Artificial Intelligence
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Project overview Artificial intelligence is transforming science. Quantum technologies are expected to transform sensing, imaging, healthcare and computing. This PhD sits at the intersection of these two revolutions. You will help develop a new generation of AI-enhanced quantum sensors capable of autonomously optimising their own operation and extracting information from complex environments.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 30 September 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Applied Statistics
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Marine regions around the world encounter similar ecological challenges linked to fishing activities, including those arising from fisheries that use passive or static gear such as traps. Passive gear fisheries (e.g., creels) are often deemed sustainable compared to mobile bottom towed gear fisheries, as they are associated with lower fuel use and seabed damage [1]. However, passive gears are often specifically associated with some other challenges (e.g.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 30 September 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Biomedical Engineering
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Project overview What if we could detect disease using a sensor so small that it can probe biological processes at the molecular scale? This PhD project will develop quantum sensors based on a single electron spin , among the most sensitive measurement devices ever created.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 30 September 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Electrical Engineering
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Project overview The future quantum internet will rely on new types of devices capable of storing, processing, and transmitting quantum information. One of the most promising technologies for achieving this vision is based on quantum defects in silicon carbide (SiC) , a semiconductor already widely used by industry in electric vehicles, power electronics, and telecommunications.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 30 September 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Applied Chemistry
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Scotch whisky is one of the UK’s most globally recognised premium beverages, with exports exceeding £5 billion annually. Fermentation lies at the heart of whisky production and represents a critical industrial biotechnology leverage point for improving sustainability. High-gravity fermentation uses increased concentrations of fermentable sugar to produce high-strength alcohol.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 9 October 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Analytical Chemistry
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project This project is part of the NERC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training, ECOWILD. For more details, and for a full list of projects offered under this programme, please visit: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/ Projects Description: What does a student need to know about this project and why is your supervisory team best to support it?
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 13 October 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Analytical Chemistry
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project This project is part of the NERC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training, ECOWILD. For more details, and for a full list of projects offered under this programme, please visit: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/ Projects Description: What does a student need to know about this project and why is your supervisory team best to support it?
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 13 October 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Control Systems
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Ultrashort laser pulses can be used to directly write structural modifications inside dielectric materials. This modification can manifest itself in a variety of ways, one example of which can be a localised increase in the refractive index. Using this refractive index modification, it is possible to directly inscribe 3D optical waveguides inside materials [1] – a capability which has considerable potential for developing bespoke sensing technologies.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 1 November 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Analytical Chemistry
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Context: There is an important global need to design new materials with improved safety and advanced functionality for defence and civilian applications. Understanding how the structural and electronic properties of materials are affected by chemical and structural modification is essential, particularly for multi-component materials and for applications such as sensing, capturing, storing, or controlled degradation.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 31 December 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Analytical Chemistry
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Context: Accelerating the development of crystalline materials requires more accurate evaluation of the structural landscapes of the ingredients during early-stage development. Current crystallisation screening of ingredients is often slow, manual, and material-intensive, which can delay discovery and increase the risk of late-stage failure, especially for complex, highly polymorphic ingredients.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 31 December 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Electrical Engineering
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project This PhD project is based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, in close collaboration with Toppan Security https://toppansecurity.com/ Security documents such as passports, identity cards and driving licences are critically important for proof of identity, nationality, and eligibility for international travel.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 17 January 2027
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Experimental Physics
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project We are seeking to appoint a talented PhD candidate to join the Ultrafast Optics Group at Heriot-Watt, to start by 1 October 2026, to develop a faster and more sensitive implementation of dual-comb ranging—an optical metrology technique combining interferometry-like precision with time-of-flight accuracy.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Artificial Intelligence
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Fusion power plants demand plasma-facing and structural surfaces capable of surviving thermal loads, particle erosion, hydrogen isotope permeation, and neutron-induced degradation simultaneously — conditions no single legacy coating system was designed for.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Agricultural Technology
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project The project aims to develop innovative, sustainable, and environmentally friendly coating systems that can enhance the functional performance of packaging materials while reducing their environmental impact.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Electrical Engineering
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project Project Description: Quantum computers based on superconducting circuits are lose their quantum properties on short timescales resulting limiting the potential of their applications. The presence of microscopic and non-optimal circuit design are major sources of noise leading to low fidelity operations and limiting the number of operations that superconducting circuit quantum computers can perform.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Astronomy
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project We are seeking to appoint a talented PhD candidate to join the Ultrafast Optics Group at Heriot-Watt by 1 October 2026 and help us to build cutting-edge laser technology for the world’s largest telescope—the ELT—creating ultra-precise “astrocomb” lasers that will enable some of the most exciting science in modern optical astronomy.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Experimental Physics
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project The Edinburgh Mostly Quantum Lab (EMQL) offers a PhD position in photonic quantum networking with photonic telecom cluster states. The focus will be on experimental demonstrations in a range of multi-party quantum communication scenarios, including conference key distribution, all-optical repeaters, quantum network coding, quantum sensing, quantum time transfer, and more.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Experimental Physics
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project The Edinburgh Mostly Quantum Lab (EMQL) offers a PhD position in satellite quantum communication. Quantum communication allows for unconditionally secure encryption of messages. Terrestrial quantum networks are limited in range due to the quantum signal loss in optical fibres. This limitation can be overcome with satellites, equipped with quantum transmitters or receivers, that exchange keys with optical ground stations.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Experimental Physics
Heriot-Watt University
About the Project About the Project Overview In recent years, there have been a number of remarkable advances in the use of quantum detection in optical imaging.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)