Aerospace Engineering: Fully Funded EPSRC DTP and Swansea University PhD Scholarship: Developing Simulation Frontiers for Future Urban Air Mobility Safety Investigation

Funding providers: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) DTP and Swansea University's Faculty of Science and Engineering

Subject areas: Aerospace Engineering

Project start date: 

• 1 July 2023 (Enrolment open from mid-June)

Project supervisors: 

• Dr Ye Yuan (Ye.yuan@swansea.ac.uk)
• Professor Hamed Haddad Khodaparast

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Aerospace Engineering

Mode of study: Full-time

Project description: 

Urban Air Mobility (UAM, also known as advanced air mobility) is an emerging concept that envisions a sustainable, affordable, and accessible air transportation system for emergency management, cargo delivery, and passenger mobility within or traversing a metropolitan area. However, safety is the most challenging aspect impeding the UAM development and corresponding public acceptance, and, to date, no standard UAM safety assessment method has been developed.

This PhD studentship will aim to design novel methods to tackle the challenge in the UAM safety considering their inherent uncertainties, including the urban atmospheric turbulence and the non-linear influences of the manufacturing errors. The research will develop based on existing rotorcraft flight dynamics model (written in C++) using state-of-the-art aerodynamics modelling technologies and the multi-agent modelling method to improve simulation feasibility, especially for hazardous situations. The research will also create a quantitative safety assessment methodology using advanced inverse simulation algorithm and uncertainty quantification approach.

The project represents an exciting opportunity for the applicant to develop innovative technology involving aerodynamics, flight dynamics, and autonomous system. It also assists the applicant in establishing collaboration with academia, industry, and airworthiness regulators to develop novel aviation safety solutions for the next-generation VTOL (Vertical-TakeOff-and-Landing) aircraft.

Eligibility

Candidates must normally hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. 

English Language requirements: If applicable – IELTS 6.5 overall (with at least 5.5 in each individual component) or Swansea recognised equivalent.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations.