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October 2027 Entry

The Brahmal Institute invites applications for the October 2027 Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation (DPSA), a fully funded, cohort-based programme addressing one of the most pressing global challenges: enabling the transition to a more sustainable aviation sector. The strategic theme for the 2027 cohort is "sustainability across stakeholders", bringing together ambitious research projects that explore how different parts of the aviation ecosystem can work together to support sustainable change.

Drawing on Imperial College London's world-leading expertise and global partnerships, the programme encourages research that crosses disciplinary and organisational boundaries. Students will join a vibrant and collaborative research community, benefiting from shared learning, specialist training, networking and outreach opportunities alongside their individual research projects. Together, the cohort will explore how research and innovation can help shape the future of sustainable air transport.

Objectives

The programme aims to develop new knowledge and practical solutions to support sustainability across the aviation sector. Each project will address a clearly defined challenge involving multiple stakeholders and will be relevant to at least two of the following groups: airports, airlines, air traffic management, aircraft, and passengers. Projects may focus on any aspect of aviation sustainability, including technology, operations, policy, economics, human factors or environmental impact.

Through a coordinated programme of training, networking and engagement activities, students will have opportunities to share insights and learn from researchers working on related challenges. Collectively, the cohort will contribute evidence, ideas and approaches that can inform decision-making and support the aviation sector's transition towards a more sustainable future. Details below.

Fast Topology-Optimised Heat Exchangers for Circular Aircraft MRO (BI0001)

Title: Fast Topology-Optimised Heat Exchangers for Circular Aircraft MRO (BI0001)

Department(s): Department of Aeronautics

Supervisors: Professor Rob Hewson, Dr Ajit Panesar

Develop automated topology optimisation methods that adapt spare parts to available materials and additive manufacturing equipment while preserving performance. With applications in future airport hydrogen infrastructure, the project connects phase-change thermal-fluid modelling with component durability, inventory reduction and environmental benefits across aircraft maintenance and airport ground support.

Sustainability-focused agent-based modelling for aircraft design with manufacturing flexibility (BI0002)

Title: Sustainability-focused agent-based modelling for aircraft design with manufacturing flexibility (BI0002)

Department(s): Department of Aeronautics

Supervisors: Dr. Thulasi Mylvaganam, Professor Rob Hewson, Dr Ajit Panesar, Dr Rhea Liem

Redefine how aircraft are designed - not just to fly, but to be built adaptably and sustainably. This PhD develops agent-based, multi-fidelity optimisation that turns manufacturing flexibility into a design variable, fusing multi-agent simulation, machine learning and structural optimisation to directly cut ramp-up delays, aircraft-on-ground risk and redesign cost at scale.

Market-based solutions for sustainable aviation under multiagent intelligence (BI0003)

Title: Market-based solutions for sustainable aviation under multiagent intelligence (BI0003)

Department(s): Grantham Research Institute, Department of Aeronautics

Supervisors: Dr Gbemi Oluleye, Professor Laura Mainini

This project will use multi-agent-based modelling to investigate how airlines and fuel producers respond to market-based solutions for sustainable aviation fuels. It will evaluate how carbon pricing, mandates, subsidies and other policy combinations can accelerate SAF investment, adoption and emissions reduction across the aviation system to 2050.

Reporting what pilots can see: a collaborative system for sharing contrail observations across airlines and air traffic management (BI0004)

Title: Reporting what pilots can see: a collaborative system for sharing contrail observations across airlines and air traffic management (BI0004)

Department(s): Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Aeronautics

Supervisors: Professor Marc Stettler, Dr Sebastian Eastham

Contrail avoidance is a promising near-term strategy for reducing aviation's climate impact, but wider adoption requires reliable observation and reporting. This project will develop and evaluate a collaborative system that combines pilot observations, operational data and governance frameworks to improve contrail forecasting, verification and decision-making across the aviation sector.

The dynamical impact of aircraft on clouds and climate (BI0005)

Title: The dynamical impact of aircraft on clouds and climate (BI0005)

Department(s): Department of Physics, Department of Aeronautics

Supervisors: Dr Edward Gryspeerdt, Professor Oliver Buxton

Aircraft vortices can create cloud-free corridors known as distrails, which may have a cooling effect that offsets part of aviation's climate impact. This project will provide the first global assessment of distrail effects, combining satellite, meteorological and aircraft data with modelling and experiments to understand how aircraft design and operations influence this emerging phenomenon.

Next-Generation Fuels for Net-Zero Aviation (BI0006)

Title: Next-Generation Fuels for Net-Zero Aviation (BI0006)

Department(s): Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Aeronautics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Supervisors: Dr Stelios Rigopoulos, Dr Sebastian Eastham, Professor Marc Stettler

Contrails are the biggest climate impact of aviation. In this project, we will employ advanced modelling methods to investigate the ice formation mechanism of novel fuels and integrate these into global scale contrail modelling, thus establishing whether there might exist disruptive fuels with potential to profoundly change aviation’s climate impacts.

Application Deadline

4 January 2027

General Information

Status: We are currently accepting applications for our October 2027 Cohort.

Duration: 3.5 years

Funding and Fees: 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.

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.

How to apply

Submit your application at: Application process | Study | Imperial College London. You will need to include the reference (i.e BI000X) and address your application to The Brahmal Vasudevan Institute. When making your application, please type ‘Aeronautics Research (PhD)’ into the programme search bar.
When applying, please use "Brahmal Institute" as the group.
In lieu of a research proposal, attach a one page (A4) letter of interest to your application that contains the following information:
- Answers to the following two questions (maximum 200 words each):
  - What steps have you taken, and what future ones will you pursue, to become a leader in sustainability?
  - Why does your background and experience make you a good fit for the Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation (DPSA)?

Further Information

To learn more about Imperial College, please visit the Imperial College Study page. For further inquiries, contact us at brahmal-institute@imperial.ac.uk.