PhD Studentship in Aeronautics: A Lagrangian Perspective of Entrainment into Wind-turbine Wakes (AE0091)

Overview

This PhD studentship focuses on a Lagrangian perspective of entrainment into wind-turbine wakes, addressing the aerodynamic disadvantages of clustered wind turbines. Wind turbines create turbulent wakes that interact with downstream turbines, reducing power efficiency and increasing fatigue damage. Understanding how these wakes spread and propagate is essential for designing more efficient wind farms. The project runs for 3.5 years under the supervision of Professor Oliver Buxton. The work is conducted on site at Imperial College London, with a start date between 1st August 2027 and 1st July 2028. Additionally, the project runs in parallel with a related initiative at DTU in Copenhagen, providing opportunities to collaborate with a leading wind energy research group and travel between London and Copenhagen.

Who can apply

Candidates are expected to have achieved or be on track to achieve a First class honours MEng/MSci or higher degree, or an international equivalent, in aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, or physics. Applicants should possess a strong motivation, the ability to think and work independently, and a passion for fluid mechanics. While previous experience with experimental fluid mechanics is desirable, it is not essential; a willingness and aptitude to learn new things is considered far more important. The funding and position are open to Home, EU, and International students.

What you get

The studentship provides full tuition fees along with an annual tax-free stipend of £23,805. Students gain hands-on experience in particle tracking velocimetry and running experiments in a water facility optimised for entrainment measurements. Participants also gain access to Imperial's professional development network and are expected to write cutting-edge papers and present their findings at international conferences.

Requirements

Selected candidates will perform cutting-edge experiments to directly observe entrainment in a laboratory-scale wind-turbine wake from a Lagrangian perspective using state-of-the-art particle tracking velocimetry measurements. Students will examine how a wake's coherent motions affect these processes against a background of atmospheric turbulence and blade-tip vortices. Participants are expected to actively publish papers and share their findings internationally.

Key dates

The application deadline is 23:59 on 4th January 2027 based on UK time, with the closing date set for 2027-01-04. The project start date falls between 1st August 2027 and 1st July 2028.