Interdisciplinary Research
The CDT in Sustainable Chemical Technologies is an interdisciplinary research centre, including expertise from the Departments of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics, and the School of Management.
With leading academic research groups in many relevant areas and state-of-the-art facilities, we carry out research that crosses traditional boundaries between science and engineering. All our research projects are interdisciplinary in nature, to deliver new, sustainable and circular technologies for the future. We develop new molecules, materials and processes for sustainability in the broadest possible sense.
All PhD projects will have a multidisciplinary supervisory team including external partners and be aligned with one or more of the CDT research themes:
- Sustainable Molecules: Molecules designed to be benign and produced cleanly from abundant elements using scalable processes, and the principles of green chemistry, to provide the building blocks for sustainable chemical technologies.
- Sustainable Materials: Materials derived from renewable feedstocks or sustainable molecules, that are designed for high performance; longevity and stability in use and reuse, but with clear and effective end-of-life options.
- Sustainable Processes: Clean, efficient and scalable processes for the production of molecules, materials and products.
- Digitalisation: Integration of data science and modelling, at all stages of manufacturing, to help select and optimize the most sustainable processes and products.
- Environmental Technologies: Application of sustainable chemical technologies to environmental issues ranging from sensors for in-field monitoring of water quality, pollution remediation for holistic management of natural and built environments, to mitigation of chemical pollution and critical mineral recovery.
- Synthesis: Sustainable production of molecules and materials from renewable feedstocks incorporation new chemical synthetic methodologies to exploit emerging technologies such as photoredox catalysis, flow chemistry and automation.
- Whole Systems Approaches will be incorporated to ensure that chemical technologies are sustainable and placed within a whole-systems view, measuring their environmental footprint, understanding their supply chains and assessing their viability.
