The importance of environmental and socioeconomic (ESE) factors - known as the triple bottom line - are of critical importance to the future implementation of engineering solutions. The UK is committed to sustainable energy generation and material use through the Clean Growth Strategy and the Circular Economy Package. The design process underpins the creation of all products, from concept to realisation. Yet the product design specification, to capture product requirements, is limited by the perspective of engineer and customer.
Transdisciplinary design engineering is an emerging concept, referring to movement of information between diverse academic disciplines and engineering design. Transdisciplinary design engineering naturally bridges information boundaries in which, very large and sometimes qualitative types of data, for examples social data, is transferred into something which is quantifiable/measurable in the design process. However, the ability to transfer this knowledge across disciplines tends to be a skill held by a person; to integrate such multidisciplinary knowledge into the design of a product.
The hypothesis of this research is that transdisciplinary design can be facilitated through mathematical concepts which have the capacity to analyse high dimensional datasets and represent the relationships of and between complex systems.
This project requires a skill sets which bridges mathematical-computational research through to understanding of ESE sciences. Ideal applicants should be knowledgeable in both. However, applicants with either strong mathematical-computational skills or significant knowledge and understanding of the ESE impacts of engineering design, with an enthusiasm to learn the foundations of the other discipline, are encouraged to apply. The project will be supervised between Engineering (Dr Thomas-Seale) and Mathematics (Dr Samuel, Dr Kombrink).
Person Specification
Essential:
• A first-class degree in a relevant discipline (Engineering (Mechanical), Physics, Applied Mathematics)
• To have met the University of Birmingham English Language requirements (e.g. IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band) by the point of application.
Desirable:
• Good knowledge of engineering design and mathematics
• Good knowledge or awareness of the environmental and socioeconomic implications of engineering design
• Experience in computational work (e.g. MATLAB or PYTHON)
• Some experience in CAD software packages (e.g. Fusion 360)
How to apply
Eligible applicants should first send an expression of interest to Dr Lauren Thomas-Seale (L.E.J.Thomas-Seale@bham.ac.uk), including the following:
• 200 words cover letter on how your experience, qualifications and research interest aligns with this position
• CV including your academic and work experience with the names of two referees.
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community. The Thomas-Seale group is founded on the principle of inclusivity in research, should applicants have any enquiries about how to conduct a PhD with reasonable adjustments for a protected characteristic, they are encouraged to contact the Dr Thomas-Seale.
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