Swinburne CSIRO PhD Scholarship

Swinburne University of Technology

Swinburne CSIRO PhD Scholarship

To bring people and technology together to build a better world.

Why Swinburne University of Technology
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Swinburne University of Technology is a world-class university creating social and economic impacts through science, technology and innovation. In 2022, Swinburne ranked in the top 250 global universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), confirming its place in the top 1% of universities worldwide. Swinburne confirmed its place in the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old, rising twelve places in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings.

About the role

This proposed PhD project will establish phases evolution, reaction mechanism and kinetic model to support the development of comprehensive high temperature recycling process of batteries. The project will involve both experimental and modelling studies. In particular, the project will: 1)  Carry out systematic critical literature review of the previous and state of the art battery recycling processes  2)  Conduct a thermodynamic modelling of smelting of battery materials to understand the possible phases formation 3)  Carry out experimental study to track the kinetics and reaction mechanism of the process. This will be supported by state of the art materials characterisation techniques.  4)  Establishment of the reaction mechanism and the optimum process conditions.  5)  Write papers/reports and completion of PhD thesis

4. Swinburne CSIRO PhD Scholarship 2024 – Thermodynamics/Kinetics of Critical Elements in Slag/Metal Reaction Project will investigate the distribution and kinetics of critical elements, such as rare earths, during secondary copper smelting. With limited understanding in this area, the study will systematically examine how these elements behave across copper, slag, and gaseous phases under relevant conditions. Parameters like temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and slag composition will be explored, focusing on elements like Hafnium. Using thermodynamic modelling, high-temperature experimentation, and advanced characterization techniques, correlations between element distribution coefficients and slag chemistry/structure will be developed.

This proposed PhD project will establish phases evolution, reaction mechanism and kinetic model to support the development of comprehensive high temperature recycling of relevant critical elements. The project will involve both experimental and modelling studies. In particular, the project will: 1)  Carry out systematic critical literature review of the previous and state of the art processes  2)  Conduct a thermodynamic modelling of smelting of battery materials to understand the possible phases formation 3)  Carry out experimental study to track the kinetics and reaction mechanism of the process. This will be supported by state of the art materials characterisation techniques.  4)  Establishment of the reaction mechanism and the optimum process conditions.  5)  Write papers/reports and completion of PhD thesis

**About you ** To be successful in the role, you will have:

• Bachelor of Engineering (4 years); Bachelor of Applied Science (4 years); or Masters degree
• Background in Process/Extractive Metallurgy, Chemical/Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering or Mechanical Engineering
• English Language Requirement (e.g. IELTS: Overall 6.5, No individual band below 6.0) (Australian Universities English Requirement)
• Proficient interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work within a diverse team

What you'll be responsible for

• 🔦 Testing and QA
  

  Ensure high quality work by testing code meets the requirements

• 📦 Backend application development
  

  Develop, test, and maintain software applications

• 🔗 Frontend Application Development
  

  Develop, test, and maintain the user-side elements of a website or app

Skills you'll need

• 👥 Collaboration
  

  Works with others by being open, clear in communication and listening to achieve goals

• 🧮 Numerical problem solving
  

  Works with numerical information and performs mathematical calculations to solve problems

• 🔍 Attention to detail
  

  Accurately identifies and rectifies discrepancies or errors that exists in information and deliverables