Two students from the our Department of Mechanical Engineering have been awarded prestigious scholarships by the China Scholarship Council to support their PhD studies while at Bath.

Dian Liu of Henan province, and Bo Hu of Chongqing city, are both first year PhD researchers at Bath. Through the scholarship they will receive support from the Chinese State Scholarship Fund that will finance both their international air travel for visits home, and their living expenses while in Bath.

Both students have also been awarded University of Bath Graduate School scholarships to cover their PhD fees as a result of achieving exceptionally high grades during their previous MSc studies at the University.

Speaking about the double scholarship, Dian said: “When I first came to Bath I intended to get a job and work to support myself financially. The award of these scholarships to cover both my fees and my living needs will allow me to focus all of my efforts on my research and will reduce some of the pressure caused by fitting paid work around a demanding full time PhD programme.”

Dian’s research aims to improve the efficiency of the electric motor for automotive applications, and on completing his work at Bath he hopes to return to China to work with a national automotive company on the next generation of electric vehicles.

Bo’s research looks at internal combustion engine modelling, and he is keen to go on to further research in the sector when he returns to China.

The China Scholarship Council is a non-profit institution affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. The objective of the Council is to promote educational, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges, and economic and trade cooperation, between China and other countries.

Dr Chris Brace, who is involved in supervising both students in the Powertrain and Vehicle Research Centre, said: “Dian and Bo are exceptionally talented students who showed commitment to their studies while doing their MSc degrees at Bath, and are now embarking on research in the automotive sector.

“The two scholarships awarded to each student will have a significant impact on the time Dian and Bo are able to dedicate to their research. Both expect to contribute to China’s automotive engineering sector in the future and we’re pleased to be transferring research knowledge from Bath.”