Postgraduate Prospectus

The Group undertakes world-leading research on a range of novel materials for energy technologies, including hydrogen storage materials, nanotubes for PV (photovoltaic) applications and nanostructured membranes, and catalysts for fuel cells. Research is supported by excellent characterisation facilities and the Group’s wide network of international collaborations.

The multi-disciplinary team conducts internationally recognised work spanning cleaner coal technology, CO2 mitigation, sustainable energy technologies, energy storage and applied geochemistry.

Researchers have access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and facilities, and coordinate a number of collaborative ventures with fellow academics and colleagues from leading international energy and technology companies.

The Thermofluids Research Group enjoys close links with industry and conducts a diverse range of fundamental and applied projects in collaboration with the automotive, aero and power generation industries. Research embraces the performance and technology of reciprocating engines, turbomachinery and motors; flow visualisation, flow control and drag reduction; and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) models, applications and mathematical techniques.

The group has extensive, modern facilities for applied work and has access to the University’s high performance computing facility.

The Centre conducts pioneering research into carbon capture, transport and storage and leads on a number of groundbreaking projects to reduce CO2 atmospheric levels and mitigate global warming.

Research is cross-disciplinary and multi-agency, uniting the expertise of engineers, mathematicians, bio-scientists, geographers and geologists from within academia, industry and government organisations across the globe.

The Institute brings together a multi-disciplinary team of bioscientists, social scientists, chemists, physicists and engineers to develop innovative energy technologies that are both sustainable and affordable. Research is typically industry-focussed and plays a pivotal role in developing cleaner energy technologies, assessing environmental damage from power generation, and analysing the global economics of the energy sector.

Two energy related Doctoral Training Centres (DTC) – collaborations with the universities of Birmingham and Loughborough – opened in October 2009. The EngD (Engineering Doctorate) Centre in Efficient Fossil Energy Technologies and the DTC in Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and their Applications offer candidates training in a broad range of energy related topics. Research is supported by experts from the three participating universities and the programmes benefit from substantial industrial collaboration.

The distinguishing features of an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) are its 4 year duration, higher stipend than normal PhDs, and the requirement that most of time (about 3 years) is spent conducting research in industry. 

This EngD Centre will produce research leaders to tackle the major national and international challenges over the next 15 years in implementing new power plant to generate electricity more efficiently using fossil energy with near zero emissions, involving the successful demonstration of CO2 capture, and reducing CO2 emissions generally from coal utilisation, including iron making. These leaders will be part of the new breed of engineers who will be thoroughly versed in cutting edge energy research and capable of operating in multi-disciplinary teams, covering a range of knowledge transfer, deployment and policy roles and with the skills to analyse the overall economic context of their projects and to be aware of the social and ethical implications. 

In total, training will be provided for 50 PhDs with 10 being recruited each year between 2009 and 2013.

Building Services Research Group (BSRG) undertakes high-quality, strategic and applied research related to building services, HVAC and energy conservation (e.g. heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, heat pumps, CHP systems, and also lighting, acoustics, and indoor air quality controlling). The BSRG has developed into a leading centre for research in HVAC, thermal comfort, energy efficient equipment/system for building services engineering and the built environment. The BSRG offers excellent and extensive research subjects including “Micro-nano technologies basis approaches to improve the performance of HVAC”; “Novel technologies of desiccant dehumidification”; “Biomimetic functional surfaces for built environment”; Enhanced heat transfer for HVAC and refrigeration systems”. Our state-of the-art facilities include Thermofluids labs, the Marmont Centre for Renewable Energy, the Sustainable Research Building, the Millennium Eco-Experimental House, and Creative Energy Homes.

The Sustainable Energy Technology Research Group (SETRG) carries out research and into renewable/sustainable technologies in the built environment, attracts external funding, runs research training programmes and participates in network and public awareness activities. The SETRG offer excellent and extensive research facilities including the Marmont Centre for Renewable Energy, the Sustainable Research Building, the Millennium Eco-Experimental House, and Creative Energy Homes project.

The Marmont Centre for Renewable Energy contains research laboratories which are equipped with a variety of technologies and state-of-the-art facilities for research into passive cooling, heat recovery, solar/wind/ground energy systems, absorption technology, ejector refrigeration, heat pump systems, ventilation systems, indoor air quality and thermal comfort. The Sustainable Research Building (SRB) is designed to serve as an exemplar building, demonstrating state-of-the-art techniques for environmentally responsible, sustainable construction. The SRB incorporates a flexible envelope to permit field-testing and integration of new and sustainable technologies.

The flagship Creative Energy Homes Project is a showcase of innovative state-of-the-art energy efficient homes of the future. Six homes constructed on University Park have been designed to various degrees of innovation and flexibility to allow the testing of different aspects of modern methods of construction. The project aims to stimulate sustainable design ideas and promote new ways of providing affordable, environmentally sustainable housing that are innovative in their design. Several companies including the Mark Group, Roger Bullivant Ltd, EOn and BASF have funded the project.