Next generation of lightweight composites: how far can we go?

Applications are invited for a Ph.D. studentship in the Department of Aeronautics. The successful candidate will have the opportunity of working with a dedicated team, funded by a £1M Fellowship from The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The successful candidate will also have the exciting opportunity to interact closely with a consortium that includes key aerospace, automotive and energy industries, such as Airbus, BAe Systems, Lamborghini, Volvo and Vestas.

Up to 8% of jet fuel could be saved via weight reduction; excluding military aircraft, this amounts to 20 kt of fuel, 5 Mt of CO2, and £14B saved annually. Replacing 200 kg of aluminium with advanced composites in each automotive vehicle would save 60 Mt of CO2 annually. Our vision is that there is a new generation of advanced fractal materials that addresses the above and that can be achieved by design. This new generation draws inspiration both from recent research and from biomimetics. Our goal is to define these fractal micro-structures by design and to then develop suitable prototyping methods to realise them in practice. Finally, we will create relevant prototypes for aerospace, automotive and energy industries.

Applicants should possess outstanding analytical, computational and experimental skills, as well as a genuine passion for research. Applications are invited from candidates with (or who expect to gain) a first-class honours degree or equivalent in Aeronautics, Mechanical Engineering, or related areas.

The studentship is for three years starting around October 2014 and will provide full coverage of tuition fees (at home rate) and an annual tax-free stipend of circa £15,720. The funding is available to EU citizens. Non-EU students are ineligible.

If you are interested in applying, I will be happy to address initial informal enquiries you may have (Dr S Pinho, [Email Address Removed]); additionally, you can find more about my group at www.imperial.ac.uk/people/silvestre.pinho

To apply, you can then follow the standard College on-line application procedure (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pgprospectus/howtoapply). For queries regarding the application process, please contact Ms Tayo Nong by email to: [Email Address Removed] or telphone on +44 (0)20 7594 5056.


Imperial Managers lead by example.

Committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are also an Athena Silver SWAN Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Two Ticks Employer.