CSIRO

About CSIRO

CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, is a multidisciplinary research organization that uses science and technology to solve challenges and improve people's lives. Established in 1916, CSIRO has a history of delivering significant innovations and benefits to the nation, with a focus on areas like food security, clean energy, health, environment, and industry.

The CSIRO Industry PhD Scholarship (iPhD) Program is an industry-focused, applied research scholarship and training program that brings together an industry partner, the university and CSIRO.

You will undertake a co-designed research project that will develop your ability to translate research into commercial outcomes.

You will get real-world experience and access to specialised expertise, equipment and training.

Our graduates develop transferable professional skills and are well positioned to work at the cutting edge of industry focussed research.

The CSIRO Industry PhD Program (iPhD) aims to produce the next generation of innovation leaders with the skills to work at the interface of research and industry in Australia.

The program will include:

• admission to QUT's PhD program
• supervision by QUT, CSIRO, and Xcel Sodium (industry partner)
• a four-year scholarship package totalling $47,000 per annum (2025 rate, indexed annually)
• a four-year Research Training Program (RTP) Fee-Offset
• a four-year project expense and development package of $13,000 per annum
• a three-month industry engagement component with Xcel Sodium
• a structured professional development and training program to develop your applied research skills.

Eligibility

The applicant must:

• be an Australian citizen or a Permanent Resident, or a New Zealand citizen
• meet the entry requirements for a QUT Doctor of Philosophy, including any English language requirements
• have not previously completed a PhD
• be able to commence the program in the year of the offer
• enrol as a full-time PhD student; part-time arrangements may be considered if approved by the supervisory team and in accordance with QUT's policy
• be prepared to be located at the project location(s) that QUT has approved and, if required, comply with QUT's external enrolment procedures
• be prepared to undergo onboarding to CSIRO, which will include passing mandatory government background checks (allow for between four to eight weeks) and completing any other CSIRO requirements.

Ideally, the applicant will have or is finishing a bachelor's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, material science or engineering or relevant fields.

Preference will be given to an honour’s student or a master's degree by research student.

About the project and Scholarships

The rapid adoption of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) in electric vehicles and energy storage globally is generating a significant volume of waste end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The battery separator, 5% of the battery mass, is a soft plastic in every LIB cell to prevent short circuits. The current state-of-the-art LIB recycling plant primarily focuses on recycling the precious metal from waste LIBs. The separator waste is either landfilled or burnt, which translates to about 10,000 ton of toxic emissions per year from each single standard recycling plant. The situation can only get worse with the increasing uptake of LIBs.

Sodium battery is a promising alternative for energy storage if precious metal prices for making LIB remain high. This project will mainly focus on the recovery of LIB separator material and explore economic applications of the recovered separator materials, such as turning it into high-value hard carbon for making sodium battery anode material.

The project will help increase the material recovery rate in the LIB recycling process and reduce waste and carbon footprint in the battery value chain. By returning waste to battery manufacturing, the project will make the battery value chain more sustainable. The technology may be transferable for transforming other types of soft plastic into high-demand valuable products.

If the project encounters major technical difficulties in pursuing a recovery separator and making useful products from recovered separator material, the parties may agree to shift the project to the recovery and utilisation of other valuable material from LIB.

The primary location of the research is at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Gardens Point Campus.

How to apply

The first step is to email Dr Yanyan Zhao (yanyan.zhao@csiro.au) and Professor Deepak Dubal (deepak.dubal@qut.edu.au) detailing your academic and research background, your motivation to research in this field and your interest in this scholarship, and include your CV.

• If nominated to apply, you will then submit an expression of interest (EOI) to QUT following the advice at 

https://www.qut.edu.au/research/study-with-us/how-to-apply

• In your EOI, nominate Professor Deepak Dubal as your proposed principal supervisor, and copy the link to this scholarship website into question two of the financial details section.
• https://www.qut.edu.au/study/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships/lithium-ion-battery-separator-material-recovery-and-utilisation-qutcsirogrape-energy-phd-scholarship