Physics-Informed Digital Twin for Guided Wave-Based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations

About the Project

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six months of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at the University of Sheffield. The project is part of the Research Cluster, AI-driven Digital Twins for Assessing Operational Efficiency and Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms.

Offshore wind turbines are critical to the UK’s transition to net-zero, but their reliability is challenged by harsh marine environments. Turbine foundations, buried beneath the seabed, are particularly difficult to inspect once installed. Failures or unexpected degradation can lead to costly downtime, complex repairs, and significant risks to energy security. The offshore wind industry has highlighted the urgent need for improved monitoring solutions to reduce uncertainty and support long-term sustainable deployment.

This PhD project will develop a physics-informed digital twin for offshore wind foundations, combining ultrasonic guided wave monitoring, high-fidelity finite element simulations, Bayesian inference, and machine learning. Guided waves can propagate over long distances and reach areas that conventional inspection techniques cannot access, making them ideally suited for monitoring monopiles beneath the seabed. By fusing physics-based modelling with data-driven learning, the digital twin will enable accurate real-time assessment of structural condition, improved prediction of degradation, and reliable estimates of remaining useful life.

The project will use a combination of laboratory experiments, numerical modelling, and large-scale offshore case study supported by industry partners. Outcomes will include new methods for detecting early-stage defects, quantifying uncertainty under variable environmental conditions, and delivering actionable insights to support condition-based maintenance strategies. These advances will directly benefit the offshore wind industry by reducing operations and maintenance costs, extending foundation lifetimes, and minimising the risk of unplanned outages.

The successful student will join the Dynamics Research Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield, while also being embedded in the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). This dual environment offers world-class academic expertise, access to industrial collaborations, and specialist facilities in digitalisation and process monitoring.

Training & Development

Your training will begin with an intensive six-month programme at the University of Hull, drawing on the expertise and facilities of all four academic partners. It is supplemented by Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which is embedded throughout your 4-year research scholarship giving you a broad understanding of the breadth and depth of current and emerging offshore wind sector needs.

This project also provides a unique opportunity to gain cutting-edge technical skills and strong professional development for a career in academia or industry. This includes training in advanced guided wave SHM (from Guided Ultrasonics Ltd) and finite element modelling (Pogo from Imperial College London). Industry placements with project partners will provide additional hands-on experience and ensure strong links to real-world applications.

Entry Requirements

If you have received a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Masters level with any undergraduate degree (or international equivalents) in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics and Statistics, we would like to hear from you.

If your first language is not English, you will be required to provide evidence of your English language ability. We require an IELTS (or equivalent) score of 7.0 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each skill.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for home fee status candidates who identify as Black or Black mixed or Asian or Asian mixed if they meet the programme entry requirements. This positive action is to support recruitment of under-represented ethnic groups to our programme and is an opt-in process.

How to Apply

Please familiarise yourself with the AURA CDT website before you apply. The Frequently asked questions page and Candidate resources page are essential reading.

As part of the recruitment process, please submit a short 5 minute film of you delivering a presentation on “How do your experiences and qualities provide a background to contribute to research and innovation for the project you have applied for”.

You will be assessed on the content of your presentation, not your film editing skills, but please film in an appropriate, quiet location. The presentation could be a slide presentation with voice over, or you may wish to present simply talking to the camera, use the method you are most comfortable with. Please use tools and technology that are accessible to you e.g. your mobile phone, Keynote or Powerpoint.

You may only apply for ONE project offered through the CDT, via this page. After filling in your personal details, please select ‘Doctoral Training Course’ as the qualification you are applying for, and ‘AURA II CDT’ for the specific doctoral training course.

Please upload the following to your application:

• Complete transcripts and degree certificates (where possible). The documents should be provided in English and the original language.
• Your CV.
• A completed Supplementary Application Form. This includes space for you to provide a link where the shortlisting panel may view your film.

Save the supplementary application form as a pdf, labelled: Last name_first name PhD application form, and upload it when asked to add your Supporting Statement. Do not send your form directly to the CDT.

Interviews

First-round interviews will be held online during early to mid-February 2026. The interview panel will comprise the project supervisors and a CDT representative. Where the project involves external or industry supervisors then they may form part of the interview panel and your application documents will be shared with them.

If you are successful, you will progress to a second interview towards the end of February 2026. This will be with key academics from the CDT from across our four partner institutions (Durham, Hull, Loughborough, Sheffield) and your application documents will be shared with them.

Documents shared with external staff will have the guaranteed interview scheme section removed from your supplementary application form.

Interested?

Queries should be directed to Dr Panpan Xu (p.xu@sheffield.ac.uk) or the CDT (auracdt@hull.ac.uk)

Funding Notes

The CDT is funded by EPSRC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates. These are currently £20,780 per annum at 2025/26 rates and will increase in line with the EPSRC guidelines for the subsequent years.

Our CDT scholarships are available to Home (UK) students. To be considered a Home student a student must have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship.