Submission deadline: 17:00 on 21 October 2022

The call for HetSys PhD projects to start in October 2023 is now open. The deadline for applications is Friday 21st October 2022 at 5pm. We plan to advertise 15-20 projects for a cohort intake of 10.

As in previous years, projects which attract match funding of around 50% (ca. £58k in total across the 4-year PhD) will be prioritised for recruitment: in the 2020-2022 intakes, all of the PhD projects with funding from an industrial partner were recruited to.

The key requirements for a HetSys PhD project are:

1. Span disciplinary barriers. Real-world heterogeneous systems are intrinsically multidisciplinary, requiring integration of diverse modelling methods.
2. Incorporate uncertainty in modelling. ​Training in uncertainty quantification will enable students not only to perform simulations, but to quantitatively assess their reliability.
3. Promote robust Research Software Engineering (RSE). ​Training in sustainable software development will enhance software usability and extend its lifetime

Priority areas for HetSys Cohort 5 are as follows:

1. Quantum information to support the development of new algorithms for future emergence of quantum computers
2. Biomolecular modelling e.g. to exploit the ongoing revolution from the development of AI-based protein folding methods

3. Mathematical and statistical foundations of uncertainty quantificaiton and machine learning, linking the physical and mathematical sciences

4. Materials characterisation to link cutting-edge theory with experimental co-supervisors from across the Faculty

We will also continue to support excellent projects in established HetSys strength areas such as defects in materials, nanofluidics, catalysis, etc.

Key selection criteria is as follows:

1. alignment with HetSys’ aims and training provision;
2. engagement with partners, ideally including significant match funding;
3. ongoing and/or scope for engagement of supervisor and research group with the HetSys community, e.g. through training or participation in other HetSys activities such as study groups, conferences, seminar series, etc

Please complete as much of the form as possible; we appreciate for example that a number of details may not yet be finalised.

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