Bath, along with the universities of Cardiff and Bristol, has secured funding to set up a centre that will offer funded PhD studentships for research that will address some of society’s biggest challenges through catalysis: clean energy generation, air and water quality control and sustainable manufacturing processes.

The interdisciplinary programme allows postgraduate students to develop advanced knowledge and to carry out research with global and industry impact.

Science Minister David Willetts said: “Scientists and engineers are vital to our economy and society. It is their talent and imagination, as well as their knowledge and skills, that inspire innovation and drive growth across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to financial services.

“I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced. This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race.”

Bath’s lead on the project is Dr Pawel Plucinski from the Department of Chemical Engineering. He said: “The PhD programme will develop an advanced knowledge base of traditional and emerging catalysis disciplines, an understanding of industry and global contexts and teach research and professional skills. The resulting graduates will be fully aligned to the needs of UK industry, and drive and grow the UK catalysis sector.”

The University of Bath is also involved in four other Centres for Doctoral Training. For more information on these see: http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2013/11/22/cdtfunds/

More information on the Centre for Catalysis will be made available in early January 2014.