Start date: Between 1st August 2027 and 1st July 2028
Application deadline: 23:59 on 4th January 2027 (UK time)
Introduction
This research will be carried out within the framework of the REMODEL project that addresses the difficulty of generating and adapting high-quality meshes for complex engineering simulations on exascale and heterogeneous high-performance computing systems.
The PhD research will contribute to the development of:
- Automatic adaptive mesh generation methods for multi-physics and time-dependent simulations.
- Strategies for coupling multi-physics solvers with mesh adaptation in a parallel HPC environment.
- Efficient algorithms in heterogeneous CPU–GPU and exascale computing architectures.
- Integrated, high-fidelity simulation workflows for industrial applications.
- Methods for sensitivity assessment of multi-physics simulations to geometric features and mesh resolution.
You will work with open-source and research tools developed within the Nektar++ research group. You will also gain experience applying your methods to realistic industrial demonstrators, and develop expertise in computational geometry, mesh generation, adaptive meshing, parallel algorithms, high-performance and exascale computing, and multi-physics simulations.
Professional development opportunities
- Cross-institutional mentoring and collaboration with leading academic researchers and industrial partners.
- Opportunities to present findings at conferences, workshops and seminars, and to publish in high-quality journals.
- Experience in open-source software development, technical documentation, webinars, industrial demonstrations and public engagement.
- Engagement in interdisciplinary collaboration and the translation of research into industrial applications.
Supervisors: Prof. Spencer Sherwin; Prof. Joaquim Peiro; Dr. Chris Cantwell
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: Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
We are looking for a student with: good background knowledge on CFD/Meshing techniques; Proficiency in software development using high-level programming languages, ideally in a HPC environment; Creative approach to problem-solving; Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
How to apply
Visit Parallel adaptive multi-physics simulations for important instructions on how to apply.
Contact
For more specific project information, email: Prof. Spencer Sherwin; Prof. Joaquim Peiro; or Dr Chris Cantwell
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.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Imperial is committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident Employer and are working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.
