PhD Studentship: The dynamical impact of aircraft on clouds and climate

Imperial College London; Greater London; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition fee coverage

Travel budget

Stipend £23,805/year

Job summary

The Brahmal Institute invites applications for its October 2027 Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation (DPSA). The cohort will pursue interdisciplinary research on aviation sustainability from a systems perspective, combining project work with shared learning, training, networking and outreach.

Funding covers tuition, provides a generous travel budget and an annual tax-free stipend of £23,805. We welcome Home and International applicants to contribute to sustainable aviation research.

Qualifications

• 1st class honours Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or allied disciplines such as Computational Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics.
• Ability to develop and apply new concepts while prioritising work to deadlines.
• Creative approach to problem solving.
• Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision; strong numerical methods background.
• Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills for publication.
• Demonstrated understanding of and passion for sustainability.
• Applications from Home and International students are welcome.

Responsibilities

• Conduct global assessment of distrail climate impacts using satellite, meteorological and aircraft data.
• Perform modelling and wind-tunnel experiments to evaluate design and routing effects on distrail phenomena.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team and contribute to publications and outreach.

Skills

Numerical methods

Scientific computing

Creative problem-solving

Time management

Verbal & written communication

Education

First-class Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or allied field

Tools

Numerical methods

Scientific computing

Job description

Supervisors: Dr Edward Gryspeerdt, Professor Oliver Buxton

Start date: October 2027

Application deadline: 4 January 2027

Introduction:

The Brahmal Institute invites applications for its October 2027 Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation (DPSA). Under the 2027 strategic theme "sustainability across stakeholders", the cohort will undertake interdisciplinary research addressing aviation sustainability from a systems perspective, recognising the interconnected roles of airports, airlines, air traffic management, aircraft and passengers. Alongside their individual projects, students will benefit from shared learning, specialist training, networking and outreach, fostering collaboration to drive system-wide change towards more sustainable aviation.

Project overview:

Aircraft trailing vortices can thin high clouds by mixing dry air into them, creating "distrails" that may cool the climate and potentially offset a significant proportion of aviation's warming impact. However, the magnitude of this effect remains highly uncertain due to variations in aircraft operations, vortex behaviour and cloud conditions. This project will deliver the first global assessment of distrail climate impacts using satellite, meteorological and aircraft data, combined with modelling and wind-tunnel experiments, to evaluate how aircraft design and routing influence this emerging climate effect.

General Information:

• Duration: 3.5 years
• Funding: Full coverage of tuition fees. a generous travel budget, and an annual tax-free stipend of £23,805.

Eligibility:

• Having obtained or expect to obtain a 1st class honours Master’s (or higher) degree in Aerospace Engineering or allied disciplines such as Computational Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics.
• Ability to develop and apply new concepts while prioritising work in response to deadlines.
• Creative approach to problem‑solving.
• Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision.Excellent background in numerical methods, and scientific computing.
• Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication
• Demonstrated understanding of and passion for sustainability.
• We are accepting applications from both Home and International students

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