| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/L015862/1 |
| Title: |
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science |
| Principal Investigator: |
Parkin, Professor IP |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
UCL |
| Scheme: |
Centre for Doctoral Training |
| Starts: |
01 April 2014 |
Ends: |
31 March 2024 |
Value (£): |
3,865,271
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Characterisation |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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23 Oct 2013
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EPSRC CDT 2013 Interviews Panel O
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
The Centre for Doctoral Training in "Molecular Modelling and Materials Science" (M3S CDT) at University College London (UCL) will deliver to its students a comprehensive and integrated training programme in computational and experimental
materials science to produce skilled researchers with experience and appreciation of industrially important applications. As structural and physico-chemical processes at the molecular level largely determine the macroscopic properties of any material, quantitative research into this nano-scale behaviour is crucially important to the design and engineering of complex functional materials.
The M3S CDT offers a highly multi-disciplinary 4-year doctoral programme, which works in partnership with a large base of industrial and external sponsors on a variety of projects. The four main research themes within the Centre are 1) Energy Materials; 2) Catalysis; 3) Healthcare Materials; and 4) 'Smart' Nano-Materials, which will be underpinned by an extensive training and research programme in (i) Software Development together with the Hartree Centre, Daresbury, and (ii) Materials Characterisation techniques, employing Central Facilities in partnership with ISIS and Diamond.
Students at the M3S CDT follow a tailor-made taught programme of specialist technical courses, professionally accredited project management courses and generic skills training, which ensures that whatever their first degree, on completion all students will have obtained thorough technical schooling, training in innovation and entrepreneurship and managerial and transferable skills, as well as a challenging doctoral research degree. Spending >50% of their time on site with external sponsors, the students gain first-hand experience of the demanding research environment of a competitive industry or (inter)national lab.
The global and national importance of an integrated computational and experimental approach to the Materials Sciences, as promoted by our Centre, has been highlighted in a number of policy documents, including the US Materials Genome Initiative and European Science Foundation's Materials Science and Engineering Expert Committee position paper on Computational Techniques, Methods and Materials Design. Materials Science research in the UK plays a key role within all of the 8 Future Technologies, identified by Science Minister David Willetts to help the UK acquire long-term sustainable economic growth.
Materials research in UCL is particularly well developed, with a thriving Centre for Materials Research, a Materials Chemistry Centre and a new Centre for Materials Discovery (2013) with a remit to build close research links with the
Catalysis Technology Hub at the Harwell Research Complex and the prestigious Francis Crick Institute for biomedical research (opening in 2015). The M3S will work closely with these centres and its academic and industrial supervisors are
already heavily involved with and/or located at the Harwell Research Complex, whereas a number of recent joint appointments with the Francis Crick Institute will boost the M3S's already strong link with biomedicine. Moreover, UCL
has perhaps the largest concentration of computational materials scientists in the UK, if not the world, who interact through the London-wide Thomas Young Centre for the Theory and Simulation of Materials. As such, UCL has a large team of well over 100 research-active academic staff available to supervise research projects, ensuring that all external partners can team up with an academic in a relevant research field to form a supervisory team to work with the Centre students.
The success of the existing M3S CDT and the obvious potential to widen its research remit and industrial partnerships into topical new materials science areas, which lie at the heart of EPSRC's strategic funding priorities and address national
skills gaps, has led to this proposal for the funding of 5 annual student cohorts in the new phase of the Centre.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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