If you are establishing your career as scientist and you are looking for the best possible foundation for fulfilling your dreams and ambitions, this is your chance.  

Applicants are invited to apply for a UKRI Doctoral Research Fellowship on the green energy Training42phase programme. The aim of the research is to develop the next generation of turbomachinery with two-phase flow. You will develop techniques to enable the design of cost-effective and reliable turbomachinery with two-phase flow implementing emerging energy conversion technologies. 

The green transition of energy systems requires the implementation of novel emerging energy conversion technologies based on turbomachinery with two-phase flow. The current level of knowledge and understanding of two-phase flow in turbomachinery is at a very low level, urgently calling for the need of education of scientists that can support the development of such technologies.  

Training42Phase aims to educate future leading scientists within turbomachinery with two-phase flow, thereby providing the scientific and technological basis required for the development of the next generation of turbomachinery. Within this project you will get the chance break new ground at the absolute forefront of what is possible.  

• More information about Training42Phase and our international partnerships can be found here: https://training42phase.dtu.dk/.  

Overseas applicants should be aware that appointee visa, health surcharge and standard priority service fees will be reimbursed. Although we cannot reimburse dependants visa fees, the College offers an interest-free visa fee repayment scheme for these costs.  

Duties and responsibilities 

The position at Imperial College will allow you to study for a PhD in the area of erosion due to the impingement of liquid droplets.  It is envisaged that the approach will incorporate some deterministic and empirical models, but will also include some data-driven components, resulting in a physics-informed machine learning package that can predict droplet erosion.  Validation will be performed on published data and industrial results, so that the main focus of the work will be on physical modelling, and on determining and implementing an appropriate machine learning approach.  

You will: 

• Review the current literature on droplet erosion and determine the most promising deterministic and empirical approaches 
• Develop a novel data-driven approach which incorporates physical understanding 
• Validate the model with pre-existing experimental data from Rolls-Royce and from the literature 
• Collaborate with the project partners and with our industrial research partner (Rolls-Royce plc) 
• Undertake secondments at other partners where necessary. 

Further information

• This is a fixed term position for 3 years. The appointed candidate will complete a Postdoctoral Research degree as part of this position.  
• The postholder will receive a fixed salary per annum of either £40,221pa (no family allowance) or £45,156pa (with family allowance). 
• The successful candidate will be required to apply and enrol as a postdoctoral research student with Imperial College London.   
• Queries relating to the position should be directed to Prof. David Nowell at d.nowell@imperial.ac.uk.  

Our preferred method of application is via our website. Please navigate to the Imperial College London application portal using the link provided.