Queen Mary University of London will coordinate a major new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network to train twelve PhD students as the next generation of researchers working at the interface of artificial intelligence, high performance computing and chemically reactive flows.

The project, ASCEND – Next-Generation Accelerated and Scalable Modelling Frameworks for Chemically Reactive Flows, has received €3.7 million in EU funding through the Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Networks programme.

Reactive flows are central to many technologies that underpin the transition to cleaner energy systems, including low- and zero-carbon fuels, sustainable propulsion, power generation and fire-safety applications. However, accurately simulating these systems remains computationally demanding because they involve complex interactions between fluid dynamics, turbulence, chemical reactions, heat transfer and emissions formation. ASCEND will address this challenge by developing new modelling frameworks that combine scientific machine learning, high performance computing and computational fluid dynamics. The ambition is to deliver fast, trustworthy and scalable simulation tools capable of reducing computational cost by orders of magnitude while preserving the physical fidelity required for predictive engineering design.

The consortium is coordinated by Dr Amin Paykani, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Propulsion Systems in the School of Engineering and Materials Science, with support from Professor Xi Jiang and Dr Alexander Shestopaloff. Queen Mary will lead the overall coordination and contribute research expertise in combustion modelling, machine learning for chemically reactive systems, and uncertainty-aware modelling. ASCEND brings together Queen Mary University of London, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Ghent University, Technische Universität Braunschweig, the University of Edinburgh and Barcelona Supercomputing Centre. The network is supported by a wide group of associated partners, including Shell Research, Siemens Energy Industrial Turbomachinery, Etex, Virtwin Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, ETH Zurich, CNRS, North Carolina State University and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

The award marks a significant success for Queen Mary’s growing research leadership in sustainable propulsion, AI-enabled engineering and European doctoral training. By combining advanced simulation, artificial intelligence and doctoral training, ASCEND will contribute to Europe’s green and digital transitions and strengthen Queen Mary’s role as a coordinator of international research networks addressing major challenges in clean energy, sustainable propulsion and computational engineering.