Computation and Theory of Soft Materials

Expressions of interest in joining the Chakrabarti group in various capacities are welcome all year round. Please contact Dr Chakrabarti directly at d.chakrabarti@bham.ac.uk with your CV and a brief description of your academic background and research experience.

PhD Studentships

Programming Colloidal Self-Assembly for Designer Advanced Materials
A PhD studentship – competition-funded via Birmingham Chemistry Scholarships 2025 – is available in the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham on a project themed on designing and developing advanced materials, using high-performance computing and theory.
The scholarship must start no later than 1st October 2025.
Primary Supervisor: Dr Dwaipayan Chakrabarti, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham
Project description: Colloidal crystals, especially porous or open colloidal crystals, provide an exciting platform for designing soft advanced materials with tailor-made photonic, phononic and/or mechanical properties. An added advantage is that these designer advanced materials can be realised via self-assembly of colloidal particles in potentially scalable fabrication methods. The challenges involve exploring a rich parameter space for an optimal design of structure for the desired material properties and then programming self-assembly of colloidal particles into the optimally designed target crystal structure. In fact, programming self-assembly of 3D colloidal open crystals has proved elusive. The present PhD project is focused on addressing these challenges, using computation and theory in connection with recent advances in colloid synthesis.
Dr Chakrabarti leads a state-of-the art research programme at the interface of soft matter and advanced materials. The Chakrabarti group has active collaborations with several esteemed research groups from within and beyond the UK, and hosts students from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Topological Design at the University of Birmingham. Dr Chakrabarti is also a Visiting Academic at Hiroshima University and a Co-Principal Investigator at the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM²).
Recent representative publications by the Chakrabarti group on programming colloidal self-assembly for open crystals and empty liquids are as follows:
- W. Flavell, A. Neophytou, A. Demetriadou, T. Albrecht and D. Chakrabarti, Adv. Mater. 35, 2211197 (2023).
  Programmed Self-Assembly of Single Colloidal Gyroids for Chiral Photonic Crystals
- A. Neophytou, D. Chakrabarti and F. Sciortino, Nat. Phys. 18, 1248 (2022).
  Topological nature of the liquid–liquid phase transition in tetrahedral liquids
- A. Neophytou, D. Chakrabarti and F. Sciortino, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 118, e2109776118 (2021).
  Facile self-assembly of colloidal diamond from tetrahedral patchy particles via ring selection
- A. Neophytou, V. N. Manoharan and D. Chakrabarti, ACS Nano 15, 2668 (2021).
  Self-Assembly of Patchy Colloidal Rods into Photonic Crystals Robust to Stacking Faults
- A. B. Rao, J. Shaw, A. Neophytou, D. Morphew, F. Sciortino, R. L. Johnston and D. Chakrabarti,
  ACS Nano 14, 5348 (2020).
  Leveraging Hierarchical Self-Assembly Pathways for Realizing Colloidal Photonic Crystals
- D. Morphew, J. Shaw, C. Avins and D. Chakrabarti, ACS Nano 12, 2355 (2018).
  Programming Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Patchy Particles into Colloidal Crystals via Colloidal Molecules
Please visit here for further details of the Chakrabarti group’s research.
Person specification: Candidates suitable for the project should expect to have (or hold) a first-class honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry / Physics / Materials Science / Chemical Engineering or in a related discipline, and relevant experience in computational and theoretical studies, especially those underpinned by theories of statistical mechanics and wave propagation in periodic structures. Applicants will be shortlisted based on the information provided in the application process and invited for interview.
The University of Birmingham is strongly committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. The School of Chemistry holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award in recognition of its work in promoting women’s careers in STEM subjects in higher education, and is keen to welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
How to apply: For consideration for Birmingham Chemistry Scholarships 2025, please follow the two-step application process outlined here. It is recommended that you contact Dr Dwaipayan Chakrabarti at d.chakrabarti@bham.ac.uk to discuss the project in further detail before you apply, should you wish to apply for a Birmingham Chemistry Scholarship 2025 on this project under his supervision.
Application deadline: The closing date for applications is midnight 3rd February 2025. Please ensure that your referees have submitted their references by the application deadline.
MSc by Research Studentships
A number of research projects in the area of computational soft materials are available for the degree programme of MSc by Research, which involves undertaking a twelve-month (full time) research project leading to the submission of a thesis, followed by a viva examination, if necessary. The MSc by Research programme has no taught component. However, candidates will receive training in research-related skills such as scientific communications and public engagement, and may be able to attend masters courses taught as part of our standard integrated MSci degree programme to consolidate their training. Please contact Dr Chakrabarti at d.chakrabarti@bham.ac.uk with your expression of interest to discuss potential project(s) before submitting formal applications.
General information on scholarships for international students is available here.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Eligible candidates, who are interested to explore the following funding opportunities for postdoctoral research fellowships with Dr Chakrabarti as the host, are encouraged to conatct well in advance.
- Newton International Fellowships
- MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships
Undergraduate/Masters
While UoB students are hosted for undergraduate/Masters research projects, visiting studenships could also be arranged.

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