The Electrical Machines and Drives Group in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, the University of Sheffield is offering one PhD postgraduate award to a highly qualified student. The award is part funded by Rolls-Royce plc, which covers overseas fees and stipend over a period of 36 months.

The Electrical Machines and Drives Group has a wide range of research interests and is seeking to offer scholarships to applicants that build on key strengths in power electronics. The successful candidate will work closely under the supervision of Prof. Shankar Ekkanath Madathil.

The candidate must hold a first-class class honours degree and preferably a Master’s degree in electrical and electronics degree or in a closely affiliated field. The person will be highly motivated, having the required skills to capture and push beyond the current state of the art in power electronics. During the project, the candidate will work in the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre within the Electrical Machines and Drives Group at the University of Sheffield.

The technical purpose of this studentship is to undertake research on Gallium Nitride based power electronics converters for aerospace applications. The work will involve electrical performance evaluation of Normally ‘On’ and/or Normally ‘Off’ devices, extract necessary circuit parameters, build suitable gate drivers and explore how such devices can be used in converter applications. The student will carry out detailed evaluation of the state-of-the-art technologies, including Polarisation Super-Junction technologies being developed within the research team at UoS. Innovative research and assessment of different converter topologies and undertaking trade-studies to show relative merits and demerits for aerospace applications will be part of this work. As a team member, he/she will partake in other research activities as necessary.

How to apply - Interested applicants should apply by submitting their CV and cover letter to Prof Ekkanath Madathil (s.madathil<στο>sheffield.ac.uk) at the University of Sheffield. The student is also expected to file on-line application, directing the application to the attention of Prof Ekkanath Madathil. The successful candidate will be expected to join as soon as possible.

The Electrical Machines and Drives Group at the EEE Department, University of Sheffield has > 100 research members, including Academic Staff (6 Full professors, 1 Senior Lecturer and 5 Lecturers), Research Fellows and PhD students. The group has annual new research funding of about £5 million (> £10m, 2013). The EMD group also hosts the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) for Advanced Electrical Machines and Drives and Sheffield Siemens Wind Power Research Centre. The EEE Department is one of the best supported EEE departments in the country with over £16.5m of current funding from the EPSRC. The Department was assessed very highly in the last three research assessment excises. For more information, visit http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/eee.