Closing date: 24th February 2025

Key Information

Funding provider: EPSRC 

Subject areas: Material Science and Mechanical Engineering, Functional Material Printing, Sustainable Energy Generation 

Project start date: 1 October 2025 (Enrolment open from mid-September) 

Supervisors: Dr Sarah-Jane Potts (Primary) and Dr Eifion Jewell 

Aligned programme of study:PhD in Mechanical Engineering 

Mode of study:Full-time  

Project description: 
New generations of wearable devices are enabling personalised healthcare and the early identification and prevention of diseases, all without leaving the home. These comfortable and convenient devices can chart a person’s wellness or progress electronically, with multiple new opportunities being explored. To meet these demands, innovative renewable energy solutions can provide reliable and continuous power to these devices, without the inconvenience of frequent recharging. Current energy sources, like rechargeable batteries, fall short due to their discomfort and impracticality for cutting-edge wearables such as smart clothing, e-textiles, and electronic skin patches. 

Your role will be to develop lightweight and conformable wearable energy solutions, that are safe to wear in contact with skin. These will enable energy generated from the body to be harnessed, employing technologies such as biofuel cells, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, and electromagnetic generators. Scalable, additive manufacturing methods will be employed to develop potential designs, substrates and functional materials. This will employ device manufacture, device characterisation and material characterisation techniques available at Swansea University Bay Campus to prototype these devices and assess their potential. This project will also develop circular economy approaches for the retention of critical raw materials (CRMs) in lifecycles of additively manufactured electronics for wearable energy generation applications. This will involve the utilisation of reclaimed materials in manufacturing, minimizing the environmental impact of the manufacturing processes, and optimising end-of-life strategies, to create more sustainable energy-generating devices.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for the emerging field of wearable technologies and sustainable energy, aiming to develop new wearable energy generation solutions through additive manufacturing. They should have a background in mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, or a related field, and be willing to collaborate with and explore other disciplines, including chemistry, physics and medicine. The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities at Swansea University’s Bay Campus, including laboratories in SPECIFIC IKC and the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC). They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with leading experts, including Dr Sarah-Jane Potts and Dr Eifion Jewell, with decades of experience in printing and coating technologies, and sustainable energy design and development. 

Eligibility

Candidates must hold a UK Bachelor's degree with a minimum of Upper Second Class honours in Engineering or a similar relevant science discipline or overseas Bachelor's degree deemed equivalent to UK Bachelor's (by UK ECCTIS) and achieved a grade equivalent to UK Upper Second Class honours in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline – see country-specific qualifications

IELTS 6.5 overall (with at least 5.5 in each individual component) or a Swansea-recognised equivalent. Details on the Swansea University English Language entry policy can be found here.

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website. 

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process, successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with scholarship course offer. 

Funding

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £19,237 for 2024/25). 

Additional research expenses of up to £1,000 per year will also be available.

Scholarships are open to UK and international fee-eligible students.

EPSRC studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students, once the limit has been reached, we are unable to make offers to international students.    
We are still accepting applications from international applicants.     
International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rates. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.   

How to Apply

To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:

  1. Course choice Mechanical  Engineering / PhD / Full-time / 3 Years / October
  2. Start year – please select 2025
  3. Funding (page 8 on the application process)
  4. ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
  5. ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter ‘RS769 - CORE’

If you have already applied for the above programme previously, the application system may issue a warning notice and prevent application, in this case, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

One application is required per individual Swansea University-led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University-led research scholarship awards.

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.  

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form (online form) 

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email): 

  • CV 
  • Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient) 
  • A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project. 
  • One reference (academic or previous employer) on the headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference. 
  • Evidence of meeting English Language requirements (if applicable). 
  • Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable) 
  • Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Sarah Jane Potts - Sarah-Jane.Potts@Swansea.ac.uk  

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co-funding of a scholarship project is applicable.