aerodynamic PhD Projects, Programs & Scholarships

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

This studentship has been developed by the University of Liverpool in partnership with Aircraft Research Association Ltd.

The aerodynamics of freight trains

University of Birmingham
Department of Civil Engineering

Prof Mark Sterling, Dr D Soper

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Developments in the capabilities of rail freight, including increased freight speeds and larger, better connected rail networks, will enable greater competition between rail and road markets while having many environmental benefits.

Bio-inspired morphing solutions for aeroelastic problems

University of Liverpool
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Materials Engineering

Dr S Fichera, Prof J-Y Chang

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

This project is part of a 4-year Dual PhD degree programme between the National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) and the University of Liverpool (England).

PhD Studentship Opportunity in The effect of non-neutral winds on wind power aerodynamics

University of Surrey
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Dr M Placidi, Dr P Hancock

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Renewable sources provided 29.3% of the electricity generated in the UK in 2017, with offshore wind turbines producing some 21% of that, and registering an increased capacity of 27% during the same year [1]; these trends are predicted to grow in line with 2030 and 2050 targets [2].

Using machine learning for early-stage aircraft wing design under uncertainty

Cardiff University
Cardiff School of Engineering

Dr A Kundu, Prof D Kennedy

Application Deadline: 24 July 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Description of Project. Early-stage aircraft structural design must explore a large design space to ensure optimal aerodynamic and load bearing performance.

Ice accretion on wind turbine blades

Kingston University
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

Dr Y Lin, Prof J Wang

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The abundant wind resource in cold and high altitude regions in the world is attractive for the increasing demand for renewable wind power production.

Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics of Novel Propellers

University of Bristol
Mechanical Engineering

Prof M Azarpeyvand

Application Deadline: 1 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

There is an opening for a PhD student to work on aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of novel propellers.

Integrated Aero/Hydro/Structural Analysis and Multi-objective Optimisation of Floating Wind Turbines

Aberdeen University
School of Engineering

Dr A Maheri, Prof R McKenna

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Floating wind energy is a highly scalable future energy source. Almost 80% of the Europe wind resources are in waters with +60 m depth, where floating offshore wind turbines are deemed to be the natural solutions.

Stochastic response characterisation and reliability driven optimisation of floating wind turbines

Aberdeen University
School of Engineering

Dr S Sriramula, Dr A Maheri

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

As the wind turbine installations move to deep-water environments, there is an increasing focus on the design considerations for floating wind turbines (FWTs).

Structural optimisation of highly flexible wings

Aberdeen University
School of Engineering

Dr P Dunning, Dr A Maheri

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The aim of this project is to create an optimisation method that can improve the structural design and performance of aircraft with highly flexible wings.

Numerical Modelling of Flutter for Aerospace Structures

Brunel University London
Aerospace Engineering

Dr R Cardoso, Dr M Adetoro

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The flutter of aircraft’s wings is similar with the resonance for the vibration of structures and it is a phenomena the aircraft designer needs to avoid.

An investigation into transonic flows over high pressure gas turbine blade tip

Kingston University
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

Dr Z Saleh, Prof J Wang

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Propulsion, in particular the gas turbine engines are a significantly important theme in the aerospace industry, any enhancement in the performance of these engines will have a great impact on the economics of the aviation sector [Stephens et al, 2007].

Funded Master by Research project on Design and Simulation of an Active Noise Control System in the Spherical Domain

Lancaster University
Department of Engineering

Dr A Montazeri

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Project Framework. A funded MSc by Research project is available for an outstanding graduate with specific interest on signal processing, control and acoustic numerical simulations.

Development of Modular Large Wind Turbine Blades

Sheffield Hallam University
Materials and Engineering Research Institute

Dr A Asthana, Dr F Kara

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Wind turbine blades measuring up to 85 m, are manufactured from a single piece of glass fiber and can cost up to £100,000. The transportation of these large blades requires expensive specialist machinery and often new road construction, costing ~£50,000/blade.

Dynamics of Foam Flow Through Processing Equipment

University of Birmingham
School of Chemical Engineering

Prof M Barigou

Application Deadline: 31 July 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Gas-liquid foams are structured two-phase fluids in which gas bubbles are separated by interconnecting thin liquid films, and the volume fraction of the continuous liquid phase is small in dry foams but can be substantial in wet foams.