As the academic year wraps up, our final-year research project students have recently presented their hard work from the past few months. Well done to all, and congratulations from the entire group!
To celebrate their success, the group enjoyed a well-deserved gathering at Pizza-on-the-Park!
It was very recently announced that Charl will be taking on a senior role within the University of Bristol – as Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Charl will be responsible for the wider global engagement for the faculty, making use of his extensive international contacts and experience to lead on a range of new initiatives. Charl will however still be (very!) research active, with 50% of his time still dedicated to his research group and related activities!
A new PhD position starting in September 2025 is available within the Faul Research Group. We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled student to join a dynamic team working on the synthesis and application of smart functional materials for mobility assistance and digital healthcare technologies. This funded 3.5-year position is available for both UK and international students.
This role supports the £14 million EPSRC-funded project, “The VIVO Hub for Enhanced Independent Living”, co-led by Prof. Charl F. J. Faul, in collaboration with numerous partners, including the Song laboratories (UCL), the NHS, leading UK and international research institutions, and industry leaders.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in chemistry or in a related discipline (materials science or engineering). Please see the details of the position here, or contact Prof. Charl F. J. Faul (charl.faul@bristol.ac.uk) directly for further information. Please ensure that your email subject line reads “PhD Application Enquiry – Vivo Hub”.
Please note that the closing date for applications will be on 17/03/2025.
A new paper titled ”Conductive hydrophobic graphene oxide films via laser-scribed surface modification” was accepted for publication in Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, led by Prof Shirin Alexander from Swansea and a team of researchers, including Dr Marcos Villeda Hernandez and Charl Faul. The study investigated the behaviour of a carboxylate functionalized graphene oxide with water repellent property and improved electrical conductivity.
A new research associate position with fixed funding for three years is available within the Faul Research Group, as part of the new £14 million EPSRC-funded project “The VIVO Hub for Enhanced Independent Living”. This project within the Faul Research Group will focus on novel functional and smart materials synthesis for applications to soft robotics and digital healthcare.This position is open ended. Feel free to click here to watch a short animated video about the Vivo Hub!
Please note that the closing date for applications will be at 23:59 UK time on 25/02/2025.
Charl spent last week in India and attended 3 conferences! The first was the very interesting QS India Summit 2025, exploring equitable partnerships, rankings and related matters. He then joined the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) 3rd Energy Transition Summit in New Delhi as panellist, and finally joined the PIE Live India Summit as panellist, hosted by the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC) – speaking on academia-industry interactions.
Thank you to colleagues from QS, FICCI, UKIBC, and The Pie for the kind hosting and invitations to contribute!
Ulia’s collaborative paper with Prof Ozlem Errol has now been published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials. Click here for the paper, published Open Access and available for free download!
Electrorheological fluids (ER) make up a class of smart materials that are distinguished by their capacity to alter their rheological characteristics in a controlled and reversible manner in response to an externally applied electric field (E). Three-dimensional (3D) conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) analogs of PAni have a nitrogen-rich porous and hierarchical structure, low density, and appropriate conductivity that can be used to explore ER performance and dispersion stability. Here, a carboxylic acid functionalized version was designed to obtain higher polarizability and appropriate conductivity without the need for a dedoping process and thus enhanced ER performance.
Happy New Year to group members, students, colleagues, collaborators and friends across the globe that celebrate the start of a new lunar year! May the year be filled with peace, family, friends and good health! Happy New Year! 🎉🎊🪅
A recent paper titled “Electrorheological Fluids Based on Porous Carboxyl-Functionalized Polytriphenylamines” authored by both Ulzhalgas Karatayeva and former postdoc Dr Ozlem Erol (now assistant professor at Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye), and Charl Faul has been accepted for publication in ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.
Further information and more details to follow soon!
Faul Research Group 