New PhD Opportunities – fully funded

This is a PhD opportunity to work with Jaguar Land Rover on one of two PhD options (as listed below):

OR

Required qualifications/skills:

• UK Home fees
• You should have or expect to get a 1st class honours degree or a Masters with distinction in a science or engineering subject.
• Experience of acoustic or vibration measurement, prediction and analysis is desirable.
• You should have a background in mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, electrical engineering, general engineering, physics or acoustics.

• Project Supervisors: Dr David Angland  and Dr Chaitanya Paruchuri
• Industry Partner: Airbus SAS

Project Outline:
This project addresses broadband interaction noise, one of the key contributors to community noise from modern propeller aircraft. By developing accurate predictive tools, the project will help Airbus design quieter and more environmentally friendly aircraft. The outcomes will promote sustainability by contributing to quieter communities around airports.

Further project information:
This PhD project investigates the complex aerodynamic and acoustic interactions between a propeller and a downstream wing operating at high incidence angles. The research aims to deepen understanding of these interaction effects by addressing key questions on model accuracy, wake behaviour, and aerodynamic coupling.

The study will involve a combination of experimental and numerical methods. Wind tunnel experiments will be conducted to identify and characterize noise sources across a range of inflow conditions, using realistic high-lift wing geometries. A numerical framework will be developed to simulate propeller-wing interactions and validate with measured experimental data.

The final objective is to validate and refine existing analytical models to improve their predictive capabilities in complex, high-incidence scenarios. This research supports Airbus’ design and operational goals by enhancing the accuracy of noise prediction tools used in the development of the next-generation of aircraft.

Subject Areas: Aerospace Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Computational Mathematics, Mathematical Modelling

Previous knowledge required:

• UK or EU national
• You should have or expect to be awarded 2.1 (minimum) BSc or Masters in Aerospace Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Mathematics.
• Some prior experience of CFD and/or wind tunnel experience.  

• Project Supervisors: Dr Joshua Meggitt and Professor Jordan Cheer 
• Project Partner: DSTL
  

Project Outline:
This PhD project focuses on developing new methods to predict and analyse the sound power radiated by complex engineering systems—without needing full physical prototypes. Since real structures are made of many interacting components that each generate noise and vibration, the research aims to:

• Predict total sound power from individual component-level measurements.
• Break down measured sound power into contributions from different internal sources.
• Handle both structural and airborne transmission paths that shape the final radiated sound.

To achieve this, the project will advance Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) techniques—such as blocked force and substructuring methods—combined with analytical sound radiation models and inverse methods. Work will involve both experimental testing and numerical simulation.

In collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), this PhD is jointly run by the University of Southampton’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research and the University of Salford’s Acoustics Research Centre, offering a flexible, collaborative research environment. Key benefits include impactful work toward quieter technologies, creative and interdisciplinary problem-solving, and balanced skill development across theory, computation, and experiments.

Further project information:
Sound power is a fundamental measure of the acoustic “strength” of a source and is widely used in the assessment of domestic appliances, industrial machinery, automotive components, among other engineered systems. It is also a key performance metric in active noise control applications, where radiated sound power is often used as the primary quantity to be minimised. While standardised procedures for directly measuring sound power are well established through international standards, these methods rely on physical prototypes and measurements that may not be feasible on large-scale complex engineering systems. Modern engineering workflows increasingly require the ability to predict sound power at early design stages, before full-scale construction.

Real-world structures typically contain multiple interacting sub-components that each act as vibro-acoustic sources. Their combined behaviour governs the overall radiated sound power of the complete assembly. This PhD project aims to develop new methodologies to (a) predict total sound power using individual component-level measurements and (b) decompose measured sound power into contributions from distinct internal sources. Achieving this requires simultaneously addressing structural and airborne acoustic transmission paths, which together shape the radiated sound pressure field.

The research will explore and extend advanced Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) approaches—including in-situ blocked force techniques and substructuring methods—in combination with analytical sound radiation models and inverse methods. The project will involve a balanced mix of experimental investigations and numerical simulations to validate and refine the proposed methods.

This is a collaborative project between the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton and the Acoustics Research Centre at the University of Salford. The PhD student will be part of both research environments and will spend time at each institution, with flexibility in how this is arranged.

SUMMARY

Impactful research — Your work will contribute to quieter homes, workplaces, and transport systems, improving everyday wellbeing.

Creative problem-solving — You’ll be developing new ways of understanding complex systems, not just applying existing tools. 

Supportive, collaborative environments — You’ll be part of two leading acoustics research communities at the University of Southampton and the University of Salford, with flexibility in how you divide your time. 

Balanced skill development — The project offers a mix of experimental work, computational modelling, and theoretical development, giving you a strong and versatile research profile. 

Inclusive, interdisciplinary culture — Acoustics brings together engineering, physics, psychology, design, and creativity. Diverse perspectives are genuinely valued and often lead to the most innovative solutions.

Subject Areas: Vibration acoustics, Acoustics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics

Required qualifications/skills:

• UK National
• A first-class degree or Master’s degree in Acoustics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or similar
• Experience with acoustics and vibration analysis desired.
• Strong analytical and quantitative research skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely. 

• Project Supervisors: Prof Mahdi Azarpeyvand, Dr Esmaeel Masoudi and Dr Sen Wang
• Industry Partner: ESDU – ACCURIS 

Project Outline:
As urban air mobility continues to develop, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), drones, and air taxis are expected to transform the way people and goods move within and between cities. These emerging technologies promise cleaner, more efficient transport, but their success depends on achieving low noise levels that make them acceptable to the public and compatible with urban environments. Reducing noise is therefore a key challenge for creating sustainable and widely adopted air-mobility systems.

This PhD project investigates the mechanisms behind broadband noise generation in propellers and rotorcraft systems. In collaboration with ESDU, an international leader in providing validated aerospace engineering design data, methods and software, and world-class academics at the University of Bristol, you will use the state-of-the-art National Aeroacoustic wind tunnel facility to study the steady or unsteady aerodynamics responsible for broadband noise generation. By combining advanced experiments with numerical simulations, the project aims to develop predictive models and practical strategies for reducing noise in next-generation aircraft propulsion systems.

Further project information:
Broadband noise generated by propellers and rotorcraft remains a major challenge for urban air mobility and next-generation aircraft. Unlike tonal noise, which is concentrated at specific frequencies, broadband noise spans a wide range of frequencies and arises from complex interactions between turbulent flows, blade loading, and wake dynamics. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for designing quieter, more efficient, and publicly acceptable aircraft.

In this PhD, you will investigate the aerodynamic processes that produce broadband noise in propellers and rotor systems. The research will combine wind tunnel experiments at the National Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Facility at the University of Bristol with numerical simulations to capture the steady or unsteady flow features responsible for noise generation. The experimental work will include measurements of flow and acoustic fields around rotating blades, while the simulations will provide detailed insight into the underlying aerodynamic mechanisms.

You will also explore ways to integrate experimental data and simulation results into predictive models, helping to identify design strategies for noise reduction. This may involve surrogate modelling, reduced-order modelling, or data-driven approaches.

The project is conducted in collaboration with ESDU, a leader in providing validated aerospace engineering design data, methods and software, providing direct access to industrial expertise and real-world design challenges. You will gain experience in state-of-the-art experimental and computational methods, contribute to the development of low-noise rotorcraft technologies, and play a part in shaping the future of urban air mobility and eVTOL systems.

Subject Areas: Fluid Dynamics, Aeroacoustics, Turbulence, Experimental Methods

Required qualifications/skills:

• A minimum of a 2:1 undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or a related discipline.
• Strong background in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, or acoustics.
• Experience with experimental testing, flow measurement, or computational modelling is desirable.