Aircraft Electrification

PROJECT OVERVIEW


This fully funded PhD studentship represents a unique opportunity to undertake advanced characterisation, control system design and modelling research in close partnership with Vertical Aerospace (http://www.vertical-aerospace.com). The successful candidate will be embedded within a mutlidisplinary academic team, working in close partnership with the industrial sponsor. The student will have access to the unique experimental facilities contained within the WMG Energy Innovation Centre to advance their research.

The research will address the safety and reliability of lithium-Ion battery storage within future electric aircraft.

The research challenge for this PhD is to explore opportunities to simultaneously reduce battery system weight, while improving battery safety and reliability through the design of novel electronics systems and software algorithms. The research will consider, but is not constrained too:

• The design of rigorous and systematic experimental programmes for model parametrisation and validation.

• The novel post-processing of large volumes of real-world and laboratory data to identify new insights into battery system performance that will underpin the design of battery monitoring algorithms.

• The embedding of new control algorithms into aircraft control software for proof-of-concept validation.


DESIRED STUDENT BACKGROUND

This ideal candidate will have a strong academic background (A minimum 2.1 undergraduate (BEng, MEng, BSc) and/or postgraduate masters’ qualification (MSc)) in a combination of the following areas: experimental design, data processing, mathematical modelling, control system design, electrical or electrochemical engineering. An underpinning interest in aerospace and sustainable mobility will be an advantage.


TO APPLY

To apply please complete our online enquiry form and upload your CV.

Please ensure you meet the minimum requirements before filling in the online form.

If you wish to discuss the opportunity further, please email Professor James Marco ([Email Address Removed]) or Dr. Anup Barai ([Email Address Removed])