Industrial Heterogenous Catalysis at University of Glasgow - UCAS

Course summary

Heterogeneous catalysis is a key enabler of the chemical industry from refinery to pharmaceuticals. The sectors within which this process has applications includes the pharmaceutical, research and commercial product development, manufacturing and sustainable energy sectors (such as Biodiesel). This programme is designed to give students the practical skills to undertake independent research in heterogeneous catalysis and to supply a thorough theoretical understanding of industrial heterogeneous catalysis. Previous knowledge of catalysis is not required. WHY THIS PROGRAMME

  • Research at the School of Chemistry has developed and grown over the years. Our Heter-ogeneous Catalysis Section has some of the best-equipped labs in the UK, attracting industrial support from companies such as: Johnson Matthey, BP, Syngenta, SABIC, Saudi Aramco, Huntsman, Sasol, Invista & Innospec.
  • We have research programmes covering: new catalytic materials, petrochemicals, fine chemicals, energy, fuels and catalyst deactivation.
  • Chemistry at Glasgow is ranked 4th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2022).
  • This programme is designed to give students the appropriate practical research skills and theoretical knowledge to embark on a future career in industry or academia.
  • Students complete two projects withe two supervisors: one University of Glasgow academic staff and the second ex-industry honorary University of Glasgow staff.
  • To further enhance this programme, it is intended to build it around a series of short courses that will be accessible to industry.
  • Our research facilities, which will be used for projects, include a suite of reactors with operating windows of 1-100 barg, sub-ambient to >1000 K and a range of characterization techniques equipped with environmental cells.
  • The school has an Athena Swan Bronze Award, demonstrating the school’s commitment to supporting women in scientific studies and careers, and to improving the working environment for all.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE The MRes will be structured into three units, two projects (each worth 60 credits) and a taught component (worth 60 credits) to give the required 180 credits. The taught component is split into a "Frontiers in Catalysis" programme, requiring students to do two literature studies on different topics and prepare presentations on the subjects. This leaves approximately 96 lectures and one tutorial session per week. Lectures will be clustered into four, one week of high intensity zones of 24 hours of teaching. There will be four core modules of 24 lectures. This means that students will have more time that is continuous in the lab for their projects. Projects Each student will do two projects of approximately 15 weeks duration plus 4 weeks writing up. The two projects will have two supervisors, one University of Glasgow academic staff and the second ex-industry honorary University of Glasgow staff. The project areas may be in any area of heterogeneous catalysis from refinery to pharmaceutical applications. Hydrogenation of 2'-Nitroacetophenone The addition of CO2 to the syngas feed stream over Fe-based Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis catalysts The synthesis and reactivity of ternary and quaternary nickel containing nitrides possessing the η-6 carbide structure In situ Raman spectroscopy capability to study propane oxidative dehydrogenation catalysts Core Courses Catalyst activation and deactivation Catalyst structure and function from bulk to surface Catalyst testing and industrial process development Preparation of catalytic materials


How to apply

International applicants

International applicant information can be found via gla.ac.uk by searching for 'international'.

Entry requirements

A 2.2 Honours degree or equivalent in chemistry, chemical engineering, physics or life sciences. Previous knowledge of catalysis is not required.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

All fees are published on the University of Glasgow website. https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/feesandfunding/

Sponsorship information

Sponsorship and funding information can be found via gla.ac.uk by searching for 'scholarships'.

Industrial Heterogenous Catalysis at University of Glasgow - UCAS