Fully-funded PhD Studentships in Nanoscale Interfacial Fluid Dynamics

A consortium of three internationally-leading UK research institutions is offering 6 fully-funded PhD

Scholarships, each for 3 years, to develop new modelling capabilities and simulation-for-design
tools for Nanoscale Interfacial Fluid Dynamics. These prestigious opportunities are funded by a
flagship 3.4M EPSRC Programme Grant awarded to Professor Duncan Lockerby and Dr James
Sprittles (University of Warwick), Professor David Emerson (Daresbury Laboratory) and Professor
Jason Reese (University of Edinburgh). The PhD students will be integrated into the Programmes
extensive collaborative network of international researchers and nine industrial partners in order to
deliver the knowledge required to understand and design next generation nano-engineered flow
technologies.
Project Overview
Society is facing major challenges in health, transportation, energy and climate. Over the next 25
years, nano-engineered systems will play an increasingly important role in helping meet these
challenges, but their demands on simulation for design outstrip current modelling capabilities.
Emerging applications that depend on the interfacial physics down to the nanoscale include:
targeted cancer treatments that exploit nano-bubble cavitation; low-emission vehicles with nanostructured coatings; and micro coolers that harness heat transfer at evaporating nano-menisci.
Please see a short introductory video at youtu.be/OKjRxeFVSTY
At the nanoscale, the molecular nature of phase interfaces profoundly affects the performance of
a broad spectrum of nano-engineered flow technologies. A fundamental barrier to progress in
understanding and designing these emerging technologies is our inability to perform system-scale
simulations while simultaneously modelling the phase interfaces at the nanoscale: these are
intrinsically multiscale problems. This Programme aims to deliver a modelling framework and
simulation-for-design capability to understand these multiscale interfacial flows, by:
Creating a new methodological framework for robust, efficient, and accurate multiscale
multiphysics simulation of interface-driven nano-engineered flow technologies;
Producing future-proofed and platform-independent computational software, which obtains
the best performance from the models, data, and hardware available;
Benchmarking the software against application-focussed and theory-driven experimental data,
and exploiting its novelty to provide unique insight into real-world scientific challenges inspired
by our industrial partners.
The PhD students will contribute to these research objectives through:
Developing novel fundamental theory in fluid dynamics and/or molecular dynamics;
Implementing new models on the High Performance Computing facilities available in each of
the participating institutions, including ARCHER - the UKs national supercomputer;
Applying the simulation tools to the future technologies targeted by our industrial partners, to
improve and optimise their design.
Research and Training Environment
The consortium leading the Programme has flourished over 12 years into an international driver for
understanding micro- and nano-scale fluid flow, see www.micronanoflows.ac.uk. Alongside the 6
PhD studentships, this Programme will fund a team of Postdoctoral Research Assistants, Visiting
Scientists, and International Workshops. The Programme is in collaboration with nine major

industrial partners who will provide data for technological applications, and other material support:
Airbus Group, AkzoNobel, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, European Space Agency, Jaguar Land Rover,
National Physical Laboratory, Oxford Institute for Biomedical Engineering, TotalSim Ltd, and Waters
Corporation.
This Programme offers an exceptional research and training opportunity for PhD students, including:
Collaborating with a large interdisciplinary network of researchers;
Regular opportunities for travel to national and international conferences to present new
results;
A large degree of project flexibility, with opportunities to bid for funding for new research
initiatives;
Training and experience in state-of-the-art engineering research, including advanced software
development;
Integral industrial involvement, including secondments into leading multi-national companies;
Collaboration with leading international scientists, through the Programmes Visiting Scientist
scheme;
Close mentoring from the Programme Investigators and experienced postdoctoral researchers;
Exceptional career development opportunities with strong institutional support of early career
researchers.
Applicant Requirements
The research is rewarding and challenging, so applicants should have (or be close to obtaining) a 1st
or 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in applied maths, computer science, engineering science,
physics, or a related subject with a strong mathematical content. Experience of high-level
programming languages, particularly C++, and/or the OpenFOAM software would be an advantage.
Stipend and Fees
The annual stipend will be 14,254 (tax free), for 3 years, with all university fees paid. One of these
scholarships at Edinburgh University is available to a non-EU/UK student; the others are available for
EU/UK students only (or for non-EU/UK students who can provide the difference in the university
fees).
To Apply
Please email a full Curriculum Vitae and cover letter, explaining why you are interested in pursuing a
PhD in this research Programme, with the names and contact details of two referees to
micronanoflows@gmail.com, with PhD Application in the subject line.
During your PhD research you will visit each of the three sites regularly, but will be based at
Daresbury Laboratory (Warrington), the University of Edinburgh, or the University of Warwick.
Please indicate in your application whether you are flexible, or have a strong preference, on
location.
We will offer these studentships to the first applicants with the appropriate set of skills and
attainment. Successful applicants will then complete the formal acceptance process at the
respective institutions.
Start Date
By arrangement, in the period: 01/04/2016 to 31/12/2016