PhD Studentship in Aeronautics: Turbulence under strain (AE0096)

Start Date:

Between 1 August 2027 and 1 July 2028

Application Deadline:

23.59 on 4 January 2027 (UK time)

Introduction: 

Richard Feynman famously quoted ‘turbulence is the most important unsolved problem of classical physics’. Understanding and modelling turbulent flow physics will unlock a vast potential for optimising many applications of the energy and transportation sectors. While the last century has produced breakthroughs in our understanding of turbulent flows, these are confined in two extreme and polar-opposite regimes: when turbulence is highly or when it is lowly strained. Still, the physics of the in-between regime of intermediate-strain, which is critical for a wide variety of engineering and environmental applications, remains unexplored. 

This project will focus on uncovering the physics of intermediate-strain turbulent wakes. Apart from being of interest from a fundamental perspective, such wake conditions are widely encountered in automotive, aeronautical and wind engineering applications among many others.  

Various bluff bodies will be tested in the lab, carefully designed so that their near wakes produce average strain rates that vary from low to high levels. You will then document the failure of classical theories to describe intermediate strain regimes. The produced data-set will subsequently be utilized to develop a novel theoretical framework for intermediate strain turbulence, based on the concept of ‘simple transportation of energy’ recently proposed by the PI, and validated for the simpler case of homogenous decaying turbulence. The project will rely on laboratory experiments, conducted in the state-of-the-art wind tunnel facilities of the Aeronautics Department, and will utilize high speed particle image velocimetry to characterize 2D and 3D turbulent velocity fields. 

The proposed work falls under the theme of the ERC project ONSET awarded to the PI and its successful conclusion could potentially lay the basis for the development of novel turbulence closure models for intermediate strain conditions, where current models are known to be inaccurate. 

Supervisors: 

Dr Kostas Steiros

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 on our Fees and Funding webpages.

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: Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics

How to apply

Submit your application via our Apply webpages - you will need to upload the following:

• CV
• personal statement
• transcripts
• contact details for two references

When applying, you will need to complete the following fields:

• Search course/Programme: Aeronautics Research (PhD)
• Research Group: Aero
• Research Topic: Please use reference number AE0096
• Research Supervisor: Dr. Kostas Steiros
• Entry term: Autumn 2027/8 or Spring 2027/8 

You can find out more general guidance on how to apply on our Admissions webpages.

Applying to two projects

You can apply for a maximum of two PhD projects in any academic year – this includes PhD projects in other departments at Imperial and the Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation (DPSA) within our Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation.

If you are submitting two applications for different PhD Studentships in the same academic year, you will need to select different entry terms – one application must be for the entry term Autumn 2027/8 and one application must be for the entry term Spring 2027/8. If you are successful in receiving an offer, we can amend the entry term of the relevant PhD Studentship.

References

You will need to provide the contact details of two referees – we will then contact them directly to request the references after you have submitted your application. Find out more about the importance of references and how to check the status of your references on our application references webpage.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your referees respond to any reference requests. To ensure we do not delay the admissions process for our applicants, any incomplete applications without references by 23.59 on 5 February 2027 (UK time) will be rejected. 

Contact

For more information about this specific PhD project, please contact: Dr. Kostas Steiros

For questions about the application process, 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 find answers to common application questions on our Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

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.