PhD Studentship: Physics-Informed Artificial Intelligence Predicting Corrosion

Overview

Fully Funded PhD Studentship:
Physics-Informed Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Corrosion and Material Degradation in Critical Infrastructure. This 3-year, industry-based PhD is conducted jointly by University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and NSIRC (TWI), with collaboration from TWI Wales, Port Talbot.

Research focus:
Development of physics-informed AI methods for predicting corrosion and material degradation in critical infrastructure, combining data-driven learning with physical principles such as electrochemical kinetics, diffusion and thermodynamics. The work aims to improve corrosion detection, degradation prediction, predictive maintenance and lifecycle assessment in pipelines and other high-value engineering assets.

Location:

Primarily based at TWI Wales, Port Talbot, with access to UWTSD facilities as required. Duration: 3 years.

Start date:

October 2026.

Supervisors:
Dr Seena Joseph (UWTSD), Dr Ashley Pullen (UWTSD);
Industry Supervisor:
Dr Kai Yang (TWI/NSIRC).

Develop a hybrid modelling approach that integrates physics-informed neural networks with machine learning to predict corrosion and material degradation using inspection data, environmental measurements and synthetic data guided by physical laws.

Three-year fully funded studentship covering tuition fees and a progressively increasing stipend: £21,403 (Year
1), £22,046 (Year
2), £22,707 (Year
3).

Applicants should submit:

• A CV
• A covering letter outlining suitability for the project, including engineering background and interest in AI or ML, and rationale for applying these methods to corrosion, degradation and critical infrastructure.

Application information and eligibility criteria can be found at:
Postgraduate Research Applications | University of Wales Trinity Saint David and PhD Engineering – Swansea (October - Full Time).

For informal enquiries, please contact:

• Dr Seena Joseph, Director of Studies, University of Wales Trinity Saint David,
• Dr Ashley Pullen, Supervisor, University of Wales Trinity Saint David,
• Dr Kai Yang, Industry Supervisor, TWI,