"Fully Funded PhD: Smart Design of Thermoelectric Coolers for On-Chip Cooling"

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated doctoral candidate to join us for a fully funded PhD at the University of Southampton, working on the smart design of thermoelectric coolers for on-chip cooling. This studentship is offered as part of the prestigious Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network “MaGnesium Alloys for effICient solId stAte cooliNg (MGICIAN)”, a pan-European programme focused on advanced thermoelectric materials, devices, and system-level integration.

About MGICIAN

MGICIAN brings together academic and industrial partners across Europe and trains 15 Doctoral Candidates in materials development, interface engineering, module fabrication, and system integration. As a doctoral candidate, you will benefit from an integrated training programme combining academic research, industrial exposure, and international mobility, alongside structured training in transferable and professional skills.

Project description

Based at the University of Southampton, this PhD project will focus on the development of advanced thermoelectric cooler designs for on-chip cooling applications within the MGICIAN Doctoral Network. The project will address model-based and data-driven design strategies to optimise thermoelectric cooler architectures using magnesium-based materials and modules developed in the consortium. Particular emphasis will be placed on improving cooling efficiency, thermal uniformity, dynamic response, and integration compatibility with modern microelectronic and photonic platforms. The project will combine numerical modelling, optimisation methodologies, and experimental validation to establish design–performance relationships and ensure scalability and application-oriented implementation of thermoelectric cooling solutions for next-generation compact electronic systems.

Research Tasks and Training Objectives

The doctoral candidate will:

• Develop numerical and data-driven models for thermoelectric coolers used in on-chip cooling applications
• Apply optimisation algorithms to improve cooling efficiency, thermal uniformity, and scalability
• Investigate design trade-offs between performance, footprint, and energy consumption
• Support the design and fabrication of thermoelectric coolers for localised chip-scale cooling
• Experimentally evaluate cooling performance, response time, and reliability
• Integrate modelling insights into device-level and system-level demonstrators within the network
• Collaborate closely with materials, module, refrigeration, and photonics-focused DCs
• Participate in secondments, network-wide scientific training, and transferable skills activities
• Disseminate research results through peer-reviewed publications, international conferences, and outreach initiatives

Required Qualifications

Education: Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Electronic or Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or a closely related field

Technical Competences:

• Strong background in thermal management, thermoelectric systems, or numerical modelling
• Experience with simulation tools (e.g., COMSOL, FEM, MATLAB, or similar software)
• Knowledge of optimisation methods, data-driven modelling, or control strategies is advantageous
• Understanding of microelectronic or photonic device thermal behaviour is beneficial
• Interest in compact cooling technologies and high-performance electronic systems

Personal Skills:

• Strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work independently and within an international interdisciplinary research network
• Excellent written and spoken English

Marie Skłodowska-Curie eligibility criteria

Applicants must fulfil the MSCA Doctoral Network eligibility rules:

• You must not have been awarded a doctoral degree at the time of recruitment
• Mobility rule: at the time of recruitment, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work or studies) in the UK for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment (short stays such as holidays are excluded)

How to apply

Applications must be submitted exclusively via the official MGICIAN project website https://mgician.eu/research/doctoral-candidate-projects/dc15/ where details are provided.

Please note that, upon appointment, the successful candidate’s post title will be “MSCA Doctoral Network Research Fellow.”