EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with Buro Happold and Ramboll: Prediction of future technical performance of lower carbon concretes

This is a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the Cambridge EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT). 

The project is funded in collaboration with Ramboll and Buro Happold who work across diverse projects with key clients focused on sustainable design and low carbon materials. Ramboll is a global engineering, architecture and consultancy company and Buro Happold is an international, integrated consultancy of engineers, designers and advisors. Both organisations are well-placed to help accelerate usage of lower carbon concretes.    

Cement production is responsible for 5-7% of global CO₂ emissions which reflects our dependence on large volumes of concrete used in societal infrastructure. A rapid transition to lower carbon concrete is an imperative. By the 2030s there will be a much wider range of concrete technologies with much improved performance, a less prescriptive approach to codified concrete design, and more flexible but robust performance requirements.  To support this transition, and provide confidence in performance, we must move away from semi-empirical Ordinary Portland Cement based performance measures to more fundamental measures that better capture/represent different binder and concrete formulations with lower carbon intensities.

Many novel concrete technologies and mixes are not currently covered by building codes, and it takes considerable time to include new technologies in codes and standards. Lack of routes to validation of concrete performance, particularly long-term performance, is an obstacle to the adoption and scaling of novel concrete mixes.

This project investigates how to better predict future concrete performance through a combination of experimental work, that exploits the latest digital measurement tools and state-of-the-art equipment in the Cambridge Civil Engineering laboratories, and multi-physics modelling to reveal insights for scalable and promising lower carbon options e.g. calcined clays, limestone fines, or novel formulations.  The project outcomes will provide guidance for specifying concrete compositions that meet scalability, fresh and hardened state, and lower carbon goals, and inform how novel concrete mixes can be adopted and used with confidence more quickly.     

For project-specific enquiries please e-mail Professor Janet Lees: jml1010@cam.ac.uk. For general enquiries, please email cdtcivil-courseadmin@eng.cam.ac.uk

Applicants should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a high 2.1 degree, or preferably a 1st class degree.  The degree should be in engineering, sciences or a relevant discipline, and will preferably be at Master’s level.  Previous expertise in concrete materials is desirable.

Fully-funded studentships (fees and maintenance) are only available for eligible home students in the first instance. A limited number of international students can be considered for funding at a later stage in the recruitment process.

Further details about eligibility and funding can be found at:

https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/career-and-skills-development/funding-for-postgraduate-training/eligibility-for-studentship-funding/https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/fees

https://www.cambridgetrust.org/scholarships/

Applications should be made online via the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/egegpdfib  stating the project title ‘Prediction of future technical performance of lower carbon concretes’ with Professor Janet Lees noted as supervisor. Please note there is a £20 application fee.

Applications will be reviewed soon after they are received, hence early applications are strongly encouraged as an offer may be made before the stated deadline.