you are applying to.
Please access the FindaPhD landing page for ReNU+ here.
We need a supply of talented next-generation leaders who will drive getting towards Net Zero. Programs like ReNU and ReNU Plus really focus on making sure those people understand the wider context for energy, not just their individual research project, but also things like the energy system, energy policy, and also finance and economics associated with getting towards Net Zero.
Why did you choose to pursue a PhD?
"I'm a PhD scholar in Northumbria University funded by ReNU. I chose to pursue my PhD because of my passion in material science and engineering and to contribute towards the digital sustainable technologies. "
"I decided to pursue a PhD was because I really enjoyed my master's project and I realized that doing more research would probably be very interesting to me. The long answer is that I've always thought of research as one of the things I wanted to do so it made sense in terms of my future path."
Why did you choose to apply for the ReNU program specifically?
"I chose to apply in the ReNU program specifically because it focuses on the interdisciplinary research and the renewable energy. ReNU is actually part of three universities that is Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham University. So this gives us more support from various experts in the field and the state of art that we are working on."
"The ReNU training program brings in a lot of support so there's to begin with very wide lectures on what kind of problems we're facing in terms of reaching net zero or just the energy problem. There's also a lot of help with careers advice and stuff like progression."
What would you say are the benefits of being part of a cohort of students?
"The benefits for being part of the cohort of students is that it creates a collaborative environment for everyone and we all can interact with each other and this creates a good support network and exchange of ideas and research which actually helps us in our research. And secondly, with the help of this, we can have access to various labs, be it Northumbria University, be it Durham University or Newcastle University, for example, in my research I need TEM for morphological studies of the films. And it's not in Northumbria University and I'm planning to use the one that is in Durham. So it actually helps to overcome the barriers."
"Being part of a cohort is really motivating for me because I can talk about what I'm facing and find someone with similar problems or find solace in the fact that we're all stuck in the same problems but also it's more than that it's sharing experiences and ways to deal with certain problems that a normal PhD student might not be able to have."
In terms of the ReNU Plus program specifically, what would your advice be to future students who might be interested in that?
"I would highly recommend that they join the ReNU Plus program. They're going to find access to a lot of different resources within the program spanning from biology, physics, electrical engineering and chemistry and they're going to have crossovers with industry partners to find job opportunities as they go further afield."
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
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