Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Application deadline: Friday, January 22, 2027
About the Project
PhD Studentship in Nano-electronics:
Characterisation of nanoscale semiconductor devices of technology nodes beyond 2 nm for emerging memory and computing applications
Applications are invited for a full PhD scholarship in the School of Engineering and Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) to join an innovative research project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) UK.
This fully funded three-year PhD Scholarship would comprise the waiving of annual tuition fees, a maintenance stipend of £21,805 per annum, plus a contribution towards research running costs of £1,600 per annum.
Eligibility: We will accept applications from both UK and non-UK citizens, and we will also accept applications for part-time, fees-only studentships.
Qualification: Applicants should hold (or expect to get before September 2027) a good Master’s degree and/or a good (first-class or upper second class) Honours undergraduate degree.
Location: LJMU (Liverpool, UK) and IMEC (Leuven, Belgium)
Duration: full-time, three years. The PhD studentship must be filled by September 2027 fixed enrolment point, or the offer will be withdrawn.
Application deadline: 22 January 2027
This PhD project will be in collaboration with the world-leading nanoelectronics research institute, IMEC in Belgium, whose partners include top companies such as Intel, Micron, Samsung, and TSMC. The student will have chances to work at IMEC together with scientists from the above-mentioned organisations, providing excellent opportunities for career development.
This project aims to advance the understanding, characterisation and modelling of nano-meter scale devices for energy efficient and high-performance computing. The research will focus on a range of devices, include conventional MOSFETs, emerging memristive memory devices, 2D atomic resistive-switching memristors, and 2D-channel FETs. These novel devices have great potential to substantially reduce the energy consumption, which is a critical task required for AI and data centers. Achieving this goal requires in-depth physical and operational insights that can translate into better-engineered devices, VLSI circuits design, and tailored testing protocols for improved variability and reliable performance. This project will establish a foundation for a new paradigm of deployable nanoelectronic devices with unprecedented efficiency and scalability that can be used ubiquitously towards ultra-low energy AI and neuromorphic computing systems.
Professor Weidong Zhang and his group at LJMU have extensive research expertise in characterisation of emerging memory and logic devices, through a strong partnership with IMEC. The group has a distinguished research track record and start-of-the-art testing facilities. In the UK's 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), LJMU ranked among the top performing universities in Engineering, with 100% of the group’s outputs rated as international excellent or higher. Further details about the group are available here: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/research/centres-and-institutes/electrical-and-electronic-engineering-research-centre/expertise/microelectronics-group?az=. The studentship is subject to the selection procedure within the University and the Faculty.
We are seeking candidates with strong research background and track record in electrical and electronic engineering, physics, or material engineering. The calibre of candidates will be reviewed based on their academic qualifications, publications, and other academic/research achievements.
Application procedure:
To apply for the PhD studentship, please contact the supervisor, Prof. Weidong Zhang ([contact details available in the full listing]) or Dr. Nishant Saxena ([contact details available in the full listing]) by sending your full CV, full transcripts and a personal statement and a cover letter confirming you wish to be considered. You must clearly state your nationality and residence status, education, degree classification, contact details and confirm your willingness to accept the offer if the application is approved. You will need to submit all the required the documents before 22 January 2027 at the latest. More details will be available at https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/research/phd-studentship-application.
Your CV should clearly provide specific details on the following:
- undergraduate and postgraduate degree awards with date, level of attainment and academic institution;
- awards or distinctions received for academic work;
- research outputs published/completed;
- research conference presentations completed;
- research or knowledge exchange projects with employer and dates included;
- technical, subject-specific or relevant IT skills training completed;
- any other relevant research or knowledge exchange experience or activity;
- academic referees;
- any other information and achievements of relevance.
