LEAD SUPERVISOR NAME

Dr Matteo Carpentieri

FUNDING STATUS

Directly Funded Project (European / UK students only)

RESEARCH GROUP

Aerodynamics and Environmental Flow

PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

The Aerodynamics & Environmental Flow Research Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences (MES) is offering a three-year PhD studentship, fully funded by the Department. The funding will cover fees and normal EPSRC stipend (currently £13,863/year). Candidates have to satisfy the standard University eligibility criteria. The expected start date for the project is October 2015.

The PhD research activity will involve wind tunnel experiments and CFD modelling of stratified flows in urban areas. The project will investigate the behaviour of wind flow, heat and pollutant fluxes in densely populated urban areas under neutral, stable and unstable meteorological conditions. Stratified conditions are very common in nature, yet this environmental flow regime has been poorly studied in the past, mainly due to limited experimental capabilities. The EnFlo Laboratory at the University of Surrey has unique facilities in the UK, and is one of the very few laboratories in Europe that has the capabilities to study stratified environmental flows. Most of the experimental work will be done in the EnFlo boundary-layer wind tunnel. The experimental data will be complemented by the use of numerical CFD modelling using the open source library OpenFOAM and a dedicated computing cluster.

The research group has an excellent collaboration network with leading research groups in the UK and internationally, and the PhD student will benefit from links with other ongoing projects in the research group, such as DIPLOS, MODITIC, and SuperGen Wind Power.

FUNDING NOTES

This project would be suitable for students with a first or upper second class degree (or equivalent overseas qualification) in engineering, physics, mathematics or a closely related quantitative discipline.

REFERENCES

Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the project, a CV, and the names and contact details of two references. Applications and informal enquiries should be sent by e-mail to Dr Matteo Carpentieri (m.carpentieri<στο>surrey.ac.uk).

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted directly to arrange a suitable time for an interview. The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found so there is no fixed closing date for applications.