PhD Studentship: Direct Recycling of Next-Generation Battery Materials for Sustainable and Circular Manufacturing
Overview
The School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham is offering a fully funded PhD studentship in its Energy Materials Group on direct recycling of next-generation battery materials for sustainable and circular manufacturing. The shift to electrified transport and renewable energy storage is driving rapid growth in battery manufacturing, which generates large amounts of scrap such as coated electrode off-cuts and rejected cells containing valuable active materials. Efficient recycling is essential for a sustainable and resilient battery supply chain.
The project will investigate direct recycling of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery materials, particularly lithium iron phosphate, lithium manganese iron phosphate and sodium-ion chemistries. It aligns with the EU-funded DRAGONS project, which seeks scalable, economically viable recycling for gigafactory production scrap. Unlike conventional recycling, which breaks materials down into elements, direct recycling preserves the structure and function of active electrode materials, cutting energy use and keeping their value. The student will explore routes for recovering, regenerating and reintegrating materials into new cells. Activities may include characterising scrap, developing electrode delamination and separation processes, binder removal and purification, relithiation and realkaliation to restore performance, making and testing electrodes with recycled material, electrochemical evaluation, and design-for-recycling principles for future batteries. Facilities include battery manufacturing dry rooms, reel-to-reel coating equipment, electrochemical testing laboratories, mineral processing facilities and advanced characterisation tools, and the student will collaborate with academic and industrial partners across Europe and North America.
Who can apply
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a first-class or upper second-class honours degree or international equivalent in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, metallurgy, physics, electrochemistry or a related discipline. Experience in batteries, energy materials, recycling or materials characterisation is desirable but not essential.
What you get
The award covers UK home tuition fees only and a tax-free annual stipend at the prevailing UKRI rate for 3.5 years, funded through project and institutional funding.
How to apply
Applications are made through the university website.
Key dates
The closing date is 17 December 2026.