Future Manufacturing: Novel and Advanced Composites and Multifunctional Materials. A Fully Funded PhD Studentship co-sponsored by Far UK Ltd

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral training in Embedded Intelligence at Loughborough University offers a unique 4 year full-time programme which enables students to develop their research skills whilst working with industrial partners. Research training is complemented by non-technical subjects e.g. leadership, enterprise and social responsibility. The PhD studentship lasts for 4 years and includes:

• A fee waiver equivalent to the home/EU rate
• An enhanced EPSRC tax-free stipend of up to £17,533 p.a. for four years.
• A personal training budget of £10,000 to support specific training needs.

Project Detail:
Numerous applications have demonstrated the potential of porous materials in light weighting structures for the purpose of reducing CO2 emissions in the low carbon vehicles of tomorrow. These materials require functionally graded cellular microstructures whose porosity (i.e. ratio of the void volume to the total volume of a material) is engineered to meet specific requirements for an optimal performance in diverse applications within the design of automotive components. The synergistic addition of other phases (to create composites) presents additional dimensions towards promising avenues for the development of high performing structures.

The main focus of this research work will be on the intelligent processing required to realise such structures. The manufacturing processes and protocols are required to be governed by the definition of the porous structures and therefore incorporate intelligent sensing, actuation and control to generate such structures across three dimensions, all at appropriate production rates to make these viable, cost-effective products. The work will address: (1) manufacture with intelligent processes of functionally tailored porous structures; (2) development of novel control paradigms and sensing modalities for the harsh environments encountered in manufacturing processes, and (3) mechanical and physical properties testing of the resultant engineering structures.
This PhD project will be based in the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering.

Find out more:

www.cdt-ei.org

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/meme/

Entry requirements:
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, a first class honours or good upper second class degree in Electrical, Electronics or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent (e.g. Mechatronics). They should have an understanding and experience of microcontrollers, control systems, data acquisition, data processing, data visualisation, process control and optimisation. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a keen interest in in manufacturing processes, structural mechanics (e.g. strength of materials), sensors and communications. Experience or knowledge of design methodologies is desirable but not essential.

Applicants must also meet the minimum English Language requirements.

Loughborough University aims to ensure equality for men and women. We follow the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter by wishing to attract, support, and reward women in STEMM at all career stages.

Funding information:
The studentship provides a tax free stipend of £17,553 per annum for the duration of the studentship plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate. Due to funding restrictions, Research Council funding is only available to those who are eligible to pay UK/EU fees. In order to qualify for a full award, all applicants must meet the EPSRC eligibility criteria including the minimum UK residency requirement https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/

Contact details:
Name: Dr Carmen Torres-Sanchez
Email address: [Email Address Removed]
Telephone number: 01509 227 518

How to apply:
All applications should be made online at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/. Under programme name, select “CDT Embedded Intelligence Wolfson School”

Please quote reference number: 2017CDTEIWS4
Application deadline: 30th April 2017