Academic and Professional Qualifications BSc (1st Class Honours) Mechanical Engineering PhD Department of Mechanical Engineering. Thesis titled `An Investigation of the Criteria to Give Optimum Performance from a Variable Capacity Heat Pump\'. MBA Master of Business Administration. CEng Chartered Engineer. MIMechE Corporate member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. MASHRAE Member of the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers.. MIIR – Member of International Institute of Refrigeration FInstR - Fellow of the Institute of Refrigeration Academic Career 1978 - 1981 Research Assistant - University of Westminster 1981 - 1986 Lecturer in thermofluids and energy - University of Westminster 1986 to date - Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader/Professor in Thermodynamics and Building Services Engineering - Brunel University London 2001 - 2004 - Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering 2004 - 2014 - Head of School of Engineering and Design 2014 to date - Director of Institute of Energy Futures
Food processing currently relies heavily on the combustion of natural gas to provide process and space heating. Until recently, natural gas was considered the preferred fuel for heating due its lower unit cost and greenhouse gas emissions compared to alternative fossil fuels and electricity. Emissions from the combustion of natural gas, however, are fixed, and gas, unlike electricity cannot benefit from the use of renewable energy sources and nuclear power for decarbonisation.
To meet the net zero target by 2050 it is therefore imperative that the use of natural gas is phased out in the next 10-15 years. This places significant challenges on the food manufacturing industry which include changes to processing technologies to accommodate decarbonised energy vectors, the need to make informed decisions on the adoption of new technologies, and significant capital investment.
To address this challenge, we are seeking to recruit a highly motivated and enthusiastic doctoral researcher to undertake investigations on a range of emerging electrified technologies, energy recovery technologies and alternative gas burning fuels for the decarbonisation of industrial cooking.
The project will be based within the Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains (CSEF) which has substantial expertise and experimental facilities to support the research.
Eligibility
Candidates are expected to hold, or about to obtain, at a minimum, one of the following: upper second-class Honours degree (or equivalent) in food science and technology, chemical or process engineering, mechanical engineering, or related discipline. Good team working, observational and communication skills are essential with the ability to work independently and as a member of a research team.
The student will benefit from being part of the BBSRC Food Consortium CTP. Further information on the CTP can be found at:
https://www.campdenbri.co.uk/research/consortium/food-consortium.php
The PhD is 4 years full time and fully funded by BBSRC . The latest start date is 1st October 2026.
How to apply
Informal inquiries are encouraged and can be made to:
Professor Savvas Tassou: savvas.tassou @brunel.ac.uk
- Up-to-date CV
- Research proposal
- Personal statement
- Degree certificate(s) and transcript(s)
- Names and contact details of two academic referees
- EDI Form