DPhil in Materials IDLA: Enhanced Recyclability of Aluminium from Low-Grade Scrap
About the course
This Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded project in the DPhil in Materials Science will require you to investigate a particular project in depth and write a thesis which makes a significant contribution to the field.
By applying via this page, you will be considered for the specific project of the DPhil in Materials that is named above and described in more detail below. This DPhil project will commence in Hilary Term (January) OR Trinity Term (April) 2026, and is therefore starting within the current academic year (2025/2026). If you are interested in a different research area, please consider applying for the main DPhil in Materials course for entry to the 2026/2027 academic year.
This course is focussed on a single project funded by the EPSRC Industrial Doctoral Landscape Award (IDLA): Enhanced recyclability of Aluminium from low-grade scrap. The industrial partner for this project is Constellium UK Limited and the academic supervisor is Dr Enzo Liotti. Constellium is a global leading manufacturer of high-quality technically advanced aluminium products and systems.
During this project you will work in the areas of metal processing and advanced characterization for this project aiming at enhancing the sustainability of metal manufacturing. You will acquire a wide range of research and transferable skills, as well as in-depth knowledge, understanding and expertise in your chosen field of research. You will become part of a vibrant community of researchers.
The EPSRC Industrial Doctoral Landscape Award (IDLA), which funds this course, was previously known as Industrial Cooperative Awards in Science and Engineering (ICASE).
You will also be co-supervised by academics based in Brunel University, where Constellium have built up a University Technology Centre. You will have the opportunity to work alongside these industrial partners and contribute to Constellium’s strategic R&D aims. This includes a 3-month work placement within Constellium’s international business.
To learn more about the research topics you’ll have the opportunity to explore, please refer to the Research areas section on this page.
Attendance
The course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements. Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students to support with learning and research, as well as guidance on what technology to bring with you as a new student at Oxford.
The department has excellent and wide-ranging research resources including:
- a world-class suite of electron microscopy facilities including a JEOL ARM analytical STEM and two Zeiss Merlin ultrahigh resolution SEMs optimised for EBSD and EDX analysis, together with a number of supporting and training instruments. Much of this equipment is installed in the David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy;
- additional electron microscopy facilities are available at the national electron Physical Science Imaging Centre;
- extensive further facilities for characterising materials including, for example, AFM, XPS, and Raman microscopy;
- advanced sample preparation and micromachining facilities including a Zeiss NVision 40 FIB/SEM and three other FIB instruments;
- clean room facilities;
- microhardness measurement facilities (at high temperatures and at the nm scale);
- special processing or manufacturing facilities for ceramics, carbon nanomaterials, rapidly solidified materials and devices such as novel batteries
- superb facilities for 3-D atom probe analysis (including LEAP 5000XS and LEAP 5000XR);
- an alloy processing and mechanical properties laboratory, for aerospace and nuclear materials; and
- a wide range of specialist modelling software and if appropriate for your research project, access to Oxford's Advanced Research Computing facilities.
The department’s Institute for Industrial Materials and Manufacturing provides pilot scale facilities for the manufacture of alloys, polymer and ceramic coatings, prototype optoelectronic, semiconductor, superconductor and sensor devices and novel metallurgical nano-scale materials.
The Oxford Materials Characterisation Service provides a major suite of equipment for the characterisation of materials used in microtechnology and nanotechnology.
In addition to the excellent central and college library provision, there is a specialist Materials Science Library housed within the department.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Materials and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found from outside the Department of Materials.
Typically, you should expect to have meetings with your supervisor or a member of the supervisory team with a frequency of at least once every two weeks averaged across the year. The regularity of these meetings may be subject to variations according to the time of the year, and the stage you are at in your research programme.
Assessment
In common with many other UK universities, the first year is a probationary year, soon after which, subject to satisfactory progress, you will normally transfer from Probationer Research Student (PRS) to full DPhil status. A second formal assessment of progress, Confirmation of Status, takes place later in the programme, normally in the middle of the third year. The Transfer of Status and Confirmation of Status assessments are conducted by two members of staff other than the student’s supervisor(s) or advisors.
Examination for the DPhil takes place at the end of the programme by means of a written thesis and an oral examination.
Graduate destinations
Graduates of the DPhil and MSc by Research in Materials are highly regarded by a wide range of employers, including universities, high-tech start-up companies, engineering consultancies, industry (including aerospace, electronics, automotive, steel manufacture, medical and household products sectors), world-famous technology companies, schools and colleges, and the financial and business sectors.
Changes to this course
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Research areas
Aluminium manufacturing is directly responsible for 2% of global CO2 emissions and increasing recycling rates is urgently needed to accelerate its decarbonization. However, current aluminium recycling processes are not capable of dealing with low-grade ‘dirty’ scrap and heavily rely on energy intensive primary metal to tightly constrain impurity levels. Impurity elements have the tendency to segregate during solidification and precipitate into harmful intermetallic compounds (IMCs) which compromise the material performance even at small volume fractions. A radical alternative is to shift from composition tuning to microstructure tuning, wherein properties are engineered using designed solidification conditions to manipulate impurities into forming benign and finely dispersed IMCs, rather than the ‘naturally’ occurring plate-like detrimental compounds. However, practical applications of this concept are still underexploited because the methodologies to promote these more benign IMC morphologies are not known. Within the group, an experimental methodology has been developed, which combines in-situ X-ray imaging with ex-situ electron microscopy and XCT, to investigate the role of impurities on the formation of IMCs and how to manipulate them. The group's initial work has demonstrated that IMC morphologies can be significantly manipulated by controlling their nucleation and growth using ‘inoculants’ and ‘modifiers’ additions.
This project will develop the necessary science and understanding to design new inoculants and modifiers for the most problematic IMCs present in automotive and aerospace aluminium alloys. A methodology will be developed to accelerate the selection of potential additions tailored to specific IMCs and experimentally assess their effectiveness via electron microscopy and thermal analysis. Time-resolved X-ray imaging, both in laboratory and at the synchrotron, will be utilised to investigate the performance of the additions under industrial relevant solidification conditions. Additionally, if time allows, the research will explore scalable processing routes for effectively introducing these additions into the liquid metal during the casting process.
Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26
Proven and potential academic excellence
The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our guidance to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a suitable science subject.
The qualification above should normally be achieved in one of the following subject areas:
- materials science
- chemistry
- physics
- engineering
- mathematics.
However, other subjects may be acceptable depending on the area of research chosen.
For candidates offering a UK bachelor's degree or UK integrated undergraduate master's degree normally an overall grade of at least 65% is required.
As examples of international equivalents to this requirement: for the US system a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 on a four-year bachelor's programme is normally regarded as equivalent and for the Chinese system an overall degree mark of 85% on a four-year bachelor's degree programme from a Double First Class University department is normally regarded as equivalent.
In some countries at least some of their bachelor's degrees are not acceptable for direct progression to a PhD in that country; normally such degrees are not acceptable for entry to the course unless the candidate also holds or expects to achieve a master's degree with an overall mark equivalent to at least 65% in a UK taught master's degree.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
Normally the required qualification(s) must be achieved by the date of commencement of the research programme for which you have applied.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
Additional indicators considered when assessing an application against the department's criteria include performance in previous research project(s), the award of national prizes, the award of substantial scholarships to assist with previous university-level study/activity (if you mention such scholarships in your CV please indicate the monetary value and duration), preliminary knowledge of relevant research techniques, and your suitability for the research projects in which you have expressed interest.
The criteria against which your written application and performance at interview will be assessed are:
- appropriate indicators of proven and/or potential: academic excellence, research excellence, originality, ability to absorb new ideas, reasoning ability, creativity of thought, initiative, and capacity for sustained and intense work;
- sufficient evidence, in the view of the assessors, to suggest that you have the academic ability, motivation and commitment to (i) pursue the chosen research programme to a successful conclusion within the required time limits, and (ii) to pursue research in the subject of materials at a high level;
- the programme of study, including research topic, that you wish to pursue is well suited to the academic interests and abilities to which you and/or your referees have drawn attention in your application. For some projects this may include the ability to work as part of a team; and
- sufficient evidence of ability to (i) engage in a scientific or technical discussion in English at a satisfactory level, both verbally and in writing, (ii) understand a reasoned case presented in English and (iii) present a reasoned case in English.
Publications are not essential but will be taken into account. Please include in your CV the references and abstracts of any publications you may have in peer-reviewed international journals.
Further guidance
It should be noted that acceptance on a particular programme gives no guarantee of final success, and all research programmes require you to develop your learning and skills to new levels in order successfully to undertake all the assessment hurdles of a research programme.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's standard level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's standard level are detailed in the table below.
| Test | Minimum overall score | Minimum score per component |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| TOEFL iBT* including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490) | 100 | Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24 |
| C1 Advanced† | 185 | 176 |
| C2 Proficiency‡ | 185 | 176 |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 155 | 145 |
*Changes to the TOEFL iBT test are being introduced on 21 January 2026. If you are taking a TOEFL test after this date, please note that these changes may affect whether the University is able to accept this test.
†Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
‡Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement.
It is very important that, at the earliest possible opportunity, you take steps to meet the University’s standard minimum English language requirement. If you have yet to attain this minimum level any offer of a place that may be made to you will be conditional on your achieving the standard minimum requirement. Students who require a visa will not be able to apply for this visa until they have met this and other conditions of their offer. If you do not meet the conditions of your offer by the deadline set by the department, normally the offer will lapse.
Please note that it can take up to three months to obtain an examination date for IELTS or TOEFL, so it is strongly recommended that all applicants who need an English test apply for one at the earliest opportunity, and preferably sufficiently in advance that you would have time to obtain a date for a retake examination should this be necessary. In this respect please note also that the department requires not only a minimum overall score in the English test but also minimum scores in each individual component of the tests.
Declaring extenuating circumstances
If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
References
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews for short-listed candidates are normally held as part of the admissions process.
Interviews normally take place after you submit your application and normally within an eight-working week period of the application deadline for which you submitted a complete application.
These interviews may be conducted face-to-face or by telephone or video-link. Shortlisting for interview is carried out according to the criteria included in the present entry requirements as judged from your written application (including references).
Normally the applications of candidates who are recommended post-interview by a prospective supervisor as suitable for a place will be assessed by at least two members of staff with experience of supervising doctoral students and in addition may be assessed by the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. All decisions to offer a place require approval by the Director of Graduate Studies or deputy.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions.
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
This course may require you to obtain an ATAS certificate before you can apply for a visa/immigration permission. If you are offered a place, the academic department will confirm whether an ATAS certificate is required. If so, they will also send you the information you need to apply for one. You can apply for ATAS whilst your offer is conditional and before the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. Further information about ATAS is available on the student visa webpages.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
Funding
This studentship project is funded by UKRI. Due to restrictions on international student recruitment to UKRI grants, only applications from applicants who meet the residential eligibility criteria for UKRI funding will be considered. The successful applicant who is offered a place on this course will be offered a fully-funded scholarship, covering all course fees for the duration of their course and a living stipend.
Costs
Annual course fees
The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.
Fees for the 2025-26 academic year at the University of Oxford
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £10,070 |
| Overseas | £33,370 |
What do course fees cover?
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional costs information below.
How long do I need to pay course fees?
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year fees will usually increase annually, as explained in the University’s Terms and Conditions.
Graduate students who have reached the end of their standard period of fee liability will be required to pay a University continuation charge and/or a college continuation charge.
The University continuation charge, per term for entry in 2025-26 is £672, please be aware that this will increase annually. For part-time students, the termly charge will be half of the termly rate payable by full-time students.
If a college continuation charge applies (not applicable for non-matriculated courses) it will be between £100 and £600, as explained in our information about continuation charges. Please contact your college for more details, including information about whether your college's continuation charge is applied at a different rate for part-time study.
Where can I find more information about fees?
Our fees and other charges pages provide further information, including details about:
- course fees and fee liability;
- how your fee status is determined;
- changes to fees and other charges; and
- continuation charges.
Information about how much fees and other costs will usually increase each academic year is set out in the University's Terms and Conditions.
Additional costs
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for funding from your department to help you cover some of these expenses.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
Living costs for full-time study
For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student are published below. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (if dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).
Further information about living costs
The current economic climate and periods of high national inflation in recent years make it harder to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation.
A breakdown of likely living costs for one month during the 2025-26 academic year are shown below. These costs are based on a single, full-time graduate student, with no dependants, living in Oxford.
| Lower range | Upper range | |
|---|---|---|
| Food | £330 | £515 |
| Accommodation | £790 | £955 |
| Personal items | £200 | £335 |
| Social activities | £45 | £100 |
| Study costs | £40 | £90 |
| Other | £20 | £40 |
| Total | £1,425 | £2,035 |
For information about how these figures have been calculated as well as tables showing the likely living costs for one, nine and twelve months of study during the 2026-27 academic year, please refer to the living costs page of our website.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference.
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
The following colleges accept students on this course:
Before you apply
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
Due to restrictions on international student recruitment to UKRI grants, only applications from applicants who meet the residential eligibility criteria for UKRI funding will be considered.
Application fee - waived for all applications to this course
The application fee of £20, which is usually payable per course application, will be waived for all applications to this course. When you submit your application you will not be shown the screen that collects payment details and you will not need to enter a waiver code.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
We recommend contacting the project supervisor, Dr Enzo Liotti, ahead of submitting your application.
Please ensure that you have researched the specialisms of the department and those of your potential supervisor(s) before making contact. You can also contact the Admissions Administrator using the contact details provided on this page if you have additional queries.
Improving access to graduate study
This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.
Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Proposed field and title of research project
Please leave 'Field and title of research project' blank on the 'Course' tab of the application form.
Proposed supervisor
It is not necessary for you to identify a potential supervisor in your application.
Referees:
Three overall, of which at least one must be academic
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
Professional references are welcomed, but these must be obtained from your line manager (or equivalent). At least one academic reference must be provided.
Your references will support your intellectual ability, academic achievement and potential, motivation, creativity, and ability to work singly and in a group.
Official transcript(s)
Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
CV/résumé
A CV/résumé is compulsory for this course. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic achievements and any relevant professional experience.
Research proposal:
A minimum of 1,000 words, up to a maximum of 1,500 words
You should submit an outline of your proposed research, written in English. The overall word count should not include any bibliography.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
You should explain why you are keen to work on this specific IDLA project and your reasons for applying.
Inevitably your ideas will change as you develop your project. You should nevertheless make the best effort you can to describe the extent and ambition of your proposed research using sources and methods from the current literature. Your proposal should focus on your research ambitions in engineering, rather than on personal achievements, interests and aspirations.
This will be assessed for:
- your past commitment to sustained and intense study and your reasons for wishing to undertake research
- evidence of interest in, experience of, and understanding of the proposed area of study
- the originality of the proposed research
- the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available
- your ability to present a reasoned and coherent case in English.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice.
Apply - Full time Continue application
After you've submitted your application
Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can find out more about our shortlisting and selection process in our detailed guide to what happens next.
Find out how to manage your application after submission, using our Applicant Self-Service tool.