Smart Electrolytes for Next-Generation Zinc-Ion Batteries

How do we build grid batteries that are cheap, safe and made from abundant
materials?

Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are a promising answer – zinc is low-cost, non-toxic and works
in water-based electrolytes. But current ZIBs still suffer from limited lifetime and
efficiency because the electrolyte, cathode and their interface are not optimised
together.

This PhD will tackle that challenge head-on. You will design “smart” aqueous or gel
electrolytes and matched cathode coatings that work as a single system to:
• control how Zn2+ is solvated and transported,
• suppress dendrites and cathode dissolution, and
• build stable, self-healing interphases for long-life cycling.
Working jointly between the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University, you
will combine:
• Molecular simulations (to see how different salts and additives organise around
Zn2+),
• Materials synthesis and coating design, and
• Full electrochemical testing in coin cells.
 

By the end of the project, you will have created and tested prototype zinc-ion cells with
significantly improved performance, and developed design rules that can be applied
across future grid-scale storage technologies.
 

Training and environment
You will be based in the School of Engineering at UoE, with access to:
• Advanced electrochemical testing facilities
• Battery fabrication labs
• Materials characterisation (XRD, SEM/TEM, spectroscopy)
 

You will also work closely with Prof Biggs’s group at HWU, gaining complementary
expertise in interfacial engineering and simulation. The project includes opportunities
to present at international conferences and to collaborate with industrial and academic
partners.

Selection process 

The application and selection process has two stages: 

1. Initial technical interview (by supervisors) 

• We will shortlist from the applications received and invite at least one candidate for an online interview before 30 January 2026.
• This interview will assess your academic background, technical skills and motivation for the project.
• Following this, we will nominate one candidate to ERPE for consideration. 

2. ERPE panel interview 

• Nominated candidates will be invited to a second, competitive interview with an ERPE panel in the weeks commencing 16 or 23 February 2026.

• Final outcomes will be communicated no later than 4 March 2026.

  Start date: September 2026 

  How to apply:
  Please do not submit a full PhD application at this stage.
  Instead, email the following as a single PDF to Dr Peisan (Sharel) E (sharel.e@ed.ac.uk):
  • A CV (max 2–3 pages), including degree classifications (or predicted grades), relevant
  projects and publications (if any).
  • A 1-page cover letter explaining:
   -why you are interested in zinc-ion batteries and this specific project;
  - how your background meets the essential/desirable criteria;
  - whether you would in principle be willing to be considered for a switch of  principal
  - supervisor to HWU if offered an HWU-funded studentship.

  Please also provide contact details for two academic referees

Application deadline for initial consideration:

We encourage applications as soon as possible and no later than before 23 January 2026.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted to arrange interviews.

Essential Experience: 

• BSc and/or Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence
• a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent)
• Excellent spoken and written English and good communication skills • Experience using modelling and simulation techniques
• Literature surveys, documentation and reporting

This studentship is funded through the ERPE Joint PhD Studentship scheme. 

• Duration: 42 months (3.5 years)
• Stipend: Enhanced above standard UKRI rate
• Research & Training Grant: £5,000 total (for research costs, travel, training)
• Tuition fees: Covered at the home-fee rate Important: 

This is a competitive funding opportunity. ERPE has selected more projects than there are studentships available, so a studentship is not guaranteed even if you are nominated by the supervisors. Because of the balance of UoE- and HWU-funded studentships in this call, it is possible that a successful candidate may be offered an HWU-funded studentship instead of a UoE-funded one, in which case the principal supervisor would transfer to Prof Biggs at HWU. Candidates will be asked whether they are willing to be considered for such a supervision switch as part of the selection process.

***Open to candidates with UK “home” fee status only. This normally includes UK nationals and applicants with settled or pre-settled status, or indefinite leave to remain, who have been ordinarily resident in the UK/EU/EEA for at least 3 years.***

Further information and other funding options.