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Closing date: Thursday 19th June 2025
FUNDING: (October 2025 start - September 2026 finish): 2 x 1 year full-time Master by Research studentship (this covers all university tuition fees and research project costs, plus £20,780/year tax free ‘stipend’ for living expenses) in the Department of Chemistry.
Open to: UK students only, with at least a 2:2 undergraduate degree (and/or equivalent experience) in Chemistry or a relevant subject area, and with widening access eligibility.
Abstract
We want to recruit 2 x enthusiastic and motivated graduates into the Department of Chemistry at the University of York.
The world faces many critical challenges, from the climate emergency and food security, to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Chemistry is central to solving these challenges, especially when it is applied across disciplinary boundaries. Our mission in York is to be a department that is a force for good by working to solve these global challenges through delivering the highest-impact research which was rated as 4* world-leading in REF 2021.
Following application, if you are shortlisted for interview you will be encouraged to meet with potential academics across the Department of Chemistry at the University of York and design a research project in collaboration with your chosen academic supervisors. Candidates will then be asked to provide a first and second choice supervisor/project prior to interview.
Chemistry in York is distinctive in being highly interdisciplinary, blending traditional chemistry with chemical and structural biology, atmospheric and green chemistry, and archaeological science. We have seven specific research themes covering a range of interdisciplinary areas including:
Catalysis for a cleaner future
Chemical and structural biology
Green and sustainable chemistry
Technologies for molecular measurement
Your community
The Department of Chemistry holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award and is committed to supporting equality and diversity for all staff and students. The Department strives to provide a working environment which allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel: https://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/ed/
As part of our commitment to Equality and Diversity, and Widening Participation, we are working with the YCEDE project (https://ycede.ac.uk/) to improve the number of under-represented groups participating in doctoral study.
As a student at the University of York you will also be supported with a Thesis Advisory Panel to keep you on track with data generation, research questions, and thesis writing. You will be part of an active community of >130 graduate students in the Chemistry Department, >50 postdoctoral scientists, and around 50 highly skilled technical staff.
A focus on technical skill development
Project specific training in chemistry will be provided to ensure the you have a strong overall knowledge of theoretical chemistry and the associated practical techniques. You will also have the opportunity to attend courses to help develop skills to support your professional development more generally, provided by the department and the award-winning researcher development unit in York. You will follow our core cohort-based training programme to support the development of scientific, transferable and employability skills, as well as training on specific techniques and equipment. Training includes employability and professionalism and guidance on writing papers. There will be opportunities for networking and sharing your work both within and beyond the University. Funding is provided to enable you to attend conferences and external training. The department also runs a varied and comprehensive seminar programme.