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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
PhD Project Template
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Use one form per project
Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012
In your email, begin the subject line with [SWB] (be sure to use square brackets) to ensure that
your email is filed correctly. Emails will be automatically filed
PI name & contact
details:
Prof. Peter Croot
Email: peter.croot@nuigalway.ie
School:
School of Natural Sciences
Has project been agreed
with head (or nominee) of
proposed registration
school?
Research Centre /
group affiliation:
Earth and Ocean Sciences
Research group /
centre website:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/eos
PI website / link to CV:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/eos/staff/academic_staff/croot_p/croot.html
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
If you are already involved in relevant scholarly activities relating to Brazil, please mention them here.
The PI’s research is focused on redox processes affecting natural water chemistry. The main area
of research is on the biogeochemical cycles of trace elements in the ocean. The PI has recently
been involved in setting up links with Latin American scientists, including Brazil, as part of the
international GEOTRACES program and currently has strong collaborations with Peru, Argentina
and Chile.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
Titanium speciation in natural waters: Organic complexation and anthropogenic nanoparticles
This project will examine Titanium speciation in natural waters using a newly developed
voltammetric technique capable of determining Ti at the pM level. The aim of this work is to
determine if organic complexation of Ti is important in riverine and coastal systems. As many
modern products utilize nanoparticulate TiO2 this project will also examine how they are
dispersed or altered in the natural environment.
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
NUI Galway projects should emphasise features that are not typically available in Brazil – specific equipment,
multi-disciplinarity, aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research
groups etc.
EOS has a range of voltammeters and spectrophotometers for making titanium speciation measurements.
Clean room and ICP-MS facilities are also available in the Ryan Institute.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Chemistry, Geology, Earth Sciences, Ocean Sciences.
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only
one (tick box):
Engineering and other technological areas
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)/Physical Sciences (Mathematics,
X
Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geosciences)
Health and Biomedical Sciences / Clinical, Pré-clinical and Health Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Computing
Aerospace
Pharmaceuticals
Sustainable Agricultural Production
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals, Minerals Technology
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technologies for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
Bioprospecting and Biodiversity
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders
arrangements):
Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): _ __Y__
Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): __N___
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Suitable for either/Don’t know: _____