PhD Studentship: Fatigue Failure of Target Graphite
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Institution
- University of Oxford
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Position type
- PhD
- Subject area
- Physics & Astronomy
- Location
- Oxford, England, United Kingdom
- Funding
- Fully funded position
Want to be the strongest applicant for this position?
Book a free 15-minute call with our team. We will look at your profile against what University of Oxford is actually looking for, and tell you honestly where you stand and what to strengthen before you apply.
Book a free call about this position →No cost, no obligation. Mentors who have secured funded PhD positions themselves.
How our PhD admission mentorship works →
We mentor STEM applicants only. If your research aspirations are outside STEM subjects, you're very welcome to use this board and apply directly; we just aren't the right people to mentor you.
About this position
Research Studentship in Graphite Composite Materials for High-Power Neutrino Targets
Project title: Fatigue Failure of Target Graphite
3.5-year DPhil studentship
Project title: Fatigue Failure of Target Graphite
Supervisors: Prof Dong (Lilly) Liu (Oxford), Dr Kavin Ammigan (Fermilab)
The Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford invites applications for a fully funded D.Phil. project investigating fatigue failure and degradation mechanisms in graphite materials used as proton-beam targets for next-generation neutrino facilities. The project is supported by Oxford and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and is closely linked to international neutrino programmes including DUNE. The research will develop new fatigue-testing methodologies for target graphite, investigate crack initiation and propagation under cyclic loading, and characterise the relationships between microstructure, thermal properties, irradiation damage and mechanical performance. Experimental work will involve advanced characterisation techniques including X-ray tomography, FIB-SEM tomography, Raman spectroscopy, thermal conductivity measurements, high-temperature mechanical testing, ion irradiation, and synchrotron experiments at Diamond Light Source. This project will work closely with Dr. Chris Densham's group at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) to support targets design.
Eligibility
This studentship is funded jointly by the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and is open to all students. The award covers Home tuition fees and a full stipend.
Award Value
Course fees are covered at the Home rate. The stipend (tax-free maintenance grant) is c. £21,805 for the first year, and at least this amount for a further two and a half years.
Candidate Requirements
Prospective candidates will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria:
- A first-class or strong upper second-class degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering or a closely related discipline.
- Strong interest in materials behaviour under extreme environments and experimental research.
- Excellent written and spoken English communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively within an international multidisciplinary collaboration.
The following skills are desirable but not essential:
- Experience in mechanical testing, fracture mechanics or fatigue analysis.
- Experience with materials characterisation techniques.
- Data analysis and scientific programming (e.g. Python, MATLAB).
- Interest in particle accelerator, nuclear or energy applications.
Application Procedure
Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be addressed to Prof Dong (Lilly) Liu (dong.liu@eng.ox.ac.uk).
Candidates must submit a graduate application and satisfy the University of Oxford admission requirements for the DPhil in Engineering Science.
Please quote 27ENGMM_DL in all correspondence and in your graduate application.
Application deadline: Noon on 2 December 2026 (subject to University admissions deadlines).
Start date: October 2027
Apply directly to University of Oxford
Emerging Scholars Council is not the employer and does not recruit for this position. It is advertised by University of Oxford, and your application goes to them. We help students prepare and strengthen their applications.
Go to the official application page →Contact listed in the advert
Some positions — especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland — are filled by writing directly to the supervisor rather than through an online form. These addresses were taken from the advert text, so check them against the official listing before you write.
A cold email to a supervisor is the highest-leverage thing you can send — and the easiest to get wrong. Ask us to look at yours before you hit send.