The ZERO Institute is delighted to welcome the first cohort of students to its inaugural DPhil (PhD) Programme in Zero Carbon Energy Research at the University of Oxford. The programme, which began in October 2026, will see five students undertake DPhil research in innovative low carbon energy topics, alongside an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary training programme.
The students, Toby Hodges, Cole Hobby, Zaheer Sidik, Maya Tovar and Alexander (Alekos) Jackson, were selected based on their academic achievements and cutting-edge research proposals, which promise to bring substantial contributions to the energy transition. Their research topics span green hydrogen production, battery performance, the decarbonization of steel production, long term energy storage, and the stability of perovskites in solar cells.
The students will be supervised by Prof Paul Shearing (Toby and Cole) and Prof Aidong Yang (Zaheer) in the Department of Engineering Science, and Prof Robert House (Maya) and Prof Saiful Islam (Alekos) in the Department of Materials.
During my DPhil, I will be studying how local atomic ordering and processing influence ion transport and electrochemical reversibility in low-cost, iron-based cathodes […] By trying to understand these limitations at a fundamental level, I believe that we can develop more sustainable battery materials without sacrificing performance and perhaps even increasing energy density.
Maya Tovar
The training programme aims to elevate the student experience beyond pure research and open doors into a real-world, collaborative community. Opportunities in Michaelmas Term include a Welcome Day and a follow up 3-day Launchpad event which feature talks from academics working on low carbon energy topics across the university, networking opportunities with early career researchers, and a bespoke training programme introducing, for example, policy, communication and entrepreneurship in the context of research.
I have found the early stages of the ZERO programme to be fascinating. There are multiple opportunities for collaboration and further understanding across disciplines. Bringing students from across different research areas allows individuals to appreciate the nuances of different fields […] I look forward to doing performing modelling studies and collaborating with peers as well as attending multi-disciplinary learning days.
Zaheer Sidik
DPhil students attend a Welcome Day launching the programme
At the welcome events … I was really excited to see the interdisciplinary approaches shine. I met other students from a wide range of backgrounds, including policy, environmental sustainability, and geography. I have enjoyed getting to know the ZERO community and am looking forward to attending future events, learning from other disciplines, and exploring how my DPhil research contributes to the Institute’s mission.
Cole Hobby
Alekos joined the ZERO Institute in 2025 and has been flourishing in his research and involvement ever since. Alongside his research he has been leading the Early Career Researchers Network including many successful events and initiatives.
Over the past year, ZERO has also given me the unique opportunity to organise events and connect with early career researchers across a wide variety of disciplines within the net-zero space. I look forward to continuing [my research] modelling solar cell devices in greater detail and also to share this research to the wider community that ZERO brings together.
Alekos Jackson
Toby, who joined with the main cohort in October 2026 shared his reasons for undertaking a DPhil at the University of Oxford as part of the ZERO Institute programme:
I believe global warming and sustainable resource security are some of the biggest societal challenges facing humanity in the near future – issues that the ZERO Institute is committed to mitigating […] I like that the programme teaches aspects of energy/resource policy, which is an important part of our industry’s transition to net-zero and ultimately governs how successful the technologies we develop will be.
Toby Hodges
Congratulations and welcome to Maya, Toby, Zaheer, Alekos and Cole and we look forward to following your progress over the coming years.
Applications are open for 2027-28 entry to our DPhil (PhD) Programme with a deadline of Wednesday 2nd December. A list of possible research topics and supervisors can be found on this link, and full details of programme and application process are on the Oxford University graduate admissions website.
