Elpiniki Georgiou

PhD Studentship entitled: Selective Catalytic Reduction for Improving Sustainability and Maximising Environmental Impact in Marine Exhaust Gas Technologies

Hi, I'm Elpiniki Georgiou and I studied within Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton.

As a first-year PhD student in an early stage of the research, I am quite excited about enhancing my academic profile to strengthen my professional development. I am a Chemical Engineer with a 5-year Diploma, obtained from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), with a graduate’s rank in the top 3%. I have obtained a postgraduate certificate of studies in Energy Production and Management, also from NTUA.

My research will be carried out at the University of Southampton and will be conducted in a cycle of a 4-year PhD study under the supervision of Dr Robert Raja (Chemistry), Dr James Blake (Fluid Structure Interactions) and Prof. Andy Hor Tzi Sum (Institute of Materials research and Engineering – A*Star Singapore). The project aspires to explore novel technologies which will boost the sustainability of marine applications and will introduce new materials and practices for the use of renewable energy in shipping. In particular, the main aims and objectives for this project will focus on the development of new materials, which will be used in marine cleaning technologies. These novel catalysts will be probed in the technology of the abatement (selective catalytic reduction) of nitrous and sulfur oxides, which form basic air toxicities and will also address issues relating to marine compliance from an environmental standpoint. The involvement of the renewable energy (solar energy) will extend the application of these materials as photocatalysts, which will help establish and exploit the fundamentals in the field of photocatalysis.

This project is fascinating in terms of pioneering materials and ideas, which requires a multidisciplinary approach that involves Chemistry, Material Science and Engineering. This was a main reason why I applied for the particular project, since it fits with my academic and scientific interests. During my studies, I have been involved in Fuel Quality Control research programs, while I was drawn in short internships in different industries. My 2-year professional career was obtained in a cosmetics company, where I was responsible for the quality assurance of the products and their conformance to the legislation.

Through this PhD study, I hope that a new field of science and engineering will be explored and combined, international collaborations will be enhanced via the association with A*Star Partner and to further strengthen the links of Chemistry with SMMI collaborations and those of Lloyd's Register.