PhD opportunities and funding

PhD opportunities

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Graduates of our PhD programmes are active with industrial firms, universities and research establishments, not only within the aerospace sector, but in fields as diverse as deep-sea oil rigs, atomic reactors, submarine and ship design, bridge research, racing car and engine research, atmospheric pollution, and in many other aspects of industrial aerodynamics, structural analysis and materials.

Find out how to apply for a research programme.

Highly qualified prospective PhD students are also encouraged to obtain their own PhD scholarship. Opportunities for this can be found on the postgraduate scholarship webpage (note that most of these are highly competitive).

Prospective students should contact relevant academic staff to agree on a suitable project if interested in this option.

Funded PhD opportunities

• Title: PhD Studentship in Aeronautics: Aero-Thermo-Structural Simulation and Optimization of Mechanical Interfaces in Hypersonic Vehicles
  Supervisor: Professor Matthew Santer, Dr Paul Bruce
  Ref: AE0071
  Deadline: 18 June 2025
  
  
• Title: Magnetic Suspension Balances (MSBS) for Drag Reduction
  Supervisor: Professor Jonathan Morrison
  Ref: AE0059
  Deadline: until filled
  
  

• Title: Machine Learning for alternative power generation systems in aerospace applications
  Supervisor: Dr Urban Fasel
  Ref: AE0067
  Deadline: Until filled
  
  

• Title:  Advanced lightweight metal nanocomposites for the energy transition: interface design and manufacture
  Supervisor:  ‌Dr Qianqian LI
  Deadline: Until filled
  Ref: AE0013v3

Fees, Funding and Scholarships

The amount of funding you will need to fund a PhD will vary according to your fee status (UK, EU or overseas). Please see Imperial College's student fees and funding pages for information on fees, living costs and College-administered scholarships.

Students in the department are funded from a variety of sources, including UK Research Councils, industry, College scholarships and departmental funding.

For scholarships administered from either the College or our Department, any applicant is automatically considered for any scholarships they are eligible for, unless stated otherwise by the applicant and unless it is the President’s PhD Scholarship. Special procedures apply when applying for the President’s PhD Scholarship.

There are many funding options available for students, including, but not limited to the below:

• President’s PhD Scholarship
• Project-specific studentships
• Centres for Doctoral Training
• Imperial College Scholarships (search tool)
• External funding
• International scholarship collaborations

PhD Studentship in Aeronautics: Aero-Thermo-Structural Simulation and Optimization of Mechanical Interfaces in Hypersonic Vehicles

Start Date: October 1 2025

Application deadline: until filled

Introduction: This PhD project in Aero-Thermo-Structural Simulation and Optimization of Mechanical Interfaces in Hypersonic Vehicles will be carried out under the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network. This network is supported by the Ministry of Defence and EPSRC for building the necessary expertise to develop next-generation hypersonic vehicles.

Objectives: You will investigate the coupled aerodynamic, structural and thermal analysis of interface regions, for example between fins and fuselage, in hypersonic vehicles. This will involve the use and augmentation of in-house python-based code based on Modified Newtonian aerodynamics and a coupled, nonlinear thermo-structural finite element solver.

Supervisors: Professor Matthew Santer, Dr. Paul Bruce.

Learning opportunities: You will develop an expertise in the Aero-thermo-structural simulation and optimization of hypersonic vehicles.

Professional Development: You will have access to engaging professional development workshops in areas such as research communication, computing and data science, and professional progression through our Early Career Researcher Institute. Additionally, you will be expected to attend cohort and training activities in the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network, led by the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. Each Cohort will have at least 8 students studying across a number of UK Universities.

Duration: 4 years.

Funding: Full coverage of tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £21,237 at home student rates. Information on fee status can be found at https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/fee-status/.

Eligibility: You must possess (or expect to gain) a First class honours MEng/MSci or higher degree or equivalent in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.

Students recruited must be citizens of one of the “AUKUS” alliance nations (United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America), and should not have dual nationality with any country on the UK Government’s list of countries subject to trade sanctions, arms embargoes and other trade restrictions (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/current-arms-embargoes-and-other-restrictions).

How to apply: Submit your application via our Apply webpages: www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/postgraduate-doctoral/application-process/. When submitting your application, you will need to use the following details.

• Search course/Programme: Aeronautics Research (PhD)
• Research Topic:Please use reference number AE0070
• Research Supervisors:Professor Matthew Santer, Dr. Paul Bruce
• Research Group:Aero

For further information: For questions about the project, please contact: Professor Matthew Santer, m.santer@imperial.ac.uk

For queries regarding the application process, please contact Lisa Kelly, PhD Administrator, l.kelly@imperial.ac.uk

You can also learn more about Imperial at www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg

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.