Award summary

100% home tuition fees covered and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £20,780 (2025/26 UKRI rate), as well as £2,000 per year to support training and consumables and access to a bespoke Faraday Institution PhD Training Programme valued at ~£5,000 per year.   

Overview

The diversification of battery chemistries is critical for long-term capacity growth, particularly for large-scale storage, a crucial factor for reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero. Life-cycle and sustainability analyses of battery designs promote the use of sodium in batteries as a promising alternative to lithium, primarily due to its large earth abundance and cost advantages in comparison to lithium. 

This Faraday Institution studentship will develop new design principles for improved silicate ceramic solid electrolytes for sodium solid-state batteries. This will be achieved using a powerful combination of state-of-the-art atomistic modelling, including density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations, and machine learning. The studentship will be based in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Newcastle University with Dr James A Dawson. The student will also work closely with Dr. Decio Lima at LiNa Energy, a UK company supporting the journey to net zero through low-cost solid-state sodium battery technology, and spend the equivalent of three months at their headquarters in Lancaster.   

Faraday Institution PhD students benefit from development opportunities including networking events, industry visits, mentorship, internships and high-quality training to further their skills and career aspirations. More details are available here.  

Newcastle University is committed to inclusivity and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or transgender status.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: September 2026 or January 2027

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: Faraday Institution and UKRI

Supervisors: Dr. James A Dawson (Newcastle University) and Dr. Decio Lima (LiNa Energy)

Eligibility criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project, including chemistry, materials science, engineering or physics.

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.

The studentship covers fees at the Home rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria).

Eligibility can be checked here.

How to apply

To apply, applicants must complete both of the following steps:

1. Submit a short Faraday Institution expression of interest form.
2. Apply through the university application process, as outlined below:

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’. 

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using programme code: 8100F
• Research Area: Chemistry
• Select ‘PhD Chemistry (full time) as the programme of study.

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:

• ‘Personal Statement’ - upload a document or write a statement directly into the application form. 
• Studentship code SNES305 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field.

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section please upload:

• Your CV

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact details: Dr. James A Dawson (james.dawson@newcastle.ac.uk)