PhD Studentship: Understanding How Li-ion Cell Failure Affects Battery System Design

There exists an inherent variability in how lithium-ion batteries fail – an event commonly referred to as “thermal runway”. This uncertainty drives additional cost and complexity into the design and validation methods employed for battery systems created for electric vehicles, aerospace or stationary storage.

This PhD will aim to deliver a new validated methodology for scientifically assessing lithium-ion cell failure and its implications for system-level battery design.

By creating a new scientifically robust framework to assess and mitigate thermal runaway, this PhD project will develop a unique understanding of system-level battery integration challenges, including but not constrained too:

• The need to initiate thermal runaway using repeatable techniques that do not influence or bias the resulting failure mode.
• The need to scale-up the experimental assessment of a single device to a complete system that accounts for the influence of cell-to-cell propagation, cell topology and the use of active and passive methods of mitigation and containment.
• The need for multi-modal measurement systems to characterise thermal runaway, allowing a deeper understanding of the properties of the thermal runaway and supporting the transition towards new methods of modelling and simulating battery failure, i.e.: gas venting, fire and explosion.

The PhD is sponsored by BP and will take place within the Battery Systems team at WMG, University of Warwick. The WMG Battery Systems Group combines academics and engineers with industrial experience to address significant challenges of cell manufacture and integration into battery systems across a wide range of applications, including e-mobility, automotive, aerospace, rail, marine and stationary storage. For further details please refer to the Group webpage or contact Professor James Marco (james.marco@warwick.ac.uk)

Battery System Group

Battery Systems Research | WMG | University of Warwick)

Battery Safety Centre 

Battery Safety Centre

The ideal candidate will have a background in engineering (electrical/mechanical/electrochemical), achieving a 1st or 2(1) in their undergraduate studies with a focus on experimental activities, engineering design and numerical analysis. A good understanding of sensor selection and instrumentation is essential. You will need to be pro-active, organised, and able to work well with technicians and laboratory support staff.

Funding information: EPSRC IDLA

Stipend

Standard UKRI Stipend (£20,780 from 1 October 2025)

PG Research Fees - Student Finance - University of Warwick

Funding Comment: IDLA Guidelines