High-Throughout Materials Discovery and Analysis for Atmospheric Water Harvesting

Water scarcity and contamination are among the most pressing global challenges of our time. Approximately 25% of the global population lives in regions experiencing annual water strees, a number projected to rise significantly by 2050. By then, 25 countries will face extreme water scarcity, withdrawing 80-100% of their available water resources annually. Furthermore, 44 countries are expected to experience high water stress, withdrawing 40-80% of their water resources. Even countries with moderate or low water stress levels will increasingly rely on efficient and sustainable solutions to manage water resources. Atmospheric Water Harvesting (AWH) offers a promising alternative by tapping into the atmosphere, which contains an estimated 13,000 trillion liters of water vapor, a vast and underutilized resource independent of traditional freshwater supplies.

A fully funded PhD studentship is available in collaboration with UL Materials Discovery Institutes (Research - UL Research Institutes) in the area of synthesis and automated analysis in a chemical laboratory focusing on atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), leveraging atmospheric water vapor as a sustainable resource to combat water scarcity.

This project will focus on high-throughput synthesis of porous materials and the development of a proof-of-concept analytical technique for rapid AWH.

We are seeking a PhD student to focus on developing high-throughput synthesis and analysis by integrating advanced robotics, and AI-driven analytics to enhance materials discovery and analysis processes, enabling the improvement of material discovery and the assessment of their performance for water uptake.

The main goal of the project will be to accelerate the discovery and optimisation of advanced porous materials and analytical methods by developing a proof-of concept workflows for rapid AWH.

We are looking for candidates with an enthusiasm for research, multidisciplinary collaboration and tackling challenging problems through teamwork. We are targeting candidates with a BSc and MSc in chemistry, chemical engineering or engineering for this post.

The project will be based in the materials discovery research group led by Prof Andy Cooper (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/cooper-group/). The project will be aligned with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded AI for Chemistry Hub (AIchemy Hub) (aichemy). The project will also have access to unique facilities in the state-of-the-art Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/materials-innovation-factory). You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team and will interact with computational chemists, synthetic chemists, and also engineers and computer scientists developing the use of robots in the materials chemistry laboratory.

You do not need to have a strong background in chemistry, but a willingness to learn basic concepts, ontologies, and definitions is a requirement.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a good degree (equivalent to a UK First or Upper Second Class degree) in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering or other relevant discipline.