The Brahmal Institute for Sustainable Aviation of Imperial College London invites application for a Ph.D. studentship on Design Optimization of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Aircraft co-supervised by the Department of Aeronautics and the Dyson School of Design Engineering.
Hydrogen fuel cells represent a tremendous opportunity to power low-carbon next generation aircraft, however challenges about performance, lifetime and cost remain barriers. In addition the integration of these power solutions on board air-vehicles introduces specific design challenges that require the development of novel power and thermal architectures, with impact on both configurations and operations of the future aircraft. This project will leverage multi-scale modelling approaches for hydrogen fuel cells (at the cell, stack, and system level) and power architecture at vehicle level, towards an aircraft design optimization framework. Multifidelity and active learning methods for modelling and optimization will be considered to address the integrated design problem.
The project is characterized by a marked multidisciplinary nature and will give successful candidates opportunities to work with world leading researchers in these topics. The post-holder will join the Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation at Imperial College and develop experience and expertise in hydrogen fuel cell technologies and advanced computational methods for aircraft design. The PhD student will be expected to submit publications to refereed journals and to present their findings at major international conferences.
Applicants should have background and interest in computational science, numerical modelling and aerospace engineering, with a proven aptitude for research. Applications are invited from candidates with (or who are expected to gain) a first-class honours MEng or higher degree or equivalent in Aeronautics or related areas. Funding is available for any citizens of any country: the studentship is for 3.5 years and will provide full coverage of tuition fees, a travel budget and an annual tax-free stipend.
To apply please go to https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/postgraduate-doctoral/application-process/ and indicate the reference code BrahmalPhD23-3 in your application. Please address your application to the Department of Aeronautics. For further inquiries, contact us at brahmal-institute@imperial.ac.uk. To learn more visit the opportunity page.
------------------------------
Laura Mainini
Professor of Aerospace Computational Design
Associate Director, Brahmal Institute for Sustainable Aviation
Imperial College London
------------------------------