Coordination cages for sensing and catalytic decomposition of chemical warfare agents

About the project

How can chemistry be used not only to detect dangerous substances, but also to destroy them? This PhD project will develop new metal-based molecular systems capable of recognising and breaking down chemical warfare agents into harmless products. You will combine synthetic inorganic and coordination chemistry with flow chemistry, taking ideas from fundamental molecular design towards practical technologies that could operate outside the laboratory in real-world devices.

Despite their prohibition under international conventions, chemical warfare agents remain a persistent security threat. Developing technologies capable of both detecting these hazardous compounds and rapidly converting them into benign products is therefore an important challenge for modern defence and security.

This PhD project will harness supramolecular and inorganic coordination chemistry to create multifunctional coordination cages for chemical detection and remediation. Coordination cages are discrete polymetallic architectures with highly tuneable internal cavities and rich host–guest chemistry, offering an exciting platform for combining molecular recognition, sensing and catalysis within a single system.

You will work at the interface of synthetic inorganic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, photoluminescence spectroscopy and flow chemistry, developing new platforms that can recognise hazardous chemical species, generate an optical response to signal their presence, and facilitate their conversion into less harmful products.

The longer-term ambition is to translate these fundamental molecular processes into integrated, field-deployable technologies capable of both detection and remediation.

Dr Richard Knighton MChem DPhil FHEA

• Inorganic luminescence
• Homogeneous catalysis
• Upconversion spectroscopy

Dr Adrian Nightingale

• Microfluidics.
• Sensors.
• Analytical chemistry.

Entry requirements

You must have an undergraduate degree (at least UK 2:1 honours degree) or its international equivalent in:

Familiarity with, or experience in, any combination of synthetic chemistry, coordination or supramolecular chemistry, spectroscopy or luminescence would be useful, but applicants are not expected to have experience in all of these areas.

An interest in developing skills across chemical sensing, catalysis and flow chemistry would also be welcomed.

Relevant specialist techniques can be developed during the PhD and through CDT training.

• chemistry
• a related discipline

Fees and funding

For candidates looking to complete a PhD or EngD full-time we offer an enhanced tax-free stipend of up to £30,000 per year, along with a substantial budget for research, travel, and centre activities.

CISDnS is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break or are transitioning into a new role. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance.

We are pleased to announce that for 2027/28 entry, specific Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) at the University of Southampton have been selected to be part of a pilot programme of funding for UK doctoral candidates launched by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Now managed by the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), the funding is delivered through a strand of government’s new TechFirst skills programme. TechFirst will fund nationally, a stipend uplift for at least 500 domestic (UK only) doctoral students in priority technology areas over the next four years, strengthening the UK’s innovation pipeline and building a more inclusive, resilient and high-impact research ecosystem.

How to apply

Apply now

Please apply via the online portal and select:

Applications should include:

• Academic year: 2027/28
• If you will be full time or part time
• Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Search for "complex integrated systems"
• Select either PhD or EngD – if you are unsure, select PhD
• Add the name of the supervisor in section 2 of the application.
• your CV (resumé)
• 2 academic references
• degree transcripts and certificates to date

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

For questions about applying, email our Doctoral College (doctoralcollege-admissions@soton.ac.uk) .

Project leader

For an initial conversation, email Dr Richard Knighton (R.C.Knighton@soton.ac.uk).

Research areas