Fusion Power (EPSRC CDT) PhD

**The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.**<br/><br/>The Fusion Power Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) is provided by a collaboration between six UK universities (Durham, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield, and York), other research organisations including Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, and industry such as Tokamak Energy, First Light Fusion and OxfordSigma.<br/><br/>The Fusion Power CDT provides training from world-leading experts in a range of fusion-relevant disciplines, focusing on the aspects of materials science, and plasma physics, required to make fusion power a reality.<br/><br/>You will be trained to PhD-level (a PhD is known as a DPhil at Oxford) in disciplines related to fusion power. A significant number of fully-funded four-year full-time and eight-year part-time doctoral studentships are expected to be available each year. The programme expects to train at least 80 students over five intakes from 2024 to 2028.<br/><br/>The majority of projects are expected to collaborate with the wider fusion industry.<br/><br/>You will have access to a range of fusion materials facilities within Oxford and across the UK, and international links provide access to many other fusion devices around the world.<br/><br/>The combination of world-leading experts and world-class facilities creates an outstanding training environment for the next generation of fusion scientists - the generation who may exploit STEP, ITER, NIF and other international experiments to make fusion energy a reality.<br/><br/>**Course outline**<br/>In Oxford, students will focus on materials for fusion power. You will train and study alongside students undertaking the DPhil in Materials, together forming an Oxford cohort of research students in materials.<br/><br/>The programme is normally carried out in four years of full-time study (or eight years of part-time study) under the supervision of an experienced member of staff. The first year (first two years for if you are studying part-time) will be focussed on training.<br/><br/>If studying full-time, you will spend the first eight months of the programme (the first 16 months if studying part-time), attending a number of technical fusion modules designed to provide the best possible platform for your substantial research project. Please note that the modules offered may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of staff. Some examples of modules include:<br/><br/><br/>- Introduction to Fusion Plasmas<br/><br/><br/>- Introduction to Materials<br/><br/><br/>- Plasma Facing Technologies<br/><br/><br/>- Irradiation Damage and Degradation<br/><br/><br/>- Leadership and Research skills<br/><br/><br/>- Tritium and the Fusion Fuel Cycle<br/><br/><br/>- Plasma Surface Interactions Lab<br/><br/><br/>- Functional and Superconducting Technologies<br/><br/><br/>- Data Management and Software Skills<br/><br/><br/>- Analytical Tools for Fusion Materials<br/><br/><br/>- Manufacturing and Design Codes<br/><br/><br/>- Multi-scale Computational materials engineering<br/><br/><br/>Many of these modules take place at the University of York, and all students will be based at the York Plasma Institute to begin with, following registration at the University of Oxford. There will also be a number of intensive one-week modules based at the other collaborating universities. Travel and subsistence funds are provided for attending the different week-long courses.