PhD Studentship: Reporting what pilots can see: a collaborative system for sharing contrail observations across airlines and air traffic management

Overview

The Brahmal Institute invites applications for the October 2027 Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation at Imperial College London, based in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. This 3.5-year PhD studentship focuses on a collaborative system for sharing contrail observations across airlines and air traffic management to improve forecasting, verification, and operational decision-making. Students will participate in a cohort addressing aviation sustainability from a systems perspective, benefiting from shared learning, specialist training, networking, and outreach. The project is supervised by Professor Marc Stettler and Dr Sebastian Eastham.

Who can apply

Both Home and International students may apply. Candidates must have obtained or expect to obtain a first-class honours Master's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering or related disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering, Computational Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics.

What you get

The studentship provides full coverage of tuition fees, a generous travel budget, and an annual tax-free stipend of £23,805.

Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop and apply new concepts while meeting deadlines, a creative approach to problem-solving, and the capacity to organise their own work with minimal supervision. A strong background in numerical methods and scientific computing is required, alongside excellent verbal and written technical communication skills for publication. Candidates must also show a demonstrated understanding of and passion for sustainability.

How to apply

Applications are submitted online through the university admissions portal, addressing the application to The Brahmal Vasudevan Institute using the reference BI0004. Applicants should search for Aeronautics Research (PhD) and select Brahmal Institute as the group. Instead of a research statement, candidates must attach a one-page A4 letter of interest containing answers of up to 200 words each addressing steps taken and planned to become a leader in sustainability, and why their background makes them a good fit for the programme.

Key dates

The application deadline is 4 January 2027. The programme starts in October 2027.