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We’re excited to share details of new PhD opportunities in Condensed Matter Physics (CMP) at Durham! CMP is one of the largest, most diverse and dynamic fields in modern physics, encompassing all aspects of the solid and liquid states of matter. This breadth is reflected in the research undertaken at Durham which spans a wide range of themes across quantum materials and soft matter. See below or search “condensed matter physics durham” on findaphd.com, for more details. 

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Types of Funding available

Applications are invited for our Ph.D opportunities. The demands of materials physics require that we can only accept students of the highest calibre; applicants usually have, or expect to gain, a first class degree in Physics, Mathematics, Natural Sciences or other appropriate subject. They are then provided with an excellent generic training in science. Doctoral graduates from Durham are highly sought after. In addition to many of our students taking first-class academic/research positions around the world, many others have secured careers for example in scientific management, patent law, industrial research, consultancy and scientific advisory positions for institutions and governments.

Our post-graduate degree courses normally start in October, but it is possible to begin at any time.

We have recently updated the Ph.D. projects that are available for prospective students for 2027 intake.

Fully Funded Studentships

Ph.D. Studentships: Superconductivity

Fully funded 3.5 or 4 year Ph.D. studentships are available with flexible start dates. For details see:

https://fusion-cdt.ac.uk/about/research-areas/

For information, please contact Prof Damian Hampshire: d.p.hampshire@durham.ac.uk

Distinguishing orbital and spin-currents using polarised neutron reflectivity

Spin and orbital angular-momentum currents, in place of electric charge, present a pathway to new energy-efficient electronics. Development has concentrated on spin currents, but ‘spintronics’ often requires expensive precious metals. In contrast, the more recent use of orbital angular moment, orbitronics, has the key advantage that orbital currents can be efficiently generated in cheap, abundant, materials. A major challenge is that experiments so-far have been unable to unambiguously distinguish novel effects due to orbital currents from those due to the more established spin-currents. In this project we will develop device-level measurements; sample environment, data acquisition, and analysis, which will enable the student to use neutron reflectivity measurements to distinguish, for the first time, current-driven orbital and spin torques on magnetization using thin-film devices that they have designed and manufactured.

This project is fully funded for a UK student for 4 years, and is jointly supported by ISIS neutron source and Durham University. During the PhD the student will spend 1 year based at ISIS neutron source, Oxfordshire, working on developing sample environment and data acquisition, in addition to analysis techniques. The project suits a student interested in nanoscale magnetism, instrumentation & measurement electronics – both laboratory and facilities-based – and scientific programming; background in these areas is helpful but not necessary.

For more information, please contact Dr Aidan Hindmarch: a.t.hindmarch@durham.ac.uk

Competitive Funding Projects

Typically, two or three of the following projects will be funded per year from a variety of sources, such as SCOPE, and will be allocated on a competitive basis after candidates are shortlisted. 

These projects also serve as a list of topics that are available to students that might have external funding available to them.

Novel two-dimensional magnetic oxide system

Correlated electron phenomena in solids are a major theme of physics in the 21st century. They have the potential to change our understanding of fundamental physics phenomena, to impact the technology significantly, and to provide new solutions to energy problems. Kroemer stated at the beginning of his Nobel lecture, “Often, it may be said that the interface is the device”. Novel phenomena and functionalities at artificial hetero-interfaces have been attracting extensive scientific attention in both material science and fundamental condensed matter physics for decades. Recently, a lot of studies suggest that complex oxide interfaces provide an even more powerful route to create and manipulate multiple degrees of freedom and suggest new possibilities for various applications. In this project, we will play a new twist to the traditional hetero-interface – inserting a monolayer of transition metal oxide to be sandwiched at the hetero-interfaces, which can exhibit even more intriguing phenomena and properties. Since the monolayer is a physically defined 2-D layer of atoms, differing from an interface region at the border of two layers, the sandwiched monolayer has its own intrinsic properties, which adds additional degrees of freedom and functionality to the system. The materials employed to sandwich the monolayer can be engineered to create certain electronic/magnetic/strain environments to the monolayer in between, which in turn can affect or induce new properties or novel functionalities to the monolayer.

In this project, we aim at designing and investigating the emergent novel physics phenomena and properties at a monolayer of transition metal oxide (e.g. MnO2, NiO2, CoO2, etc.) sandwiched in various perovskite and brownmillerite complex oxide heterostructures (e.g. SrTiO3, LaAlO3, SrCoO3-x, SrFeO3-x, etc.). Laser-molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition will be employed to grow and construct the oxide heterostructures. We will study the topography and possible ferroelectric properties of the heterostructures with scanning probe microscopy-based techniques. To directly and specifically investigate the electronic and magnetic structure of the sandwiched monolayer, we will carry out our synchrotron soft x-ray absorption-based spectroscopy and microscopy techniques in multiple synchrotron facilities all around the world.

For information, please contact Dr. Qing (Helen) He: qing.he@durham.ac.uk

PhD Studentship in Soft Matter and Biological Physics

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in theoretical and computational soft matter and biological physics to work with Prof. Suzanne Fielding in the Department of Physics at Durham University.

Depending on the interests of the applicant, the project could be mainly computational or could combine numerics with analytical work.

Its overall aims will be to understand the deformation and flow behaviour of so-called yield stress materials, which keep their shape like solids at low loads, yet flow like a liquid at larger loads. One possible focus could be on the dynamical process whereby a material in an initially solid-like state firsts yields and starts to flow, and in particular on the statistical physics of how initially sparse plastic events in an otherwise elastic background then spatio-temporally cooperate to result in an emergent macroscopic flow.

Besides the immediate applications of this work to soft matter physics, and potentially also to the fracture mechanics of hard materials, yielding also governs geological processes such as landslides, avalanches and lava flows. It also determines the reshaping of biological tissue under the internal stresses caused by cell division, including during embryo development or tumour growth. Depending on the interests of the candidate, the project could develop a more specific focus on any of these particular areas of research.

The research will draw on concepts of statistical physics, nonlinear dynamical systems theory, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics and related fields.

For more information, please contact Prof Suzanne Fielding (suzanne.fielding@durham.ac.uk).

Suzanne Fielding's webpage.

Measurement of single molecule vibrational modes

We have built a brand new Extraordinary Acoustic Raman Spectroscopy (EARS) experiment (believed to be the first in the UK and Europe). The method uses a bichromatic laser set up to allow single protein molecules to be optically trapped by a gold nanostructure and exposed to the GHz frequencies that will activate their global vibrational modes.

The beat frequency is swept over the GHz range to obtain a spectrum. Trapping events and binding or unfolding are detected in the Brownian fluctuations of the transmitted light. Removing the absorption of bulk water has a profound affect in enhancing the spectral precision as seen by a comparison of dielectric spectroscopy in this region and the EARS spectrum.

This project will use the precision laser technique to investigate how proteins interact with the water that surrounds them and how that interaction is modified by the presence of various biologically relevant ions in solution. The project will further aim to observe the vital functions of protein molecules including signally and self-assembly, and to understand the role of GHz vibrations in those functions. The project will involve collecting a range of spectra of proteins previously studied using other techniques in order to provide information for the development of more accurate elastic network models. These ENM models are used in a wide variety of applications including the prediction of binding affinities for drug discover pipelines and the search for novel protein conformations useful in the treatment of disease.

For more information, please contact Prof Beth Bromley (e.h.c.bromley@durham.ac.uk).

Understanding and Controlling Spin Current Transport for Spintronics Applications

Spintronics is a critical technology for magnetic information storage including the hard-disk drive, that underpins cloud computing, and magnetic random access memory, MRAM, that has wider electronic memory applications. Spintronics describes the broad range of physics interactions between the spin component of electronic currents and the magnetization in multilayered thin-film systems. This experimental project aims to investigate the physics needed to effectively control spin current transport for the development of more energy efficient applications in spintronics. One aim is to combine metallic and semiconducting thin films.

For more information, please contact Professor Del Atkinson: del.atkinson@durham.ac.uk

Probing dynamics with implanted muons: a new paradigm

Muon spectroscopy is a mainstream technique providing decisive results in quantum magnetism, unconventional superconductivity, materials science and chemical reactions. The technique involves the implantation of spin-polarized muons into a sample, and the subsequent observation of the dephasing of this polarization. The most significant growth area in the use of muon spectroscopy is the investigation of dynamics. The data analysis for these diverse experiments is remarkably similar, but relies on an outdated methodology, founded in the 1960s. With the recent rise of computational-physics approaches to muon-data analysis, the opportunity now exists to develop a modern means of treating these data, free from the gross approximations inherent in the old methods and allowing a detailed insight into the underlying physics. Here we propose to develop and deploy a new paradigm in the analysis of dynamic muon measurements via an interdisciplinary PhD project. Our strategy is to couple muon-site computations with simulation of transport processes. Together, these will provide a realistic description of the time-dependent change in muon environment that will enable us to compute the dynamic effect on the muon-spin ensemble. 

For more information, please contact Prof Tom Lancaster: tom.lancaster@durham.ac.uk

Theory and Simulation of Ferroic Materials

Symmetry breaking in materials often produces emergent physical behaviour. Common examples include time-reversal symmetry breaking in (ferro)magnetics and spatial-inversion symmetry breaking in ferroelectrics, but there exists a plethora of other types. ABX₃ perovskites are sometimes used as a prototypical example material in this regard, since they can undergo various types of electronic, atomic and spin orderings that break symmetry in different ways and induce new types of properties, often with potential for technological applications such as in memory elements or energy storage. This project will study these types of materials using a variety of computational and theoretical tools, including density functional theory (DFT). Several projects are available within this theme, including:

• Anti-ferroelectrics (AFEs): Due to the shape of their double hysteresis loop, AFEs have potential for energy storage but they are relatively rare and understudied. This project aims to provide new fundamental perspectives towards the design of new AFEs with enhanced properties.
• Dynamics and excitations of ferroics: This project will build “second principles” based atomic potentials, by machine-learning DFT, in order to study phase transitions, thermal properties (such as negative thermal expansion), and topological objects (e.g. domain walls, vortices and skyrmions) in ferroics.
• Complex oxide interfaces: Interfaces between or within materials can induce emergent phenomena not observed in the bulk, such as 2DEGs, hidden magnetic order, multiferroic behaviour, electric-field reversal of exchange bias, to name a few.
• Exotic ferroelectrics: Typical (proper) ferroelectrics host a wide range of potential applications. This project aims to reveal new atypical types, such as relaxor, improper, triggered and hyper- ferroelectrics, which can display unusual properties potentially relevant for novel future technologies.

For more information, please contact Dr Nick Bristowe: nicholas.bristowe@durham.ac.uk

Advancing Electronic Structure Methods for Next-Generation Materials and Technologies

This PhD project focuses on the development and application of advanced electronic structure methods aimed at discovering and optimizing materials for future semiconductor, magnetic, and high-pressure technologies. The research will combine theoretical innovation and high-performance computing to address critical challenges in material science, offering opportunities for both scientific breakthroughs and real-world technological impact. This project is ideal for candidates interested in computational physics, materials science, and contributing to future device innovations. The successful candidate will gain comprehensive training in computational physics, high-performance computing, and materials science, with the potential for high-impact research outcomes in fields like energy technologies and spintronics.

For more information, please contact Prof Stewart Clark: s.j.clark@durham.ac.uk

Electronic structure of energy materials

Electronic structure is fundamental to the development of new energy materials, as well as optimising existing technologies. X-ray Compton scattering is a widely used method to measure the electronic structure of solids. We have recently shown that Compton scattering measurements can be performed at nanometre spatial resolution using high energy electron beams in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). This enables exploration of some fundamental electronic structure phenomena in energy materials, such as band gap grading, quantum confinement effects and electronic properties of interfaces and grain boundaries. In this project you will use electron Compton scattering to investigate the nano-scale electronic structure of a range of different photovoltaic and light emitting diode materials. Electronic structure results will be complemented with the local chemistry and structure of the material, also measured in the TEM. You will also perform CASTEP density functional theory (DFT) simulations to compare experiment with theory. There is scope to extend the work to other energy materials, such as batteries. The project is ideal for a student with a background in physics, chemistry or materials science, and who has an interest in the fundamental aspects of energy materials.

For more information, please contact Prof Budhika Mendis: b.g.mendis@durham.ac.uk

Building a new laser spectroscopic technique to quantitatively measure and understand light generation from dark forbidden excited states

For more information, please contact Prof Andrew Monkman: a.p.monkman@durham.ac.uk

A Unified Approach to Electronic Structure: Fusing Density Functional and Wavefunction Theories

In recent years, electronic structure calculations have become essential across fields like physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, and nanotechnology, filling roles that were hard to imagine two decades ago. This shift stems from the development of density functional theory (DFT) over the last fifty years, coupled with advancements in computational software and hardware. The significance of DFT in electronic structure theory was highlighted when the 1998 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was shared between W. Kohn for his work on DFT and J. Pople for his contributions to computational quantum chemistry. This shared prize reflected the importance of combining DFT and wavefunction theory (WFT) to overcome each theory’s limitations—DFT’s approximation constraints and WFT’s scalability challenges.

To address these issues and meet the demand for precise electronic structure predictions for complex systems, integrating DFT and WFT could provide new insights. Yet, integrating DFT and WFT remains challenging due to their differing philosophies. Current methods, such as DFT-based perturbation theory (DFTPT), reveal instabilities in energy calculations, often resulting in unphysically low values.

A recent approach suggests a natural integration by constructing a WFT-based method that directly aligns with DFT’s Kohn-Sham (KS) system, without additional constraints on the density. This novel approach shifts the goal of electronic structure calculations from minimizing total energy to minimizing a specific positive energy difference, which directly yields the KS potential. Minimizing the energy difference effectively identifies the best zero-order Hamiltonian with a weak remainder, enhancing calculation stability.

Using this framework an optimally converging expansion of the KS potential has been constructed. It has also been shown that this expansion solves the severe problem of variational collapse of the total energy based on second order many-body-perturbation theory.

This project aims to implement this new exchange-correlation functional. Initially, it will focus on atoms and molecules with localized basis sets, with a potential to expand to solid-state systems using plane-wave basis sets, adaptable to the PhD student's interests.

For more information, please contact Dr Nikitas Gidopoulos: nikitas.gidopoulos@durham.ac.uk

Nano materials for green and sustainable electrochemical energy storage

Increasing use of renewable energy sources coupled with fluctuations in demand creates a pressing need for efficient, low-cost, energy storage technologies. Supercapacitors are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems, their higher power density and better cycle life than batteries making them ideal for rapid energy storage and deployment. However, their adoption is hampered by low energy density, particularly in devices using aqueous (water-based) electrolytes. In this project a novel approach for the deposition of nano materials (such as graphene, MoS2 etc.) will be combined with strategies to improve power density through electrolyte formulation to produce high-performance supercapacitors based on nanostructured materials.

For more information, please contact Dr Michael Hunt: m.r.c.hunt@durham.ac.uk

PhD in Bioelectricity

Bioelectricity—the active maintenance of charge differences across cell membranes—is a universal property of life, regulating key cellular processes such as proliferation, orientation, and migration, and shaping development, wound healing, and diseases like cancer. Understanding how cells sense and respond to electrical signals holds transformative potential for biophysics, engineering, and medicine. A major open question is how electrical signals are converted into cellular responses. This PhD project explores membrane mechanics as a fundamental transducer of bioelectric signals, testing the hypothesis that changes in transmembrane potential alter membrane physical properties and thereby control peripheral protein binding. The student will develop experimental platforms to apply controlled electrical potentials across lipid membranes and use advanced optical imaging to quantify changes in lipid and protein organization. Depending on the student’s interests, the project can be extended to include spectroscopy and AFM to probe molecular-level membrane changes and inform electro-mechanical models. Alternatively, the student can work with our biological collaborators to study how the physical mechanisms uncovered by our experiments manifest in bacteria and mammalian cells.

For more information, please contact Dr Margarita Staykova: margarita.staykova@durham.ac.uk

Rare-Earth-Free Organic and Supramolecular Semiconductors for Next-Generation Optoelectronics

Join an interdisciplinary PhD project developing rare-earth-free organic and supramolecular semiconductors for next-generation OLEDs and sustainable optoelectronics. You will use advanced optical spectroscopy and computational approaches to investigate excited-state dynamics, energy and charge transfer, and luminescence in innovative molecular materials and thin films. The project focus on the photophysical characterisation of newly developed heteroatom-doped molecular graphenoids, with programmable supramolecular interactions, aiming to uncover structure–property relationships and overcome key challenges in achieving efficient, fast and stable organic light emission, particularly across the visible spectrum. Working alongside researchers in molecular synthesis, modelling and device fabrication, you will connect fundamental photophysics and spectroscopy with practical device performance. The research offers excellent interdisciplinary training at the interface of chemistry, physics, materials science and optoelectronics, with the potential to contribute to more sustainable and strategically secure next-generation display and lighting technologies.

For more information, please contact Prof Fernando Dias f.m.b.dias@durham.ac.uk

The design, synthesis and investigation of functional materials; structure – composition - property relationships

Our group designs and synthesises new functional materials. We are particularly interested in non-centrosymmetric materials with properties including ferroelectricity (and related antiferroelectrics), chirality as well as magnetic order. We study the crystal structures of these new materials and measure their physical properties to help us understand structure – composition – property relationships in these often complex materials.

Advanced materials for next-generation spintronics