Closing date: 22 June 2026
Open to: UK fee eligible applicants only
Funding Providers: DRIVERS DFA / Rolls-Royce
Subject Area: Materials Science & Engineering
Project Start Date: October 2026
** (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates.)
**In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.
Supervisors:
Aligned programme of study: Materials Engineering, Ph.D.
Mode of study: Full time
Place of study: Swansea University (Bay Campus)
Project title: LB-PBF SS316 Powder Oxygen Content Effects on Microstructure, Fatigue and Toughness
Project description:
The oxygen content of LB-PBF SS316 material its typically much higher than wrought or HIP SS316. This high oxygen content can be traced back to the raw material supply. Improved methods of powder production could potentially enable starting powder oxygen content to be reduced significantly. Conversely, new LB-PBF hardware can recover powder currently wasted during the process that may have an increased oxygen content. This project aims to understand the impact of oxygen content on heat treatment, microstructure, fatigue performance and fracture toughness.
Funding Duration: 4 years
For more details please see here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/materials-science-engineering-additive-manufacture-rs969-.php
PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline.
English Language Requirements:
IELTS 6.5 Overall (5.5+ each comp.) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.
Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.
If you have questions regarding your academic eligibility based on the above, email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the link to the scholarships you are interested in.
Funding
UK fee eligible applicants only
Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA.
This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £21,805 for 2026/27), plus an additional stipend of £5,000 per year.
To apply, please complete the entire application form here.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh and any application submitted in Welsh will be treated no less favourably than an application submitted in English. Please refer to the University’s Welsh Language Policy on Awarding Grants
To be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required.
1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS969
2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory)
3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.
*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.
If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:
Important: If you have previously applied for the same programme & intake, do not re‑apply using a different email address. Applications submitted with an email address that differs from the one used in your original application will not be accepted or considered.
One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.
NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.
Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.
As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):
Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact:
NAME: Robert Lancaster
EMAIL: R.J.Lancaster@Swansea.ac.uk
*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.
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