Assoc Prof Geoff Willmott
Applications accepted all year round
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Drop impacts on to solid surfaces have been studied intensively throughout the last century due to their widespread importance in industry and in nature. Advances in high-speed photography have gradually allowed us to study drop impacts more closely, while microfabrication techniques have recently revealed the effects of precise surface designs on outcomes such as spreading, adhesion, and splashing. This experimental project will investigate impact outcomes for non-Newtonian drops, focusing on the process of spray-drying during food production.
Non-Newtonian drop impacts have not been widely studied, so a strong experimental basis for understanding impact outcomes will be important here. The viscoelasticity of industrial droplets can be reproduced by controlled heating of fluids prior to impact experiments. Different surfaces will be made and characterized using a range of available micro- and nanofabrication techniques. Outcomes can be recorded using high-speed photography (followed by digital image analysis) and heat transfer measurements. A parallel PhD project, based at the University of Canterbury, will carry out simulations to help understand the experiments.
The student will receive training in high-speed photography and a wide range of other relevant experimental techniques. Beyond the project work, there will be many opportunities for development of auxiliary skills and knowledge. The project will be academically challenging, requiring applicants with a strong background in a physical sciences discipline and an excellent command of written and spoken English. Experience in relevant areas (e.g. physical chemistry, fluid mechanics, experimental instrumentation) would be an advantage, but is not necessary.
The project is based in the Dynamic Microfluidics Laboratory within the Departments of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Auckland, and affiliated with the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (www.macdiarmid.ac.nz), one of New Zealand’s Centres of Research Excellence. The University of Auckland is the most highly rated University in New Zealand, and Auckland is consistently rated as one of the world’s top 10 most liveable cities.
Please contact the project supervisors for more information or to send an application. Review of applications is underway and will continue until the position is filled, with the goal of commencing the project mid- to late 2018. Applications should include a CV, academic transcripts, and a brief (1 page max) statement of research experience. Applicants must fulfil the University’s English language requirements (www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/international-students/is-entry-requirements/is-english-language-requirements.html) and should provide the names of at least two people who can provide academic letters of reference.
Funding Notes
The student will receive a stipend of $27,000 per annum in addition to course fees. Funding is provided by The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.