Chemical Engineering: Fully Funded Swansea University and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water PhD Scholarship: Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) removal in water (RS619)

Funding providers: Swansea University's Faculty of Science and Engineering and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

Subject areas: Water Treatment 

Project start date: 

• 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Supervisors:

• Professor Chedly Tizaoui (Primary- c.tizaoui@swansea.ac.uk)
• Dr Wei Zhang (Secondary)
• Professor Richard Palmer (Secondary) 

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Chemical Engineering

Mode of study: Full-time 

Project description: 

The occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids of wastewater treatment plants is becoming a serious issue since these substances are persistent in the environment and are carcinogenic to humans. As regulation is evolving to limit their levels in drinking water, wastewater and sludge, effective treatment technologies are required to reduce or remove PFAS in contaminated liquid and wastewater sludge matrices. This PhD programme will evaluate the destruction of PFAS using catalytic hydrothermal and advanced oxidation processes mainly focused on biosolids. The project will, in collaboration with Welsh Water and other water companies, determine the relevant PFAS substances to study and optimise the treatment process to reduce or fully remove PFAS and other relevant emerging contaminants in biosolids. The PhD student will benefit from a well-established research discipline at Swansea University and through collaboration with industry will develop a unique opportunity for training in new techniques and networking. 

Candidates must hold a UK bachelor’s degree with a minimum of Upper Second Class honours or overseas bachelor’s degree deemed equivalent to UK honours (by UK ECCTIS) and achieved a grade equivalent to UK Upper Second Class honours in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements (see country specific qualifications). Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. 

English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 5.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here. 

This scholarship is open to candidates of any nationality.

International Fee Eligible Students:

Swansea University is pleased to offer the Swansea University International Postgraduate Research Excellence Scholarship (SUIPRES) which covers the difference between the International and the Home/UK tuition fee for the duration of the PhD/Professional Doctorate programme. All International applications will be considered for a SUIPRES Scholarship. You will be informed whether a SUIPRES Scholarship will be offered within your offer letter.

ATAS

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website. 

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process, successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with scholarship course offer. 

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in. 

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend of £19,237.

Additional research expenses will also be available.

To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:

1. Course choice – please select Chemical Engineering / PhD / Full-time / 3 Year / October

   In the event you have already applied for the above programme previously, the application system may issue a warning notice and prevent application, in this event, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.

2. Start year – please select 2024
3. Funding (page 8) –

• ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
• ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter ‘RS619 - Removal in Water’

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.

We encourage you to complete the following to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University: 

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form (online form) 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via e-mail). We strongly advise you to provide the listed supporting documents by the advertised application closing date. Please note that your application may not be considered without the documents listed:

• CV
• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)
• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.
• Two references (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
• Confirmation of EDI form submission (optional) 

Informal enquiries are welcome, please contact Professor Chedly Tizaoui (c.tizaoui@swansea.ac.uk)

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.