Materials science and engineering: MSc by Research - Zinc Alloys for Biodegradable Implants (RS984)

Funding Providers: COATED CDT industry consortium  

Subject Area: Materials 

Project Start Dates: October 2026 

** (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates.) 

**In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed. 

Supervisors: 

•  Prof David Penney 
•  Prof James Sullivan 
•  Dr Liz Sackett 

Aligned programme of study: Materials Engineering, MSc by Research - Swansea University  

Mode of study: Full time 

Place of study:  Swansea University (Bay Campus) 

Project description: 

Biodegradable metallic implants for fracture repair, orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications are an important application of novel alloys. A fixation plate, pin or stent that carries load while tissue heals, then dissolves harmlessly, removing the need for a second operation offers obvious benefits. Zinc alloys sit in the sweet spot between magnesium, which corrodes too quickly and evolves hydrogen, and iron, which corrodes too slowly. The engineering challenge is to improve mechanical integrity under cyclic physiological loading and to understand corrosion kinetics in representative solutions. 

This project’s primary focus will be corrosion fatigue. Implants do not sit still in a benign electrolyte; they are loaded thousands of times a day in a warm, chloride-rich, protein-containing environment. Static immersion testing tells us little about how a zinc alloy behaves when crack initiation and anodic dissolution act together. 

You will: 

• Characterise the microstructure and degradation behaviour of candidate zinc alloys in simulated body fluid 

• Design, build and commission a bespoke corrosion fatigue rig  

• Generate the first corrosion fatigue datasets for these alloys and assess implications for implant design life. 

This is a hands-on project with a strong design and instrumentation component.

MSc by Research: 

Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree at 2:1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant discipline. 

English Language: 

IELTS 6.5 Overall (5.5+ each comp.) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here. 

Note for international and European applicants:  

Details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.  

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in. 

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend  

(£12,000 for 2026/27). – October 2027 

Additional research expenses for building the corrosion rig will be available.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA (Full list of categories for HE in Wales) 

To apply, please complete the entire application form here. 

Applications may be submitted in Welsh and any application submitted in Welsh will be treated no less favourably than an application submitted in English. Please refer to the University’s Welsh Language Policy on Awarding Grants 

To be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required.  

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS984 

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory)  

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input: 

• the RS Code, RS984  
• the scholarship title  

• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank  

• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank  

• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload? *’(Mandatory) Please select Yes  

• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to pdf) 

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.  

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.  

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:  

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable). 
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert. 
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly.

Important: If you have previously applied for the same programme & intake, do not re‑apply using a different email address. Applications submitted with an email address that differs from the one used in your original application will not be accepted or considered. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.  

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):  

• CV 

• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)  

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.  

• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.  

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable - please note that you do not need to hold a valid English Language test at time of application, as any offer made can be conditional upon the appropriate level of English. Please find further information on what we can accept via our English Language policy pages here). 

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)  

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact:  

NAME: David Penney 

EMAIL: d.penney@swansea.ac.uk 

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.