3D Thermal Metamaterials for Thermoelectrics & Heat Management, PhD in Physics (Fully-Funded) Ref: 5823

Supervisors

Dr Steven Hepplestone, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter

Dr David Horsell, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter

This is a fully funded PhD Studentship which includes payment of Home (UK student) tuition fees, a training budget, and a personal tax-free stipend of at least £21,805 per year for 3.5 years (42 months) full-time. Starting no later than October 2026.

At the University of Exeter, we’re looking for people who have a passion for science, with ambition to apply their own ideas, perspectives, and their personal skillset – within a welcoming, flexible and inclusive environment – to the discovery and development of new metamaterials, and to be part of the team that helps drive these innovations towards commercial success across a range of sectors.

What You Will Get from this PhD Studentship

·       A fully funded PhD studentship to grow your experience of research and professional life in and around the Physical Sciences.

·       A collaborative, supportive and inclusive team environment where your work and study is seen and has meaning, with the potential to create real-world impact and change lives.

·       Personally tailored training opportunities and the chance to learn and utilise resources from a deep pool of connections in academia, industry, policy, and government, to develop your career alongside the fundamental science.

What You Will Do in this Project

Project Overview

This will be a theoretical and computational project. It is an opportunity to work at the forefront of thermal metamaterials – at the crossover between quantum, advanced materials, and thermodynamics – to understand how intricate nanoscale geometry and structure influences thermal transport in electronic devices and electrical power systems. All computational resources required to undertake the project will be provided by the University of Exeter.

Research Proposal

In this project you will use theoretical and computational techniques to understand how intricate nanoscale geometry and structure influences thermal transport.  This understanding is critical to the development of a range of technologies (e.g. thermoelectrics, heat sinks and thermal diodes) and to better heat management, all key to environmental sustainability [1].  The ability to control and manage heat allows for longer lived devices, and through thermoelectrics, the ability to generate clean energy from waste heat.

You will attempt to demonstrate that 3D nanostructured hierarchal lattices – made using a combination of metal with polymer – allow for controlled thermal transport and can be produced for non-equilibrium thermodynamics. You will use a variety of methodologies, from first principles calculations (density functional perturbation theory), molecular dynamics and finite difference, with deep AI optimisation to produce hierarchal 3D lattice structures which will then be fabricated and characterised by partners at Cardiff University.

Background to the Project

Recent developments have shown that careful patterning and design can result in thermal metamaterials [1] capable of providing thermal focusing, cloaking and other effects. To exploit such systems, one has to work within the diffusion range of the heat carriers, which is of the order of 50-200 nm depending on the material. The focus of such research, however, has remained in the periodic steady state regime. To fully understand how thermal transport can be manipulated using unique sub-200 nm patterned structures, a concerted theoretical and experimental exploration is required of the temporal aperiodic domain. 

Exploiting concepts from photonics and phononics, such as the frozen photon [2], with highly contrasting materials and hierarchical structures (aperiodic structures) provides a unique opportunity to control heat carriers. Such structures have recently shown drastic reductions in the thermal conductivity. For key materials, such as Si [3], the reduction from 40 to 3.6 W/m/K occurs without significant deterioration of the electronic properties. 

Other examples showing a decrease include patterned SiBi_2-XSb_XTe₃ [4]_, inverse opals [5], colloidal crystals [6] and even carbon nanotubes. The latter show substantial reductions in thermal conductivity from >4000 W/m/K to 5 W/m/K [7]. SPH [8] has shown thermal scattering at interfaces reduces thermal transport, but the impact of the geometry and other factors has not been determined. 

1: W. Li et al. Nature Comms. 15, 5527 (2024).

2. K. Tsakmakidis, et al. Nature 450, 397–401 (2007).

3. Y. Nakamura, Sci. Tech. Adv. Mat. 19, 31 (2017);

4. S. Hong et al, J. Mat. Chem. C 5 8974 (2017);

5. J. Ma et al. Nano. Lett. 13, 618 (2013);

6. N. Vogel et al. Chem. Rev. 115, 6265 (2015);

7. Kumanek et al. J. Mat. Sci. 54, 7397 (2019);

8. S. P. Hepplestone & G. P. Srivastava, Phys. Rev. B, 74, 165420 (2006)

The Environment Where You Will Work

If your application for this PhD Scholarship is successful, you will join the Hepplestone Research Group in the University of Exeter Department of Physics & Astronomy. Moreover, you will be a member of the Exeter Centre for Metamaterials Research & Innovation (CMRI) and a key part of the multi-institution MetaHUB team – a £20 million investment exploring 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials for a Sustainable Future.

You will work collaboratively, sharing your knowledge and skills with – and learning from – the wider MetaHUB research team and our national partners. It will be possible for you to engage with other projects and activities to expand your experience and help deliver multiple joint outcomes.

Your work in this fully funded PhD project will contribute towards one of MetaHUB’s goals: to develop cleaner, more sustainable approaches to energy generation for the UK and beyond.

Exeter Are Keen to Welcome Applications from the Widest Range of Qualified Applicants.

With our new Metamaterials initiative, we are committed to addressing a range of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) challenges faced by the Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences (EMPS) community. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, and wish to particularly encourage applications from women, from Black and Minority Ethnic candidates, from disabled people, and from people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are all underrepresented at this level. We are committed to nurturing teams that comprise people who have the widest range of personal experiences and backgrounds, making MetaHUB a launchpad to strengthen the research and development sectors that we feed into. Together, we tackle a range of challenges affecting all society, in a manner that draws on diverse perspectives from across our society.

MetaHUB is working alongside the EDI Hub+ to be a beacon for EDIA in the EMPS community, and we expect the whole MetaHUB team to actively demonstrate a meaningful commitment to EDIA at all times.

You can find out about the Hepplestone Research Group here, its character, ethos, and who’s in the team currently.  The group are housed in the Physics Building, with multi-occupancy offices or solo study spaces available for PhD students. The building is equipped with lifts to all floors, has a locked refrigerator reserved for the safe storage of expressed milk to support nursing parents, and has step-free access to a multi-use private quiet space in the neighbouring building. The University of Exeter's Streatham Campus houses a multi-faith centre, with prayer rooms and ablution spaces.

Exeter Physics & Astronomy is an inclusive community, with existing peer support networks for women, LGBTQ+, and ethnic minority staff and students who call the department home. The departmental EDI Committee also work closely with University-wide staff and student networks and they organise bi-weekly departmental "EDI Lunch & Learn" seminars to build intersectional allyship through the increased awareness of EDI issues, initiatives and interventions.

Entry requirements

If you are applying for this studentship, you must have obtained, or be about to obtain (graduated before August 2026), a First (1:1) or Upper Second-Class (2:1) UK Honours degree (e.g. BSc, MSc, MPhys, etc.), or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in a relevant area of Physical Science, Materials Science, or  Engineering.

You should be able to demonstrate some computational capabilities (e.g. evidencing a 2:1 or higher in relevant computational modules, or through examples of projects where you have applied your computational skills & knowledge). Further training in this will be provided throughout the PhD, including in AI and various programming languages.

If English is not your first language you will need to provide evidence of your proficiency in English by a certified test such as IELTS. Click here for more information about English language requirements.

How to apply

Apply now

Closing Date for Applications: 23:59 GMT on 31st March 2026

Reference Number: 5823

To apply, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button below.

In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents (see below). All application documents must be submitted in English and include the reference number, your surname, and the name of the document within the filename (e.g. “1234_Smith_CV.pdf”, “1234_Smith_Cover-Letter.pdf”, “1234_Smith_Transcript.pdf”). Please note our preferred file format is PDF.

·       CV

·       Letter of Application (Maximum two pages of A4 – outlining your academic interests, prior research experience & reasons for wishing to undertake this project).

·       Certified translated copies of your degree transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying).

·       Names & Email Addresses of two referees familiar with your academic work. You are not required to obtain references yourself. We will request references directly from your referees if you are shortlisted.

Expected Selection Process

If you are selected to be considered for this PhD position, you can expect a flexible selection process involving:

·       a 30-minute online interview (via Teams or Zoom) after week commencing 20 April 2026.

·       advance notice of interview questions

·       advance notification of the two or three people who will sit on the interview panel (links to bios & a profile photo), including their role in regard of the panel, i.e. what themes/questions they will each cover

·       a 10-minute presentation covering why you think you are a good fit for the project and outlining the skills you bring to the role. You should pre-record this presentation in a style and format of your choice, submitted in an appropriate video file format (.mp4, .wmv, .avi, .mkv, etc.) to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk before the interview.

We are committed to making the selection process accessible to the widest range of interviewees and if you are selected, when our postgraduate recruitment team contacts you, they will happily discuss adjustments to help you showcase your skillset to the best of your ability during the interview – for example, flexible dates and times for interviews to fit your commitments, including a shorter or longer interview session.

Further, if you are successful in securing the role, you will receive a full induction by the research team, an introduction to the range of support and peer groups available at Exeter, and an opportunity to discuss flexible working arrangements.

Summary