Plastics Innovation and Curation PhD Studentships

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Plastics Innovation and Curation PhD Studentships

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is pleased to offer three PhD Studentships within its new Plastics Innovation and Curation Research Centre (PlastIC), funded by a UKRI Expanding Excellence grant to commence in October 2025. The Centre will explore how plastics degrade over time and behave in different environments, working closely with the museum and heritage sector and with manufacturing industry.

The Centre is uniquely located in a specialist arts university that combines the expertise of AUB’s Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP) with the design, manufacturing and testing capabilities of AUB’s Innovation Studio all based on the university campus.

We'd be interested in proposals from PhD candidates for pursing their research in the areas below (but not limited to):

The development of plastics identification and conservation processes in collaboration with the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP).
The exploration of plastics additive manufacturing materials and their properties in the context of art, design and heritage.
The use of plastics in commercial applications with a particular focus on properties, performance, ageing and sustainability.

	Bursary details
Qualification type	PhD
Location	Bournemouth
Funding for	UK Students
Funding amount	Annual stipend, currently £19,237 and home fee tuition fees paid; up to £2,000 p.a. for travel and consumables
Hours	Full-time, fully funded (part-time applicants can apply and will be considered)
Application deadline	28 February 2025

Context

Understanding how plastics materials degrade over time and in different environments will inform their future use and manufacture. Heritage collections offer a time-bank of such materials, both historic and contemporary, museums and institutions are increasingly faced with the challenge of preserving and caring for them. Likewise, industry is faced with an ever-changing landscape of materials and manufacturing processes. For example, the durability and longevity of materials produced via additive manufacturing remains a critical challenge for designers. Understanding the mechanical properties and failure modes due to environmental ageing of these materials is essential for their appropriate adoption in commercial applications.

The PhD projects will contribute to the PlastIC Research Centre and may involve material composition assessment, testing, and/or developing collection care and curation protocols. They may also add to knowledge of the use of plastics within commercial applications.

Successful candidates will have a degree of freedom in developing their individual research project while also contributing to the projects undertaken by the research centre. This will be conducted within the newly created PlastIC laboratory equipped for non-destructive analysis techniques to assess the performance of materials. It also has weathering equipment to test and assess the stability of materials under different conditions.

Successful candidates will have a background in the fields of materials, design, engineering science, heritage science, conservation science or history as appropriate to their proposal.

Each studentship is for 3.5 years and includes:

A tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum (UKRI rate for 2024/2025)
Tuition fees (at the Home rate)
Up to £2,000 per annum for travel and consumables

Part-time students can apply for fees-only bursaries.

Supervision will be led by Professor Christian McLening, Director of Research and Development.

For more information and informal enquiries are welcome, please email plastic@aub.ac.uk.

Candidates for a PhD studentship must demonstrate outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in three-and-a-half years (full-time) or five years (part-time).
Applicants should hold a first or 2:1 Honours degree and typically a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject.
Applicants with alternative qualifications/experience will be considered if they can demonstrate relevant achievement. Applicants whose first language isn't English will be expected to have an IELTS score of at least 7.0 with 7.0 minimum in writing.
In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, AUB will look closely at the research potential and academic qualities of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project to ensure successful and timely completion.

Applicants are also invited from students who wish to self-fund their studies.

Please refer to the bursary terms and conditions for further details. We particularly welcome applicants who self-identify as being from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME/Global Majority) background.

All applicants should apply via the University’s online application portal.
As part of the application, you'll be required to submit a 1500-word proposal that follows the guidelines available on the website, and two academic references. You should also upload a copy of your CV.
You should clearly state in your proposal that you wish to be considered for one of the studentships.
Closing date for applications is 28 February 2025. Interviews/Open Day will take place in March.