PhD Scholarship: Advanced electrode development for Green Hydrogen Production

Job No.: 673050

Location: Clayton campus 

Employment Type: Full-time

Duration: 3-year fixed-term appointment with possibility of 6-month extension

Remuneration: $35,013 per annum

For scholarship procedures and conditions, please see: www.monash.edu/graduate-research/future-students/scholarships/scholarship-policy-and-procedures.

The Opportunity

Advancement and application of technologies for green hydrogen generation from renewables is of key strategic importance to global future energy security and economic growth. Renewable-powered water electrolysis (WE) is the most effective of the sustainable methods for hydrogen generation at scale. Currently limiting the industrial use of WE are the high cost and insufficient efficiency of the electrolysers, both originating from imperfections in the electrode-electrolyte designs. Additional significant costs are also associated with the compression of H2 for storage.

The project aims to demonstrate energy-efficient generation of compressed hydrogen by water electrolysis in a high pressure electrolyser test-rig produced by Melbourne company Energys Australia P/L, using high-performance membrane-electrode assemblies. Innovative electrode architectures, membranes, and method for their high through-put lamination will be developed. New knowledge in catalysis, device fabrication and materials science is expected to be generated. The major project outcome is sustainable method for generation of compressed hydrogen at significantly reduced cost as compared to the existing technologies.

The qualified candidate will have the opportunity to join one of the world leading and Australian largest universities; conduct the research in the laboratories of the Simonov/McFarlane groups which are equipped with outstanding facilities for the fabrication and testing of electrochemical materials and devices; access to the world-class facilities at the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy, Monash X-ray platform and Australian Synchrotron.

Candidate Requirements

The student must:

• Be able demonstrate and present valid and current Australian work rights
• Meet participating university PhD admission requirements
• Meet university English language requirements
• Not have previously completed a PhD
• Be able to commence the Program in the year of the offer
• Enrol as a full-time PhD student

Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)

To express your interest in this scholarship and PhD research opportunity, we request candidates provide:

• A CV including qualifications, academic achievements, list of publications, work history and references
• A copy of your academic transcript(s)

Enquiries: Dr Tam Nguyen, tam.nguyen2@monash.edu  

Applications Close: Tuesday, 31 December 2024, 11:55pm AEDT