PhD Studentship: SEGregation of Residual eleMENTs at Austenite Grain Boundaries in Recycled Steels
Steel recycling is a vital strategy to reduce carbon emissions associated with global steel production. However, manufacturing advanced steel grades from scrap introduces higher levels of impurities, such as copper and tin, which can be detrimental to steel performance. During thermo-mechanical processes, these residual elements enrich and segregate at grain boundaries, influencing the material’s microstructural evolution and bulk mechanical properties.
This PhD research project, titled SEGMENT (SEGregation of residual eleMENTs at Austenite Grain Boundaries in Recycled Steels), aims to establish a digital route to quantify the segregation behavior of residual elements at austenite/austenite grain boundaries. The doctoral researcher will combine atomic-scale simulations with modern machine learning techniques, maintaining close integration with experimental research.
The project is supervised by Dr. Michael Auinger and hosted by HetSys (Centre for Doctoral Training in Modelling of Heterogeneous Systems) in the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick. HetSys provides an innovative, fully funded, interdisciplinary PhD program that merges science, engineering, and mathematics to solve complex real-world materials and engineering challenges.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to UK students (funding specific to UK/home applicants).
Applicants should hold or expect to obtain a strong undergraduate degree (1st Class or 2:1 honours) or Master’s degree in Materials Science, Physics, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative discipline.
Required expertise/skills
Strong interest and foundation in materials science, computational modelling, and simulation methods.
Familiarity or aptitude for atomic-scale simulations, molecular dynamics, or electronic structure calculation tools.
Interest or proficiency in data science and machine learning techniques applied to physical systems.
Analytical ability in data evaluation, quantitative reasoning, and theoretical problem-solving.
Excellent technical communication and interpersonal skills for collaborative interdisciplinary research across modeling and experimental teams.
Salary details Fully funded PhD Studentship for UK applicants, covering full University tuition fees, a research training budget, and a tax-free stipend to cover living costs (standard UKRI rate of £21,805 per annum for 2026/2027, equivalent to the national living wage).
Application Deadline 28th August 2026