Scholarship: Fully-funded
Degree: Bachelor, Master
Nationality: International Students
Location: USA
Application deadlines: Open
Scholarship Description:
The Sustainability Analysis and Innovation Lab (SAIL) at North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources plans to recruit one to two fully funded PhD students for research on sustainability assessments of energy and materials in industrial systems and built environments.
The lab employs interdisciplinary research methods to address sustainability challenges, particularly in carbon assessment, climate change mitigation, and enhancing the circular economy. It offers a collaborative research environment, with career paths for graduates including faculty positions, research roles, R&D, engineering, sustainability science, ESG positions, and consulting. Funding for fully funded PhD students includes tuition, living stipends, and health insurance, with an expected start date in Fall 2025. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply!
Dr. Lan Kai, a PhD from North Carolina State University and a postdoctoral researcher from Yale University, will join the College of Natural Resources’ Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources as an Assistant Professor of Sustainability Science and Engineering in Spring 2024. His research focuses on developing innovative methods and models to assess and improve energy and materials in industrial systems and built environments for better environmental, economic, and social outcomes. His interdisciplinary approach combines industrial ecology, sustainable engineering, and artificial intelligence, emphasizing carbon reduction, climate change mitigation, and enhancing the circular economy. He has published over 30 articles in top journals such as Science, Joule, PNAS, One Earth, ES&T, and Chemical Reviews, and has extensive experience mentoring master’s and PhD students.
- University Ranking: North Carolina State University is ranked 58 in the 2025 U.S. News rankings and classified as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education for having the highest research activity.
- College Ranking: The College of Natural Resources (https://cnr.ncsu.edu/) is ranked fourth nationally among research programs in natural resources, with over 1,400 undergraduate and 420 graduate students and a strong faculty. The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (https://cnr.ncsu.edu/fb/) has more than 17 faculty members, 300 undergraduates, and 50 graduate students, focusing on renewable materials, sustainable engineering and science, paper and packaging, forestry products, pulping, fiber recycling, and biomass energy.
- Location: North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, at the heart of the Research Triangle (https://www.rtp.org), the largest university in North and South Carolina. The Triangle Park houses over 300 companies, including new campuses for Apple, Google’s engineering center, and global headquarters for IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Lenovo, as well as the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Raleigh has one of the highest densities of PhD holders in the U.S., with a mild climate and ample green spaces. It is two hours from the coast, three hours to Charlotte, and four hours to Washington, D.C. North Carolina is home to the famous Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making it an excellent place to study and live. Raleigh is also one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., with a vibrant economy and a significant influx of new residents.
Available Subjects:
Key research areas include renewable energy and materials for sustainable development, carbon footprint assessment and climate change mitigation, industrial ecology, sustainable engineering, artificial intelligence, forest carbon analysis, green building, waste utilization, process design and simulation, and life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of emerging technologies.
Eligibility criteria:
- A bachelor’s degree or higher in chemical engineering/chemistry, materials science, environmental engineering, bioengineering, or a related field.
- Experience in chemical process simulation (e.g., Aspen Plus, SuperPro) is preferred.
- A passion for research, a spirit of exploration, and the ability to work in a team.
- Strong English reading, writing, and communication skills; relevant research experience will be prioritized.
Application Procedure:
Please send your resume, transcript, and personal statement (no more than one page) to [email protected]. Set the email subject as Your Name_PhD_Application.
