Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014) and an outstanding 66% of the work of Loughborough’s academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average figure of 43%. In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career. Loughborough is a world leader in the preparation and use of 3D printed chemical reactors, particularly with embedded analytical functionality. We are one of a few groups to design and prepare 3D printed reactors using a variety of different techniques. By embedding sensors into the reactors, we can accurately monitor reactions as they progress. This allows the optimisation of reactions in real time through a Design of Experiments, or an automation approach. This project will look at further integration of these diverse techniques to produce highly optimised reactors for the production of hard to access products, and utilising novel chemistry. The successful applicant will be well-trained in computer aided design, 3D printing, online analysis, reaction optimisation and automation, as well as advanced organic synthesis. The use of 3D printing for chemistry applications has grown in the last few years. Loughborough has been in the field since the beginning and has access to a range of 3D printing techniques. We utilise these reactors to enable chemistry in new and interesting ways. Of particular interest is the embedding of analytical sensors: thermocouples, fibre optics for spectroscopy etc. This allows us to monitor reactions in real time, and by different techniques. Using this information, we can then optimise the chemical process under study in a much more detailed manner. We can go further and analyse reactions over a wider reaction space, and potentially look at automating the optimisation protocols. The project will involve several complementary and interdisciplinary areas: computer aided design; 3D printing; synthetic chemistry; analytical techniques; reaction monitoring; automation techniques. The successful project will see a student well trained in these emerging areas, which are sought after in industry.