Non-Funded Studentships

Satellite image analysis for monitoring climate change effects on land cover

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities

Coventry University is inviting applications from suitably-qualified self-funded graduates for a PhD studentship in satellite image analysis domain.

Flow Measurement and Visualisation in Swirling Flows

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

The aim of this project is experimental investigation of swirling flows in sudden expansions. Such flows are encountered in many applications - e.g. turbomachinery, cooling flows and after treatment systems for turbocharged car engines. Recent trend to use turbochargers on engines results in swirling flow entering the catalyst or filter. The effect of swirl on the flow distribution inside the catalyst is not well understood.

CPC PhD study opportunities

Non-funded

Centre for Postdigital Cultures (CPC), Coventry University invites Expressions of Interest from prospective PhD students, interested in PhD programmes staring in the academic year 2020/2021.

GaN Current Sensors for Advanced Power Electronics

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities

Coventry University has been voted ‘Modern University of the Year’ three times running by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide. Ranked in the UK’s top 15 (Guardian University Guide), we have a global reputation for high quality teaching and research with impact.

Vertical GaN Power Trench MOSFET

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities

The Centre for Advanced Low-carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS) is seeking exceptional and motivated PhD candidates wishing to engage with world-class research and world-leading industrialists in the area of power electronics.

Electrical interactions between Cathodic Protection systems and surface- bonded CFRP composites in RC structures

Non-funded

Centre for the Built and Natural Environment | Engineering, Environment and Computing

This project will seek to investigate the electrical and electrochemical interaction between carbon fibre composite strengthening system and CP system and develop suitable method(s) to mitigate the potential risk of shortening the service life of CFRP composite. The proposed research motives can result in development of specialist resin and/or isolating system to be used in situations where the coupled application of CP system and CFRP composites is needed.

Numerical modelling of coastal defences under extreme climatic events

Non-funded

Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems | Engineering, Environment and Computing

The aim of this project is to produce robust and efficient predictive tool for the quantity of wave-by-wave overtopping, over-wash, wave pressure & loads, sediment transport and scouring for both soft and hard coastal defences. Given that industries and consultant engineers have no access to experimental facilities, such tools are vital to evaluate the performance of transformative future technologies in the coastal region.

Machine learning in statistical physics

Non-funded

Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems | Engineering, Environment and Computing

The student will use deep neural networks to quantitatively describe phase transitions in pure and disordered spin systems. Advanced techniques such as GANs will be employed to directly sample configurations of such systems. As a result, the student will be able to map out the utility of such methods for research in statistical physics and potentially open up exciting new avenues resulting from combining approaches from different disciplines.

A new approach to modelling oil spill in the fluvial to marine transition zones

Non-funded

Engineering, Environment and Computing

This project will need a {hD candidate willing to work with a multidisciplinary team of experts from academia and industry in finding innovative approach for cost-effective operational response to oil spill incidents in FMTZs that can be applied around the world.

Investigation into Selective Catalyst Reduction spray formulation and use of various liquid reductants

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

Studies assume that all the reductant is evaporated at the entry of the SCR domain because of the long mixing length, but this may not be the case in the close-coupled system with a much shorter mixing length. Although the droplet deposition problem could be avoided by other means, such as calibration, this may not work at extreme operating conditions, e.g. low mass flow rate and low temperature. Since the active SCR system will be the major emissions control device in the next generation diesel engines, it is important to have a thorough understanding of such failure modes and find ways to minimize its impact on product development and warranty. This study will be focused on injection of different reductants’ droplets of various fractions into SCR to investigate their impact on system efficiency.

Exploring Mixed-State Wetting of Laser Surface Engineered Polymeric Materials

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

This project will make inroads to achieve a better understanding of the wetting nature of laser surface engineered materials exhibiting a mixed-state wetting regime and will add to the current work being conducted in the field of wetting regimes and wetting transitions.

Exploring the impact of industry 4.0 on the use of lasers in battery manufacture

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

This research project will investigate how the application of industry 4.0 and laser material processing can be readily applied to the battery manufacturing industry in order to bring about the efficiencies needed. As a result, the project will make inroads into the best course of action for applying laser technology into industry 4.0 so that a road map can be ascertained as to the best course of action to bring about a paradigm shift in the battery manufacturing industry.

Application of the structural equation modelling approach to ascertain the true costs of EIA and the determinants of impact prediction quality

Non-funded

Centre for the Built and Natural Environment | Engineering, Environment and Computing

This project requires a PhD candidate who is willing to investigate this problem in an innovative and rigorous manner. We expect that Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) method will be applied in this study to analyse time and financial costs as measured variables against some selected latent constructs which will evolve from extant literature. 

Development of a novel approach for assessing crash safety of lightweight vehicles

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

Coventry University has been voted ‘Modern University of the Year’ three times running by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide. Ranked in the UK’s top 15 (Guardian University Guide), we have a global reputation for high quality teaching and research with impact. Almost two-thirds (61%) of our research was judged ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.

Intelligent Solar Controller

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

The main focus of this PhD work will be to propose novel techniques for maximum power point tracking in harsh conditions that are theoretically elegant while at the same time practically useful.

Reliable power conversion through condition monitoring of power semiconductors and electronics

Non-funded

Institute for Future Transport & Cities | Engineering, Environment and Computing

Power Electronics Converters are exceptionally important in systems that operate in changeable, isolated, challenging environments or where the degradation of operation can potentially be life threatening. Practical examples of scenarios which would benefit from the integration of Condition Monitoring include; offshore wind turbines, aerospace power supplies, traction drives and electric vehicles.