University of Southampton, England invites online Application for number of Fully Funded PhD Degree at various Departments. We are providing a list of Fully Funded PhD Programs available at University of Southampton, England.
Eligible candidate may Apply as soon as possible.
(01) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Next generation nucleic acid drugs with enhanced delivery and efficacy
Nucleic acid drugs (NAD) are unique in targeting mRNA particularly those that cannot be addressed by conventional small molecule drugs or therapeutic antibodies. Our aim is to chemically modify them to enhance their delivery and develop a NAD with good activity, that has efficient delivery to cells and is safe.
Nucleic acid drugs (NAD) have huge potential to treat diseases but despite recent advances, significant challenges remain. These include efficient delivery to cells and tissues. Recent clinical trials have identified toxicity issues, so it is important to consider safety in parallel with efficacy.
Our aim is to tackle both problems (delivery and efficacy) and develop a NAD with good activity, that has efficient delivery to cells and that is safe.
The potential of therapeutic oligonucleotides is growing fast. Up to date, their development and application in therapy have been drawing the interest of several pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We will synthesise novel different chemical modification to improve targeted delivery to heart and brain tissues.
You will join a dynamic and enthusiastic group at the School of Chemistry in Southampton to work on a project at the interface of chemistry and biology.
You will benefit from the outstanding facilities and vibrant environment provided by the department. Your objective will be to synthesis modified phosphoramidite monomers, incorporate them in therapeutic oligonucleotides and investigate their biophysical and biological properties.
Deadline : 30 Apr 2026
(02) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Rebuilding bone: additive bio-manufacturing of functionalized nanoclay bone tissue engineering scaffolds
This project aims to transform the treatment of large bone defects by creating personalised, 3D-printed scaffolds that are strong, bioactive and clinically relevant. You will develop functionalised nanoclay hydrogel bioinks, optimise additive bio-manufacturing, and validate performance in vitro with engineering–medicine collaboration and Renovos Biologics.
The project will develop 3D-printed personalised bone tissue engineering scaffolds, targeting the rapid regeneration of critical-sized bone defects due to accidents or diseases. Novel nanoclay-based hydrogel biomaterials will be synthesised, integrating patient-centred design and digital manufacturing feedback tools to optimise mechanical and biological performance.
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
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(03) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Verification of neuro-cyber-physical systems
Formal verification of neuro-symbolic cyber-physical systems, such as drones, medical devices and robots, is complicated. Neural components must be trained to be optimal with respect to the available data as well as the safety specifications, and then verified using specialised solvers.
Symbolic models of the “cyber” and “physical” behaviour of the system must be constructed and verified in interactive theorem provers, often requiring mature mathematical libraries to reason about the interplay of discrete and continuous dynamics. The results of the two already challenging verification tasks need to be integrated into a single proof in a coherent and consistent way, whilst preserving deployability of the resulting model.
This project will develop a compositional methodology for constructing such proofs in the Vehicle framework that provides a functional, domain-specific language for specifying, training, and verifying neural components of cyber-physical systems. Depending on your skills and interests, the project is well‑suited for students interested in:
- formal logic (quantitative, differential, linear logic)
- types & programming languages (functional DSLs, dependent types)
- theorem proving and verification (solvers and provers, including interactive theorem provers such as Rocq or LEAN and neural network verifiers)
Deadline : 1 Sep 2026
(04) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Modelling of liquid-fuelled rotating detonation engines for gas-turbine applications
Using a rotating detonation engine (RDE) as gas turbine combustion chamber could increase engine efficiency dramatically. This project will implement two-phase flow and spray combustion modelling into our in-house dynamically adaptive RDE code to quantify the potential of RDE-based jet engines by massively parallel computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.
We are the only UK researchers investigating RDEs and our parallel and dynamically adaptive in-house software AMROC is among the most capable solvers for detonation simulation worldwide. While AMROC provides a viscous detonation solver with detailed non-equilibrium chemical kinetics in the gas phase, it currently cannot simulate the combustion of liquid fuels. In this project, we will therefore incorporate dilute spray combustion into AMROC.
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
(05) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Efficient and trustworthy CFD simulation of hypersonic glide vehicles under dynamic control
Hypersonic glide vehicles operate in an extreme aerothermal environment and are genuinely difficult to control. While evaluating control methodologies currently relies on precomputed aerodynamic databases, this project will extend and directly couple our inhouse predictive, non-equilibrium aerothermodynamic overset strand-mesh computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver with the control methodology.
Our AMROC software infrastructure currently provides a validated, dynamically adaptive strand-mesh solver for high-temperature gas dynamics of axisymmetric bodies. Here, we will generalize AMROC’s automatic three-dimensional strand-meshing capability and apply it to the simulation of prototypical hypersonic glide vehicles, including models with active control effectors, and then couple this 3D CFD solver with a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) flight dynamics and control model. To showcase the integrated capability, realistic constraints on aerothermodynamic heat loading, flap deflection, and thruster engagement will be considered.
This project will be carried out under the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network, which has been supported by the Ministry of Defence and EPSRC to build the necessary expertise to develop next-generation hypersonic vehicles. You’re expected to attend cohorting and training activities in the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network, led by the University of Oxford and Imperial College. Substantial training in fundamentals of hypersonics, hypersonic vehicle design, ground testing and numerical simulation will be provided as part of the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network.
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
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(06) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Development of electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry for spacecraft missions
This project will pioneer space-ready electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry to detect biosignatures in the Solar system. Combining spacecraft propulsion electrospray techniques with flight-proven miniaturised mass spectrometers, the project develop cutting edge electrospray mass spectrometry techniques through a unique collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) mission heritage.
Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is the go-to technique for evaluating biological samples on Earth, used by tens of thousands of studies and a Nobel prize awarded in 2002. However, even though it is the gold standard method for complex molecule analysis, it has never been flown in space as an instrument to detect complex biosignatures that can indicate habitability on icy worlds (for example Jupiter’s moons). It generally requires atmospheric operation of an electrospray device into a vacuum chamber, which is a difficult setup in space. Moreover, the system is large and complex (typically the size of a large fridge).
Deadline : 1 Jun 2026
(07) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Making nanoscale materials: precision fabrication of high-performance functional structures
This project focuses on exploring high-precision lithographic fabrication techniques for the development of multifunctional material structures at the nanoscale, with applications in wireless energy and information transfer, and in biomedicine.
Recent developments in the field of nanoparticles enable the fabrication of structures whose unique responses and functionalities arise from collective effects that cannot be achieved with any single material alone. In these systems, function follows form where precise fabrication and assembly of magnetic nanoparticles allow the creation of carefully engineered nanostructures embedded within electrically insulating materials. Such structures can be controlled and manipulated using a variety of external stimuli, including magnetic, optical, electrical, and mechanical forces.
This project focuses on the development of nanostructures for a range of applications, including energy and biomedicine. The project will employ lithographic techniques for the fabrication of nanostructures and will be based at the University of Southampton within a multidisciplinary team of researchers and students. Opportunities for travel will be available through national and international research collaborations, as well as attendance at workshops and conferences.
Deadline : 30 Apr 2026
(08) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Harnessing Topological Light through Metasurfaces for Intelligent 3D Endoscopy
This PhD project will develop metasurface-enabled intelligent optical sensing for rapid, accurate identification of miniature features in endoscopy. Building on recent funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Leverhulme Trust, this PhD combines advanced nanofabrication, machine-learning-driven optical design, and close collaboration with University Hospital Southampton, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
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(09) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: AI-driven solar-laser hybrid sintering for lunar regolith metamaterials
This project investigates the microstructural evolution and mechanical behaviour of laser-sintered lunar regolith. Combining advanced microscopy, nano-/micro-mechanical testing, and graph neural network modelling, the research will uncover how glass formation and pore topology control strength, enabling predictive design of next-generation regolith-based building materials.
Building structures on the Moon or Mars is no longer science fiction, it is an engineering frontier. Future space missions will require infrastructure built in situ from local materials, rather than transporting heavy supplies from Earth. Laser and solar sintering of lunar regolith (the dust and rock covering the Moon’s surface) offers a revolutionary path to fabricate landing pads, shelters, and roads directly on extraterrestrial terrain.
However, sintered regolith forms a complex glass–crystal composite with irregular pores and melt necks, and its mechanical performance remains poorly understood. Unlocking how these microstructures control strength and stiffness is essential before this technology can be trusted for real construction beyond Earth.
This PhD project aims to decode the process–microstructure–property relationships in laser-sintered regolith and develop AI-assisted predictive models for their mechanical behaviour. Working with samples produced under controlled laser parameters, the student will characterise phase assemblage, glass formation, pore morphology, and micromechanical properties using advanced tools such as SEM/BSE, X-ray CT, nanoindentation, and micro-pillar compression. These results will form the foundation of a graph neural network (GNN) that learns how microstructural descriptors govern stiffness and strength, enabling predictive and interpretable design of regolith-based building materials.
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
(10) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Designing smart space structures for extreme environments: from nonlinear dynamics to resilient mechanisms
This PhD will develop AI-based predictive and control methods for nonlinear, regolith-resilient mechanisms in collaboration with ESA, combining structural dynamics, compliant design, and topology optimisation to create lightweight, intelligent space structures for next-generation exploration.
Future space missions will rely on smart, lightweight structures capable of surviving extreme environments — from vibration and temperature swings to abrasive lunar dust and orbital debris. This PhD project will develop AI-augmented methods to predict, control, and enhance the performance of nonlinear mechanisms that enable such resilience in space applications. In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the research combines nonlinear dynamics, compliant mechanism design, and machine-learning-based prediction and control to create adaptive, efficient structures for the next generation of spacecraft and planetary systems.
Deadline : 30 Sep 2026
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(11) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Nanostructured neural architectures for sustainable neuromorphic computing
Artificial intelligence is transforming society but comes with a growing energy and carbon cost. This project will explore new nanostructured materials and device architectures that can deliver brain-inspired computing with radically improved energy efficiency.
You will design and fabricate nanoscale neural elements using emerging semiconductors, such as 2D materials, ferroelectric polymers, and hybrid organic–inorganic systems, exploring their potential for in-memory sensing, learning, and computation. By integrating these materials into scalable device arrays, the project aims to create neuromorphic systems capable of energy-efficient information processing.
Working within the SustAI CDT’s multidisciplinary environment, you will collaborate with researchers across electronics, photonics, and machine learning to advance the next generation of green intelligence technologies—bridging materials innovation and sustainable AI architectures. You will join the multi-disciplinary Flexible Nanoelectronics Lab, work at the world-class labs of the Optoelectronics Research Centre, while you will have the opportunity to build connections with UK and European research partners by being affiliated also with the UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing.
Deadline : 17 Jul 2026
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(12) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Development of advanced intelligent systems for enhancing reliability and mission assurance of small satellites
This project will address the systems engineering challenge of enhancing mission assurance for small satellites by developing an AI-powered risk assessment framework.
Small satellites are revolutionising space access by enabling fast, low-cost development. However, their risk-tolerant nature often leads to mission failures, especially in early generations. Unlike traditional satellites, small satellite teams are small, with a low level of experience, and their risk assessment practices are rarely shared across institutions or countries, limiting collective learning and improvement.
Using publicly available data from over 2,500 past small satellite missions, you’ll apply big data analysis and natural language processing to extract and analyse on-orbit malfunctions. AI tools will overcome language barriers, enabling access to global datasets, including non-English sources. The result will be a comprehensive malfunction database and a risk assessment tool that prioritises risks based on mission type and team experience. It will also propose cost-effective countermeasures, allowing future small satellite developers worldwide to make informed decisions regardless of location or language.
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
(13) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Development of high-performance miniaturised ultrasonic devices for precision minimally invasive surgery
This project, in the field of ultrasonic surgery, focuses on the development of cutting-edge miniature ultrasonic devices targeted for bone surgery. It seeks to advance the current state-of-art design by introducing new configurations and incorporating novel structures in miniaturised devices to enhance precision and improve clinical outcome.
Ultrasonic surgery has attracted growing attention for its potential to provide minimally invasive alternatives to conventional procedures, offering advantages of low force, high precision, tissue selectivity, reduced collateral damage, and faster post-operative recovery. However, the current state-of-the-art ultrasonic surgical devices are predominantly based on single or multiple half-wavelength resonators, which present significant challenges for integration with the flexible endo-wrist mechanism of surgical robots, thereby limiting their applicability in complex minimally invasive interventions.
This project seeks to transform the design of conventional ultrasonic transducers by introducing novel configurations and advanced structures for miniaturised surgical devices. The research will investigate various classes of flextensional configurations to evaluate their potential for device miniaturisation through both modelling and physical prototyping. In parallel, metamaterial-inspired structure will be incorporated to tailor vibrational behaviour and achieve controlled dynamic responses.
Deadline : 30 Jun 2026
(14) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: System identification of nonlinear space structures via physics-informed machine learning
Modern lightweight space structures face harsh environments and often exhibit nonlinear dynamics due to contacts, friction, and geometric nonlinearities. This project combines numerical, analytical, and experimental methods to develop physics-informed machine learning tools for efficient nonlinear system identification, enabling accurate modelling and validation of the next-generation space technologies.
Modern space systems, from spacecraft components to precision sensors, operate in extreme and hostile environments. To meet stringent performance demands while minimising payload mass, ultra-lightweight high-performance structures are increasingly employed in space missions. Although such advanced structures offer exceptional capabilities, they often exhibit nonlinear dynamic behaviours which cannot be captured by employing classical linear models. Such behaviours arise from geometric nonlinearities, friction, contact, and complex damping mechanisms, all of which critically impact the performance, stability, and reliability of space structures. In this context, developing novel tools for the analysis, identification, and prediction of the dynamics of nonlinear systems is essential for designing, testing, and validating the next generation of space technologies.
Deadline : 31 Aug 2026
(15) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Development of a miniaturised plug-and-play in-situ plasma measurement instrument for small satellites
This project aims to design and develop “PlasmaCube,” a real-time plasma measurement payload for CubeSats using Langmuir probe principles. It offers hands-on experience in space systems engineering, electronics, and data systems.
Small satellites, especially CubeSats, are transforming space missions, from Earth observation to deep space exploration. However, over half of CubeSat missions fail, often due to system malfunctions caused by the harsh and unpredictable space environment. Understanding and mitigating these failures is critical to improving mission success.
This project addresses the challenge by developing PlasmaCube, a real-time in-situ plasma measurement payload based on the Langmuir probe principle. The system will include optimally designed electrodes, nano-level current measurement electronics, a control system, and a robust data collection unit. The goal is to create a standardized, plug-and-play diagnostic payload for CubeSats and other small satellite platforms.
Deadline : 31 Jul 2026
(16) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Bioinspired total synthesis of complex natural products
This project aims to uncover how nature constructs complex molecules by mimicking biosynthetic pathways through synthetic chemistry. By embracing this biomimetic approach, we will develop new strategies that can rapidly and efficiently increase molecular complexity. Crucially, these strategies are inherently more sustainable, as they minimize step count and waste generation.
The overarching aim of this project is to develop efficient and sustainable strategies for constructing three-dimensionally complex natural products. Our focus is on a distinctive and medicinally important class of natural products known as meroterpenoids. These molecules are assembled in nature from two different types of molecular building blocks and display striking structural diversity.
A defining feature of meroterpenoid biosynthesis is the transformation of simple, flat aromatic molecules into complex, polycyclic three-dimensional structures. In living systems, this dramatic increase in molecular complexity is often achieved through cascade reactions, in which several chemical bonds are formed and broken in a single process. Our primary objective is to replicate this remarkable efficiency in the laboratory by designing carefully controlled biomimetic cascade reactions inspired directly by natural biosynthetic pathways.
Deadline : 31 Aug 2026
(17) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Novel Phase Change Materials for integrated photonics
The current increase in data generation is expected to reach unsustainable rates by the end of the decade. This has a strong impact on the environment and therefore new solutions are sought after. The project work is to build the most efficient components by developing the next generation of advanced materials to achieve sustainability in AI applications.
We will enable integrated and free space photonics with advanced reprogrammable materials.
In addition, specific applications such as image recognition and lidar are more efficiently processed in the light domain. Integrated photonics have the inherent ability to support a much larger data density than electronic solutions. Advanced reprogrammable photonic materials enable neuromorphic based computation a key component to efficient artificial intelligence.
We work to create a reprogrammable photonic platform for a variety of applications from telecommunications to neuromorphic biosensing.
Deadline : 31 Aug 2026
(18) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: Large area 2D semiconductor platforms
Revolutionising the semiconductor industry with next generation 2D materials and devices.
Moore’s Law is currently being challenged with Nvidia CEO recently claiming it is over. The scaling of transistors cannot continue due to physical limitations of silicon posing a threat to the sustainable evolution of new technologies.
2D semiconductors offer the solution as they can be scaled to the molecular level and create in-memory computing components one of the key elements for neuromorphic computing the hardware that will support the next generation of artificial intelligence.
The project aims to create a revolutionary semiconductor platform using 2D materials to enable electronic, photonic and energy application while unlocking the ultimate limit in miniaturisation of semiconductors. You will benefit from state-of-the-art custom large area 2D equipment not available anywhere else and from one of the most advanced university cleanrooms in the UK.
Deadline : 31 Aug 2026
About University of Southampton, England – Official Website
The University of Southampton (abbreviated as Soton in post-nominal letters) is a public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom, and ranked in the top 100 universities in the world.
The university has seven campuses. The main campus is located in the Highfield area of Southampton and is supplemented by four other campuses within the city: Avenue Campus housing the School of Humanities, the National Oceanography Centre housing courses in Ocean and Earth Sciences, Southampton General Hospital offering courses in Medicine and Health Sciences, and Boldrewood Campus housing an engineering and maritime technology campus and Lloyd’s Register. In addition, the university operates a School of Art based in nearby Winchester and an international branch in Malaysia offering courses in Engineering. Each campus is equipped with its own library facilities. The annual income of the institution for 2021–22 was £666.8 million of which £114 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £733.7 million.
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