About the Project
This 4-year PhD project is fully funded and only home candidates are eligible. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend of ~£25,518 and paid tuition fees. We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before deadline.
The project is an exciting opportunity to undertake industrially linked research in partnership with Rolls-Royce (RR) at the RR University Technology Centre (UTC) in Electrical Systems at University of Manchester(UoM). The UTC researches a wide range of underpinning electrical technologies for applications of on-board power systems for aircraft. The UoM's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has ~95 academic staff, split across a number of research groups, is one of the largest UK departments of this type, and particularly strong in power engineering.
The aviation sector is undergoing a transformation as it moves towards more environmentally sustainable flight. This involves significant electrification where on-board electrical systems are increasingly critical to aircraft operation. Arc faults in aviation electrical systems remain a major reliability and safety concern: they can generate significant heat and damage, critically compromising system redundancy and operative ability. This PhD combines industrial and academic expertise to develop next-generation understanding of propagation, detection and containment of the destructive nature of arc fault events in the context of modern aerospace power drive systems. The key objective is to characterise the nature of arc initiation & propagation and how arcing can be managed through system design or operation, with a view to retaining functionality when these occur and minimising their likelihood. This is also researched by the recently commenced multi-million MOSFET (The Maturing Optimised Solutions for Aerospace Technology) research programme lead by RR in collaboration with UoM and an electrical systems specialist company (Aerospace HV), and this PhD will be actively supporting and running along side this project. This PhD offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of sustainable flight collaborating with leading aerospace companies.
Work will include the development of a laboratory test system able of emulating arc faults, fault inception and propagation operating environments in an aerospace power drive representative system architecture. This will enable experimental research on charaterising the underlying causes of fault inception, identifying critical contributors and operating margins/management procedures associated with these. The PhD will also include activities on developing appropriate models for research and analysis of the relevant fault event features in the studied drive system.
Based in the UoM RR UTC at the Energy Conversion Group, you will be responsible for undertaking the relevant research under the guidance of Dr Djurovic and his colleagues and in collaboration with relevant Rolls-Royce and Aerospace HV staff.
We are interested in students with a strong understanding of power drives, high-voltage engineering, electrical arcs and insulation systems. A strong interest in electrical transportation systems for aerospace is also desirable. Additional knowledge in power drive/insulation system laboratory testing is welcome but not a requirement.
We are looking for someone to start as soon as possible.
Eligibility
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master's in a relevant science/engineering related discipline. A background in electrical drives/HV is highly desirable.
Funding
This 4-year PhD project is fully funded; students who are eligible to pay tuition fees at the Home rate are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend of ~£25,518 and paid tuition fees. We are looking for someone to start as soon as possible.
We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.
Before you apply
To apply, please contact the main supervisor, Dr Djurovic - sinisa.durovic@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background, any relevant experience and a paragraph about your motivation for this PhD project.
How to apply
Apply online through our website: https://uom.link/pgr-apply-2425
When applying, you'll need to specify the full name of this project, the name of your supervisor, if you already having funding or if you wish to be considered for available funding through the university, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees.
Your application will not be processed without all of the required documents submitted at the time of application, and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
After you have applied you will be asked to upload the following supporting documents:
- Final Transcript and certificates of all awarded university level qualifications
- Interim Transcript of any university level qualifications in progress
- CV
- Supporting statement: A one or two page statement outlining your motivation to pursue postgraduate research and why you want to undertake postgraduate research at Manchester, any relevant research or work experience, the key findings of your previous research experience, and techniques and skills you've developed. (This is mandatory for all applicants and the application will be put on hold without it).
- Contact details for two referees (please make sure that the contact email you provide is an official university/work email address as we may need to verify the reference)
- English Language certificate (if applicable). Home students do not normally need to provide this.
If you have any questions about making an application, please contact our admissions team by emailing FSE.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.
We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.
We also support applications from those returning from a career break or other roles. We consider offering flexible study arrangements (including part-time: 50%, 60% or 80%, depending on the project/funder).
Funding Notes
This 4-year PhD project is fully funded; students who are eligible to pay tuition fees at the Home rate are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend of ~£25,518 and paid tuition fees. We are looking for someone to start as soon as possible.
We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.
