Indoor solar cells for sustainable smart buildings
The University of St Andrews and Macquarie University are pleased to offer a scholarship funded by both institutions to support an exceptional student undertaking doctoral research.
This joint PhD scholarship from St Andrews and Macquarie supports the development of high-performance indoor photovoltaic devices based on environmentally friendly, innovative green-solvent formulations.
Key details
- 20268948
- PhD
- Call for expressions of interest closes 18 December 2026
- Domestic, International
- Engineering, science
- AUD$40,900 (2027 rate) while on Macquarie University campus; £20,467 per annum pro rata while on University of St Andrews campus
Full project title: Green solvent processing of high-performance halide perovskite indoor solar cells
Indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) are rapidly emerging as a key technology for powering:
- low-energy electronics
- the Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart buildings
- sensors under artificial light conditions.
While halide perovskite indoor photovoltaics have achieved remarkable power conversion efficiencies exceeding 35 per cent, current fabrication processes depend heavily on toxic solvents such as N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) and controlled inert-atmosphere conditions, limiting their environmental sustainability and large-scale deployment.
To address these challenges, the proposed PhD project will develop high-performance indoor photovoltaic devices based on environmentally friendly, innovative green-solvent formulations that eliminate toxic organic solvents and enable scalable, sustainable manufacturing under ambient conditions.
This project will be co-supervised by:
- Dr Lethy Krishnan Jagadamma (St Andrews)
- Professor Shujuan Huang (Macquarie)
- Dr Binesh Puthen Veettil (Macquarie).
Eligibility
Admission and scholarship criteria of both universities must be met.
- For St Andrews, refer to how to apply and entry requirements.
- For Macquarie University, refer to PhD entry and English language requirements and graduate research scholarship eligibility criteria.
Mode of study
Full-time
Year of entry
2027-2028 academic year (St Andrews), 2027 academic year (Macquarie).
Students will enrol at both institutions from the outset. In terms of their location for study, two entry points for students are available:
- If beginning at St Andrews, 27 September 2027 or 27 January 2028.
- If beginning at Macquarie, 1 October 2027 or 1 February 2028.
Additional criteria
Applicants must not already:
- hold a doctoral degree
- be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews, Macquarie University, or another institution.
Duration of award
The scholarship duration is up to 3.5 years. The student will be expected to spend half of the award term at the University of St Andrews and half at Macquarie University. The successful candidate will be expected to have completed the doctorate degree by the end of the award term. The award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.
Funding
Funding arrangements are made on the basis that:
- For the period spent at the University of St Andrews, the scholarships will comprise a full tuition fee award and an annual stipend paid at a rate set by the University of St Andrews. For 2026 to 2027, the stipend is £20,467 per annum pro rata. The 2027-2028 rate will be published as soon as possible.
- Macquarie will fund a living allowance scholarship per position at an annual rate of AUD$40,900 (2027 rate, tax exempt), paid pro-rata while the student is in Australia. A tuition fee scholarship will be granted for the period of joint enrolment up to 42 months. Macquarie will also provide:
- an airfare allowance for flights between the UK and Australia up to a maximum of AUD$4000 to be arranged by the Graduate Research Academy
- a Single Overseas Student Health Cover with Macquarie’s preferred provider.
Unless otherwise specified, the scholarships do not cover:
- any continuation, extension or resubmission period/fees
- a research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses
- support for travel, immigration, health insurance and related charges between the partner institutions.
Submit your expression of interest (EOI) to:
- Dr Lethy Krishnan Jagadamma (St Andrews supervisor) at lkj2@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Professor Shujuan Huang (Macquarie supervisor) at shujuan.huang@mq.edu.au
- Dr Binesh Puthen Veettil (Macquarie supervisor) at binesh.puthenveettil@mq.edu.au
- cc gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au.
The participating schools at St Andrews and the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie in coordination with the academic supervisors will complete the selection process.
EOI documents to be submitted:
- CV including information about publications
- transcripts of most relevant/recent degrees
- information about thesis components (thesis mark, word count, weight/length in comparison to the degree overall)
- statement of suitability as a candidate for the project (max 500 words)
- indication that the student meets the English language requirements for entry into a PhD program at both universities, or willingness to obtain relevant English language proficiency test results.
The Global Office at St Andrews will work with the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie to arrange official notification of scholarship awards, invite scholarship awardees to formally apply for admission to both universities by the beginning of April 2027, and conclude contractual arrangements which must be in place prior to the start of the degree.
Students who are nominated for the award will be asked to formally apply for the relevant PhD course code and Cotutelle/joint PhD scholarship through the Macquarie application portal.