Master’s by Research opportunities in Chemistry and Forensic Science

Our dynamic Chemistry and Forensic Science research community produces innovative and interdisciplinary research. Our work has application in many industries, including renewable energy, medicine and security.

Below is a list of the current self-funded Research Master’s projects available. We also offer PhD projects – some with funding options. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or would like to talk about an area not listed or have any questions about studying with us.

Criteria

Open to Home and Overseas (including EU) students, successful candidates will demonstrate academic excellence and outstanding research potential.

Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, a first or upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject, and ideally a Master’s degree or equivalent.

Please note that additional research fees of £750 apply to each of the listed projects.

How to apply

Once you have identified a project you are interested in, contact the named supervisor by email to discuss the possibility of undertaking an MSc under their supervision. Please outline your interest in the research project, supply a CV including all relevant experience and details of how you will fund your study. After securing a project and a supervisor, you can proceed to make an online application for your chosen course.

For further information on how to apply online for Postgraduate research degrees, see our website. Alternatively, please contact information@kent.ac.uk with any questions on how to proceed.

Our projects

Click on the headings for details of the projects offered:

Chemistry

Forensic Science

Chemistry


Developing low dimensional transition metal frameworks for efficient cryogenic cooling
Supervisor: Dr Paul Saines
Course: Chemistry

Cooling to temperatures below 20 K is key for quantum computing, medical imaging and liquefaction for the hydrogen economy. Magnetocalorics offer an efficient solid-state method for such cryogenic cooling, via an entropically drive process driven by cycled magnetic fields; magnetocalorics offer a replacement for increasingly scarce and expensive liquid helium. We have recently shown that frameworks with ferromagnetic lanthanide chains with weaker coupling between them via polyatomic ligands are promising magnetocalorics. We will explore frameworks incorporating 3d metals into similar 1D structures to develop more sustainable magnetocalorics. It will provide training in coordination framework synthesis, crystal structure analysis and magnetic property characterisation.

Metal-organic frameworks for cathodes for alkali-metal batteries
Supervisor: Dr Paul Saines
Course: Chemistry

We are heavily dependent on Li-ion batteries for storing clean energy creating a need for new cathode materials that both enhance capacity and cyclability but also allow us to replace Li with cheaper, more abundant alkali metals. The redox properties of oxalate ligands has been recently shown to lead to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) cathodes with enhanced cyclability and capacity. This should be enhanced by the increased conjugation in related ligands so we will exploit the underexplored chemistry of fumarate frameworks combining alkali and transition metals for new cathode materials. The project will provide training in MOF synthesis, structural characterisation and battery preparation/testing.

Development of Redox-active Macrocycles as Antioxidants for Therapeutic Agents
Supervisor: Dr Mandeep Kaur Chahal
Course: Chemistry

Supramolecular scaffolds such as resorcinarenes, calixarenes, and tetrapyrrolic macrocycles with sterically hindered phenols (SHPs) can play a crucial role in the delocalization of the unpaired electron (generated by the donated hydrogen atom from hydroxyl group to the reactive radical). Therefore, synthesizing analogs derived from the conjugation of supramolecular scaffold and SHPs can lead to potentially strong antioxidant molecules. In this direction, recently, Tyurin et al reported the antioxidant activity of 2,6-dialkylphenol-substituted tetrapyrrolic macrocycles. Surprisingly their antioxidant efficiency (AE) turned out to be better than commercial reference antioxidants (BHT and Dibornol). This outcome leads to the next questions: Can we add additional SHP units on these supramolecular macrocyclic cores and what will be the AE of these new Supramolecules? In that direction, we propose to synthesise a family of SHP-macrocycles with multiple-phenolic units. Further, we will investigate the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of SHPs-substituted macrocycles as antioxidants and their redox characteristics.

Development of Tetrapyrrolic Porphyrin dyes for Photoacoustic Detection of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species (RONS)
Supervisor: Dr Mandeep Kaur Chahal
Course: Chemistry

A few reports exist in the literature exploring the use of tetrapyrroles and inspired compounds as photoacoustic imaging probes. These results present promising starting points but also highlight the need for major synthetic modification of the chromophore unit to shift weak Q-band absorption (λmax < 700 nm, ε = 5000 M−1cm−1) to the NIR to have deep tissue penetration. In this project, we are proposing the development of synthetic modifications of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles to shift their absorption to the Near-Infrared (NIR) region. These dyes will be studied as templates for the detection of a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species such as H2O2, tBuOOH, KO2, NaNO3, NaOCl using different analytical techniques. These properties of long absorption and response towards reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) offer huge potential for these dyes to act as probes for in vitro sensing of RONS with Photoacoustic (PA) Imaging.

Green Chemistry for Next Generation Refrigerants
Supervisor: Dr Helena Shepherd
Course: Chemistry

Commercial air-conditioning and refrigeration systems rely on harmful greenhouse gasses that can leak into the environment. They are being phased out due to their environmental impact and new materials capable of efficient cooling are needed. While we have identified some possible candidates to replace these gasses, we need to make sure they are significantly less damaging for the environment. This project involves designing new synthetic routes for these candidate materials according to the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Possibilities might include using more Earth abundant metals, replacing dangerous reagents or reducing the amount of solvents required in their synthesis. All of these parameters need to be weighed against the need to scale up the reactions to industrial quantities without being too expensive. The project will involve a wide range of synthetic approaches and analytical techniques, preparing you for a huge variety of scientific careers.

Smart Co-Crystals
Supervisor: Dr Helena Shepherd
Course: Chemistry

This project involves making ‘smart’ molecules that can switch their colour, structure and magnetic properties in response to various stimuli including light, temperature and pressure. Applications include next generation refrigerants, sensor devices and soft robotics. The search for these new materials will be via co-crystallisation of metal complexes with additives that can improve their properties. Synthesis is fairly simple, using techniques that are commonly found in the pharmaceutical industry. Characterisation will be performed in the solid state via X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, aiming to understand how the additives control the properties of the smart material. You will gain technical and problem-solving skills that will set you up for a career in scientific research and development.

Spray-Painting and Ink-Jet Printing for Smart Packaging
Supervisor: Dr Helena Shepherd
Course: Chemistry

Each year, billions of pounds worth of food and medicines are needlessly wasted after passing sell-by dates. If it was possible to detect which items were still usable, much of this wastage could be prevented. The aim of this project is to use spray-painting or ink-jet printing of reagents to synthesise sensor molecules that can report on the condition of the item in-situ. In the long term, these sensors can be incorporated directly into packaging on a large-scale to reduce waste. The project will involve initial testing of simple reactions under mild conditions, followed by optimisation of the printing or painting process. Characterisation of the molecules and their colour-changing ability in the presence of various stimuli will be performed using microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. You will become an expert in method development and thinking outside the box, perfect skills for the next steps in your career.

Stardust Reactions: Probing the Astrochemistry of Ethanolamine
Supervisor: Dr Felipe Fantuzzi
Course: Chemistry

Ethanolamine, a prebiotic molecule detected in the interstellar medium, provides important clues about the chemical pathways that may have contributed to the origins of life. This project investigates how clusters of ethanolamine assemble into increasingly complex, fully bound structures under extraterrestrial and astrobiological conditions. The findings will demonstrate how simple interstellar species evolve into more sophisticated molecular networks, possibly leading to biologically relevant compounds. Identifying new reaction routes for complex molecule formation links observational astrochemistry with laboratory experiments, expanding our understanding of how life’s fundamental chemical ingredients can arise in space.

Reinventing Main-Group Reactivity: Low-Valent Elements with Cutting-Edge Ligands
Supervisor: Dr Felipe Fantuzzi
Course: Chemistry

Boron, beryllium, and aluminium in low-valent states represent intriguing frontiers of modern chemistry. This project explores how tuneable ligands—including N-heterocyclic carbenes—govern the bonding and reactivity of these elements. Through integration of computational methods with experimental insights, this research will clarify how ligand design can modulate oxidation states, stabilise unusual bonding motifs, and unlock new reaction pathways. Ultimately, these studies aim to broaden the scope of main-group chemistry, offering fresh alternatives to traditional transition-metal strategies and paving the way for innovative applications in catalysis, materials science, and beyond.

Mechanochemical manipulation of lunar and Martian soil analogue materials
Supervisor: Dr Jon Tandy
Course: Chemistry

The surfaces of many planetary bodies experience weathering, large fluctuations in their temperature and crater forming impacts. Understanding the chemical and mineralogical modification of planetary materials induced by these processes is therefore crucial for the interpretation of samples retrieved by current and future space missions. This project will use thermal cycling and mechanochemistry techniques to study the chemical and physical changes induced by energetic processing events (like saltation) on materials that simulate lunar and Martian soils (or regolith). The project will evaluate differences between naturally and synthetically sourced simulants and the effect of environmental conditions (e.g. thermal cycles) on these altered materials. A suite of analytical techniques including SEM-EDS, TGA, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy will be utilised to comprehensively examine the induced chemistry.

Moving towards the clinic, combining antimicrobial and anticancer efficacy enhancement agents to simultaneously treat urinary tract infections and bladder cancer
Supervisor: Professor Jennifer Hiscock
Course: Chemistry

Bladder cancer kills over 200,000 individuals worldwide per year (>5,000 in the UK) and has an average 10-year survival rate of <50%. Around 90% of all bladder cancer patients have urothelial bladder cancer, and many of these are treated by surgery followed by chemotherapy. The chemotherapy most often used is mitomycin C (MMC), delivered via catheter directly to the bladder. However, cancer recurs in 50-70% of these patients and research has shown that a key issue is the ineffective entry of MMC into the bladder cancer cells.
Interestingly, MMC also acts as an antineoplastic antibiotic, inhibiting DNA synthesis. Antibiotics are often given to bladder cancer patients as they undergo surgical procedures relating to their treatment due to the inherent risk of infection. Catheterisation of a patient is also known to lead to catheter-associated urinary tract infections, the most common healthcare-associated infection, and cause of secondary bloodstream infections. These infections are often caused by hospital-based pathogens with a propensity toward antimicrobial resistance, which in some instances can be attributed to changes in cellular phospholipid membrane composition.

The project
Hiscock is the inventor of the patented supramolecular self-associating amphiphile (SSA) platform technology. This technology has been shown to enable the tailored production of molecules which increase the activity of both anticancer and antimicrobial agents, while simultaneously being shown to act as antimicrobials (MIC = 4 µg/mL) in their own right. To date the cellular targets of the SSAs have included bladder cancer cell lines and ESKAPE pathogenic bacteria, in both planktonic and biofilm forms. The hypothesised mechanism of action for this SSA technology includes the ability of an SSA to selectively coordinate to, and subsequently permeate, a target cell’s phospholipid membranes. This enables SSAs to increase the permeability of these cellular membranes towards other therapeutic agents such as MMC.
Our challenge now is to combine current lead SSAs and develop next-generation molecules using intelligent molecular design principles based on quantitative structure activity relationships, to increase the efficacy of MMC not only against bladder cancer cells, but also against microbes which are known to cause post treatment infection. This will simultaneously decrease the risk of post-treatment infection and the risk of the cancer returning in those patients treated with MMC.

Computational Chemistry of Energy Materials for Batteries, Solar, Green Hydrogen, and Net Zero
Supervisor: Dr Gavin Mountjoy
Course: Chemistry

Materials chemistry is needed to transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy technology with reduced carbon emissions (net zero). Key such energy materials are electrodes for batteries photovoltaics for solar, and catalysts for green hydrogen. Training will be given in chemical databases, visualisation software, and molecular dynamics. These techniques will be used to discover new material properties dependent on composition and temperature. The project results will be published in physical chemistry journals (as in Dr. Mountjoy’s publication record). The student will gain expertise in computational solid state chemistry, and energy materials (as have Dr Mountjoy’s previous MSc and PhD students).

Forensic Science


Luminescent Detection of Gunshot Residue
Supervisor: Dr Paul Saines
Course: Forensic Science

Adding materials that glow under UV light to the primer and propellant in ammunition provides a method to aid the initial “presumptive” presence of gunshot residue (GSR). This potentially reduces cost and improves reliability compared to current chemical techniques. Many lanthanide coordination frameworks have such useful luminescent properties. We will apply these frameworks to detecting GSR including understanding how best to optimise luminescence while reducing cost by tuning their chemistry and establish how they change under the high temperatures generated when a gun is fired. This is planned to involve using the School’s new ballistic facility working with Dr Chris Shepherd.

Sustainable Forensic Science: Amazonian Natural Products for Fingermark Detection
Supervisor: Dr Felipe Fantuzzi
Course: Chemistry, Forensic Science

Conventional forensic reagents such as ninhydrin can be effective but often pose environmental and cost challenges, particularly in resource-limited regions. This project explores genipin—a naturally occurring iridoid extracted from Genipa americana—as a renewable, eco-friendly alternative for latent fingermark detection. Reaction with amino acids produces a vibrant blue pigment absorbing near 600 nm, promising strong contrast without toxic by-products. Advanced calculations will reveal how different oligomer sizes and functionalisations affect absorption maxima, guiding optimal reagent design. Ultimately, this research aims to deliver cost-effective, sustainable methods that maintain high evidential standards.

Universal Elements, Local Voices: The Ticuna Periodic Table Project
Supervisor: Dr Felipe Fantuzzi
Course: Chemistry, Forensic Science

Over 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide, with approximately 3,000 classified as indigenous. Yet, for many of these communities, the “chemical alphabet”—the periodic table—remains untranslated or misrepresented. This project aims to bridge that gap by developing a multilingual database of chemical elements, starting with Ticuna—the language of one of the largest indigenous groups in the Amazon basin. Serving as a blueprint for incorporating other indigenous languages, this project will make chemical knowledge more accessible across diverse cultural contexts, ensuring that chemistry truly speaks to everyone.

Investigating Microplastic Deposition and Adsorption on Graphene Surfaces
Supervisor: Dr Felipe Fantuzzi
Course: Chemistry, Forensic Science

Microplastic pollution poses a growing environmental threat, yet the fundamental mechanisms governing its interaction with surfaces remain poorly understood. This project investigates the adsorption and deposition of pyrene-based microplastics on graphene, combining density functional theory and multiscale modelling to bridge atomic-scale interactions with macroscopic behaviour. DFT calculations will provide key parameters for molecular dynamics simulations, enabling the study of bulk diffusion, periphery diffusion, and detachment processes. Simulated deposition and growth patterns will reveal how microplastics accumulate and evolve on surfaces over time, potentially guiding strategies for environmental remediation and sustainable materials design. Suitable for a PhD.

Human skeletal biology
Supervisor: Dr Patrick Mahoney
Course: Forensic Science

Dr Mahoney can supervise research in human skeletal biology and is happy to discuss potential projects.

Producing superior fingerprint powders using chemical taggants
Supervisor: Dr Jon Tandy
Course: Forensic Science

In recent years, there has been considerable advancements in chemical detection and labelling by utilising specific molecular moieties containing unique Raman signatures. This project will utilise Raman active compounds to create and test novel powders for the development of fingermarks on a variety of surfaces. The project will aim to create bespoke powders that possesses a unique spectral signature allowing a chemical map ‘image’ of a fingerprint to be measured using Raman microscopy. The project will then assess if combining this chemical ‘image’ with traditional visualisation techniques (e.g. digital photography) provides an overall enhanced representation of the fingermark that could increase confidence in suspect identification.

Using Optical Coherence Tomography to recover fingermarks on adhesive tape
Supervisor: Andrew Langley
Course: Forensic Science

Have you ever wondered how Forensic Scientists recover fingermarks from the sticky side of adhesive tape? In many cases it has proved to be an impossible challenge as the methods for removal often destroy the detail that is there. The aim of this project is to utilise Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and 3D rendering software to visualise and recover identifiable fingermarks on a range of commonly available adhesive tapes. OCT provides three-dimensional images of the sample, using visible and infra-red light to penetrate the surface of items. This provides high resolution cross sectional images, enabling visualisation of the marks in a non-destructive method.