PhD Studentship: Multiphysics CFD Laser Manufacturing

PhD Studentship:
Multiphysics CFD for Laser Manufacturing (Fully Funded, UK Nationals Only)

Join the University of Nottingham’s Mechanical & Aerospace Systems research group for an industry-sponsored, fully funded PhD at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). As a PhD student, you will develop next‑generation simulation capability for laser drilling, capturing compressible gas dynamics, heat transfer, free‑surface/melt behaviour, and mass transfer driven by phase change within a GPU‑accelerated solver to reduce simulation turnaround times.

Area: Engineering
Location: UK Other
Closing Date: Friday 27 February 2026
Reference: ENG
294

• 3‑year, full‑time PhD studentship (UK nationals only)
• Tax‑free stipend: £25,000 per year
• Full home tuition fees paid
• £2,000 per year for consumables and travel
• Security checks required prior to start with MTC funding

• Extend XCALibre.jl with new (traditional and/or AI‑enhanced) models for laser‑material interaction, gas dynamics and phase change.
• Implement GPU‑efficient algorithms and meshing strategies for substantial speed‑ups.
• Validate against MTC laser drilling use‑cases and representative configurations.
• Package the outcome as a robust, modular, maintainable module/s within XCALibre.jl.

Enthusiastic, self‑motivated candidates with a 1st or high 2:1 in computer science, mechanical engineering, or aerospace engineering. You should have programming experience applied to physics/engineering problems and/or experience with machine learning and ML. The University of Nottingham is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.

Dr Humberto Medina – Humb

Closing date: 27 February 2026
Proposed start date: 5 October 2026