PhD Studentship in Aeronautics: Turbulence under Strain (AE0096)

Imperial College London; Greater London; Presencial; GBP 21.000 - 26.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Stipend £23,805 p.a.

Tuition fees covered

Descripción de la vacante

Imperial Enterprise is offering a PhD studentship focused on uncovering the physics of intermediate-strain turbulent wakes. The project involves laboratory experiments in state-of-the-art wind tunnel facilities and high-speed PIV to validate a new turbulence model. Supervisors include Dr.

Kostas Steiros, with a funding package covering tuition and a stipend. Applicants should have a First class honours degree in Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics and must meet UK/EU/international

Formación

• First class honours MEng/MSci or international equivalent in Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics.
• Applicants must be eligible for Home, EU or International status.

Responsabilidades

• Carry out research on intermediate-strain turbulent wakes using laboratory experiments and data analysis.
• Develop and test a novel theoretical framework for intermediate strain turbulence.
• Collaborate with supervisors and use wind tunnel facilities and high-speed particle image velocimetry.

Educación

First class honours MEng/MSci or international equivalent in Engineering/Applied Mathematics/Physics

Descripción del empleo

Start date: Between 1st August 2027 and 1st July 2028

Application deadline: 23:59 on 4th January 2027 (UK time)

Introduction: Richard Feynman famously quoted ‘turbulence is the most important unsolved problem of classical physics’. Understanding and modelling turbulent flow physics will unlock a vast potential for optimising many applications of the energy and transportation sectors. While the last century has produced breakthroughs in our understanding of turbulent flows, these are confined in two extreme and polar-opposite regimes: when turbulence is highly or when it is lowly strained. Still, the physics of the in-between regime of intermediate-strain, which is critical for a wide variety of engineering and environmental applications, remains unexplored.

This project will focus on uncovering the physics of intermediate-strain turbulent wakes. Apart from being of interest from a fundamental perspective, such wake conditions are widely encountered in automotive, aeronautical and wind engineering applications among many others.

Various bluff bodies will be tested in the lab, carefully designed so that their near wakes produce average strain rates that vary from low to high levels. You will then document the failure of classical theories to describe intermediate strain regimes. The produced data-set will subsequently be utilized to develop a novel theoretical framework for intermediate strain turbulence, based on the concept of ‘simple transportation of energy’ recently proposed by the PI, and validated for the simpler case of homogenous decaying turbulence. The project will rely on laboratory experiments, conducted in the state-of-the-art wind tunnel facilities of the Aeronautics Department, and will utilize high speed particle image velocimetry to characterize 2D and 3D turbulent velocity fields.

The proposed work falls under the theme of the ERC project ONSET awarded to the PI and its successful conclusion could potentially lay the basis for the development of novel turbulence closure models for intermediate strain conditions, where current models are known to be inaccurate.

Supervisors: Dr. Kostas Steiros

Duration: 3.5 years.

Funding:

• Full coverage of tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £23,805 for Home, EU and International students.

Find out more about fee status

Eligibility: Due to the competitive nature of our studentships, candidates will be expected to achieve/have achieved a First class honours MEng/MSci or higher degree (or international equivalent) in: Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics

Contact: For more information about a specific project, email: Dr. Kostas Steiros

For admissions questions, please first read our Frequently Asked Questions. If your question has not been answered, please email the PhD Administrator (Admissions)

Frequently Asked Questions: You can also find answers to common application questions on our Frequently Asked Questions.

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