16 postgraduate scholarships in green H2:
Please note there are 3 masters and 13 PhD scholarships in green hydrogen, based in NZ with German collaborators, advertised below.
Masters scholarships in green h2 storage (3)
Topics
Please see the 4 PhD descriptions below for potential Masters scholarship projects in aspects of green hydrogen storage, plus there is an additional project “Modelling of hydrogen storage materials using density functional theory”, supervised by Dr Anna Garden (anna.garden@otago.ac.nz), in which the student will investigate key materials properties relating to the uptake of hydrogen for storage applications. Applicants should indicate the area and primary supervisor they would prefer to work with in their application.
Eligibility
The applicant needs a science degree equivalent to the 4-year BSc (Honours) degree in New Zealand, with 1st class Honours, or a postgraduate Diploma in Applied Mathematics, Engineering, Physics or equivalent. Experience in the appropriate research field will be advantageous. Māori and Pasifika students are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a master’s candidate at the relevant NZ University.
Total value and tenure of the scholarship
Each master’s scholarship will include domestic tuition fees and a stipend of $15,000 p.a. (tax-free) for one year.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Professor Sally Brooker (sbrooker@chemistry.otago.ac.nz) with “Masters in hydrogen storage materials – subtopic of your choice” in the subject line.
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PhD scholarships in green hydrogen production, storage and integration (13)
Novel metallurgical production of low-cost H2 storage alloys (1 PhD scholarship)
Hydrogen will play a key role in the future zero-carbon economy, as a fuel for transport and for use in industry. However, hydrogen is a low-density gas and hence challenging to store for use ‘on-demand’. One approach is to use reversible hydrogen-storage materials such as the intermetallic alloy, Ti-Fe. This alloy absorbs hydrogen within its metal lattice at ambient temperatures, and can achieve storage densities approaching cryogenic liquid hydrogen. However, existing routes to producing Ti-Fe rely on a multi-step process that uses high purity precursor metals. As such, the cost of production is prohibitively high.
This project will explore alternative new synthetic routes to produce Ti-Fe, which can reduce production costs by employing abundant, low-cost naturally-occurring oxides as starting materials, such as titanium-bearing slags and mineral sands. The primary focus will be to pursue high-temperature metallurgical approaches to develop a proof-of-concept laboratory process suitable for scaling to industrial volumes. The student will gain familiarity with a wide range of metallurgical synthesis techniques and characterisation instruments including scanning electron microscopy (with EDS and EBSD mapping), TGA/DSC, XRD, XRF, and more. Hydrogen storage properties of sample materials produced in this work will be studied using the custom ‘Sieverts apparatus’ available at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon and the University of Otago.
Supervision and support for the project will be provided by staff at Victoria University of Wellington and University of Auckland (New Zealand), and the Institute of Hydrogen Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (Germany). The student will be enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington but will be expected to spend time at both New Zealand and German host institutions over the course of the PhD studies.
Eligibility
The applicant should hold a science degree equivalent to a 1st class 4-year New Zealand BSc(Honours) degree or MSc, in Materials Science/Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or equivalent. Previous laboratory experience in materials synthesis and characterisation will be advantageous. All students will be considered on merit, and Māori and Pacific students are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a PhD candidate at Victoria University of Wellington.
Total value and tenure of the scholarship
The PhD scholarship will include tuition fees and a stipend of $30,000 p.a. (tax-free) for three years.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Dr Chris Bumby (chris.bumby@vuw.ac.nz) and Assoc. Prof. Peng Cao (p.cao@auckland.ac.nz) with “Hydrogen storage alloys” in the subject line.
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Processing and characterisation of Ti-Fe alloys as H2 storage materials from NZ feedstocks (2 PhD scholarships)
Green hydrogen will become a pivotal vector to carry and store renewable energy in a future net-zero carbon New Zealand. Ti-Fe alloys demonstrate high hydrogen uptake at ambient conditions and are an attractive candidate material for stationary bulk hydrogen storage applications. Nevertheless, several key issues require further investigation, such as surface activation, cycle stability, impurity tolerance, and supply volume of the metallic feedstocks.
Two PhD candidates will explore the production and processing of Ti-Fe alloys from New Zealand-sourced feedstocks using metallurgical and mechanochemical methods as part of collaborative research within the German-New Zealand Green Hydrogen alliance. The alloys prepared will be characterised by a range of methods (XRD, SEM/EDS, ICP-MS, XRF, DSC), and their hydrogen storage capacity and kinetics studied using custom ‘Sieverts apparatus’. Furthermore, the presence of common impurities within the Ti-Fe alloys will be systematically studied to better understand how locally-sourced feedstocks are likely to perform as hydrogen storage materials, including the effect of surface impurities on reactivity/diffusion characteristics.
Supervision and support for the project will be provided by staff at the University of Otago and University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and the Institute of Hydrogen Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany. The students will be enrolled at the University of Otago, but it is expected that the candidates will spend time at both the New Zealand and German host institutions over the course of the PhD studies.
Eligibility
The applicant needs a degree equivalent to the 4-year BSc(Honours) degree in New Zealand, with 1st class Honours, or an MSc or Postgraduate Diploma in Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering, or equivalent. Practical experience with hydrogen materials, metallurgy, mechanochemistry and/or the characterisation techniques listed above will be advantageous. Māori and Pasifika students are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Otago.
Total value and tenure of scholarship
Each PhD scholarship will include tuition fees and a stipend of $30,000 p.a. (tax-free) for three years.
How to apply
To apply, please send your full CV, including academic record, research experience, and the names and contact details of two referees, to: Associate Professor Nigel Lucas (nigel.lucas@otago.ac.nz) and Associate Professor Alex Yip (alex.yip@canterbury.ac.nz) with “Hydrogen storage materials PhD” in the subject line.
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NZ National Energy System Modelling – Role of Hydrogen (1 PhD scholarship)
To meet Net-Zero carbon targets requires a fundamental change in New Zealand’s energy system. National energy system models that include all types of energy demand and supply enable us to explore scenarios to Net Zero that encompass the scale of the changes required and include interactions across sectors, e.g. Transport and Electricity.
UniSyD is an economic model of New Zealand’s energy system coded in STELLA software and based on process flows. It has been used for a variety of New Zealand applications and adapted to several other countries, including Japan and Iceland.
This Ph.D. project will use UniSyD to explore some important questions for the New Zealand energy system, including
- The optimum role of hydrogen in the NZ energy system, including storage options
- The optimum role of biomass in the NZ energy system
- The optimum evolution of hydrogen infrastructure
Supervision and support for the project will be provided by staff at the University of Otago and Unitec in New Zealand and the Institute of Hydrogen Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany. The student will be enrolled at the University of Otago, but it is expected that the candidate will spend time at both the New Zealand and German host institutions over the course of the PhD studies.
Eligibility
The applicant needs a science degree equivalent to the 4-year BSc (Honours) degree in New Zealand, with 1st class Honours, or an MSc or postgraduate Diploma in Applied Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, or equivalent. Experience with process modelling using Matlab Simulink, Stella or Vensim will be advantageous. Māori and Pasifika students are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a PhD candidate at University of Otago.
Total value and tenure of the scholarship
The PhD scholarship will include tuition fees and a stipend of $30,000 p.a. for 3 years.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Associate Professor Michael Jack (michael.jack@otago.ac.nz) and Associate Professor Jonathan Lever (jleaver@unitec.ac.nz) with “National Energy System Modelling” in the subject line.
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Design, Synthesis and Advanced Characterisation of Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolysers
This programme aims to develop above state-of-the-art anode materials for the anion exchange membrane electrolyser (AEMEL) technology using low-cost and abundant materials. Currently, the anode overpotential makes up the majority part of the inefficiencies of an AEMEL system. By developing more efficient anode materials a significant increase in the efficiency of hydrogen production using AEMEL technology is possible. This in turn will help accelerate the formation of a green hydrogen economy and thus support the Governmental climate change goals in Germany and New Zealand.
This programme has 3 PhD projects available. These include:
Project 1: In-situ characterisation of anode materials operating under oxygen evolution conditions.
This project will include:
- Developing synchrotron based x-ray methods (x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction) to characterise anodes during oxygen evolution
- In-situ Raman spectroscopy of anodes during oxygen evolution
- Voltametric and impedance analysis of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution electrodes
Project 1 is based at University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ, under the supervision of Professor Aaron Marshall.
Project 2: Tomographic analysis of gas evolving electrodes.
This project will include:
- Use of synchrotron x-ray tomography on porous and gas evolving electrodes
- Use of MRI for characterising porous and gas evolving electrodes
- Understanding of role of porous structures during gas evolution
Project 2 is based at University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ, under the supervision of Professors Daniel Holland and Aaron Marshall.
Project 3: Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy of gas evolving electrodes.
This project will include:
- Use of Scanning Electrochemical Cell Microscopy of novel electrocatalytic electrodes
- Mapping electrocatalytic activity at sub-micron scales
- Apply scanning probe methods to characterise electrocatalytic composites
Project 3 is based at Victoria University of Wellington, Wellingtin, NZ, under the supervision of Dr Kim McKelvey
Eligibility
Applicants should have a background in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Physics. Some experience, skill and interest in electrochemistry or electrochemical engineering would be beneficial but is not essential. Experience in standard materials characterisation methods (XRD, XPS would also be helpful. Ability to draft reports, and finish things off in a timely fashion, are also important, as is proven ability to work well in a team. A wide range of skills will be developed during the course of this project. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a PhD candidate at University of Canterbury or Victoria University of Wellington
Total value and tenure of scholarship
NZD$30,000 per annum (not taxed), plus all student fees for three (3) years.
How to apply
To apply, please send a CV, academic record, and the names and contact details of two referees to: Professor Aaron Marshall, aaron.marshall@canterbury.ac.nz with “Electrocatalysis in AEMEL” in the subject line.
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Green Hydrogen Integration (6 PhD scholarships)
The University of Canterbury and University of Auckland aim to quantify the opportunities for green hydrogen integration in Aotearoa New Zealand’s (NZ) energy system to help achieve the national net zero-carbon goals. Our main hypothesis is that green hydrogen has a role to play in zero-carbon energy systems, but this role remains largely unquantified. Furthermore, the role of green hydrogen needs to be contextualized within the wider energy system to study its cost-competitiveness against competing technologies. Here, energy system analysis can help.
We will develop NZ’s most comprehensive integrated energy system model (with a high temporal and spatial resolution), including electricity, heat, and transport demands at the urban, suburban, and national scale. Specifically, we will use optimization-based simulation to quantify the role of hydrogen, supported by machine learning subroutines. Besides studying cost-competitiveness and business cases, our contribution will also evaluate environmental preferences and energy equity.
These research questions will be explored in a partnership with one of the leading energy modeling groups in Europe: the German Aerospace Center (DLR). All we are missing is you!
Topics
Our PhD topics revolve around energy system analysis. Most positions are based at the University of Canterbury, with the exception of PhD4, which is at the University of Auckland.
- PhD0-1: Planning the energy transition for Aotearoa New Zealand and Pacific Islands.
- PhD2: Machine-learning based assessment of hydrogen use case(s) in cities and industries in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- PhD3: Quantification of hydrogen uses for urban and long-distance land, water, and air transport.
- PhD4: Assessment of uncertainty of integrated hydrogen energy systems (University of Auckland).
- PhD5: Environmental co-benefits and impacts of future hydrogen energy systems.
All positions require system analysis, an understanding of energy technologies and systems, and basic programming skills (like Python and GAMS). PhD0 and PhD1are based on optimization models, PhD2 and PhD3 on GIS and machine learning, PhD4 on mathematical optimization and uncertainty quantification, and PhD5 on life-cycle assessment.
Eligibility
Applicants need a science degree, equivalent to the 4-year BSc (Honours) degree in New Zealand with 1st class Honours, or an MSc or postgraduate Diploma. The degrees can be in (but are not limited to) the following fields: renewable energy, engineering, applied mathematics, physics, or studies with a focus on modeling, systems analysis, energy, or equivalent.
Experience with modeling and coding, like Python, Matlab, or GAMS will be advantageous. Māori and Pasifika students are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should satisfy the requirements for admission as a PhD candidate at University of Auckland (PhD4) or University of Canterbury (all other PhD positions).
Total value and tenure of the scholarship
The PhD scholarship will include tuition fees and a stipend of NZD$30,000 p.a. (tax-free) for 3 years.
Furthermore, we offer funding to attend local conferences, and, for outstanding work, for international conferences and a research stay with our German partners.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV, academic record, the names and contact details of two referees, and a short motivation letter (max. 1 page) to jannik.haas@canterbury.ac.nz (all PhDs but PhD4) and to a.philpott@auckland.ac.nz for PhD4 with “New Zealand-German Platform for Green Hydrogen Integration” in the subject line.
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