Dr H Kusumaatmaja, Prof S Fielding
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship to work on the theoretical and computational dynamics of complex and biological fluids with Halim Kusumaatmaja and Suzanne Fielding in the Soft Matter and Biological Physics Group of the Department of Physics at Durham University.
The project concerns the non-equilibrium dynamics and rheology (flow properties) of complex fluids such as polymers, colloids, emulsions and surfactants, which can undergo flow instabilities and non-equilibrium phase transitions. The fluids can be taken out of equilibrium by external driving (e.g. via shearing applied at the boundaries) or by internal energy sources (e.g. swarms of self-propelled microbes, growing biological tissue). The latter, in particular, is highly relevant to biological systems. Furthermore, we will consider the effects of confinement, as these fluids are often bounded by complex boundaries, including by curved and rough surfaces.
The proposed project is interdisciplinary, and draws on concepts of fluid dynamics, statistical mechanics, nonlinear dynamical systems theory and chaos. Depending on the interests of the applicant the project could be mainly computational, or combine numerics with analytical work.
Applicants should have or expect to attain a good (first or upper second class) honours degree in physics, mathematics or a related subject.
The closing date for applications is Friday 10th February 2017.
The start date is October 2017 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Further details about Prof. Fielding’s and Dr. Kusumaatmaja’s research groups, and about the department, at can be found at www.dur.ac.uk/suzanne.fielding/ sites.google.com/site/kusumaatmaja
www.dur.ac.uk/physics/
Informal enquiries are welcome to [Email Address Removed] or [Email Address Removed]
Links to the formal application forms can be found at https://www.dur.ac.uk/physics/postgraduate/prospectivestudents/howtoapply/
Funding Notes
The studentship is funded for a period of 48 months, covering tuition fees and a stipend of £14,296 per year.