Prospective Postdoctoral Fellows
Researchers who are experienced in experimental and numerical combustion, optical diagnostics, spectroscopy, fluid mechanics, or aerosol material synthesis and are interested in post-doctoral work should contact Professor Thomson directly and also review appropriate NSERC supplements for post-doctoral researchers and SGS Postdoctoral Research Awards.
- (Available Now) Postdoctoral position in carbon nanoparticle (e.g. soot) modeling at Prof. Murray Thomson’s lab at the University of Toronto, Canada. Please click here for more information.
Prospective Ph.D. or M.A.Sc. students
A wide range of research projects is possible for students with NSERC, OGS, OGSST or similar graduate scholarships. Graduate students with such scholarships should contact Professor Thomson to discuss research possibilities in his areas of research. Prospective international Ph.D. students are encouraged to apply for the Ontario Trillium Scholarship (OTS) program and NSERC Vanier Scholarship.
For students in need of full funding (i.e. graduate research assistantship), the following projects are available. Graduate students are also encouraged to review SGS scholarship and Awards:
- (Available for Sept. 2021) The formation and oxidation of carbon nanoparticles are of interest to material synthesis, pollutant formation, and hydrogen production. A detailed fundamental understanding of carbon particulate formation and oxidation is still missing. Both laboratory experiments and numerical modeling will be used. This multiphysics study involves most thermo-fluids processes (fluid flow, heat transfer, diffusion, reactions, phase transfer, etc.). Detailed numerical modeling using our in-house code is used. High performance computing facilities are available.
- (Available for Sept. 2021) Hydrogen is currently an important input to industry (esp. fertilizer and oil industry) but it is produced from fossil fuel resulting in CO2 emissions. We are developing a new process that avoids CO2 emissions using electrical energy. The project includes both experiments and modeling. We are working with partners at the University of Alberta.
Prospective graduate students are encouraged to carefully read admission requirements for each graduate program. More information about graduate funding in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is included here.
Prospective M.Eng students.
- Investigation of combustion characteristics and pollution emissions of burning fast-pyrolysis oil (also called bio-oil) in a small sized burner:
For more details please click here.
M.Eng. students should contact Prof. Thomson to discuss possible projects.
Unfortunately, graduate research assistanceship funding is not available for M.Eng. projects.
Undergraduate summer research positions.
- Designing burners for biomass derived pyrolysis oil: Canadian companies are producing pyrolysis oil from waste biomass. This can be used to replace fuel oil. However a better understanding is needed of the combustion of pyrolysis oil in burners. This is an experimental study.
Category: MEC, EngSci,
Supervisor: Professor Murray Thomson thomson@mie.utoronto.ca