PhD Research Studentships
Passive controls for hypersonic boundary-layer transition in the supersonic regime
| Supervisors: | Kshitij SABNIS and Holger Babinsky |
| Apply by: | 22 May 2025 |
| Start in: | September (Semester 1) |
Description
An exciting PhD project on “Passive controls for hypersonic boundary-layer transition in the supersonic regime" will be carried out under the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network, which has been supported by the Ministry of Defence and EPSRC for building the necessary expertise to develop next-generation hypersonic vehicles. This offers a fully funded 3.5 years stipend and tuition fees at the Home status rate at Queen Mary University of London under the supervision of Dr Kshitij Sabnis - the project will be co-supervised by Prof Holger Babinsky (University of Cambridge). Additionally, the student will be expected to attend cohorting and training activities in the UK Hypersonics Doctoral Network, led by the University of Oxford and Imperial College. Each Cohort will have at least 8 students studying across a number of UK Universities.
Students recruited must be a UK national, and should not have dual nationality with any country on the UK Government’s list of countries subject to trade sanctions, arms embargoes and other trade restrictions (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/current-arms-embargoes-and-other-restrictions).
The surface of a hypersonic vehicle are likely to feature a textured geometry. For example, ablation of the surface can cause roughness or, alternatively, textures may be intentionally engineered into the surface to control laminar-turbulent transition. The transition of a hypersonic boundary layer causes heating and drag on hypersonic vehicle surfaces. State-of-the-art methods are being developed to control transition location, including engineered surface roughness and wavy walls. The physical scale of control textures is defined by the boundary-layer properties during a vehicle’s hypersonic cruise. However, as the vehicle progresses through the supersonic regime, the surface textures may protrude substantially into the flow, which could impact the boundary layer and its separation response to shocks. This PhD project will establish how these surface textures affect aerodynamic performance as a vehicle passes through the supersonic regime.
To investigate this interesting flow problem, you will conduct experiments in QMUL’s supersonic blowdown wind tunnel, using a combination of traditional methods alongside advanced diagnostics. You will also have the opportunity to take part in placement periods to carry out additional experiments in National Wind Tunnel Facilities at Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. You will become part of a community of PhD students conducting similar research and will also receive hypersonics training through the Doctoral Network. In addition, you will have regular opportunities to engage with experts in the defence industry as the project progresses.
Interested candidates are encouraged to make informal enquiries with the supervisor team prior to making an application: Kshitij Sabnis (k.sabnis@qmul.ac.uk), Holger Babinsky (hb@eng.cam.ac.uk).
Funding
Funded by: EPSRCThis EPSRC DTP studentship is fully funded and includes a 3.5 years stipend (currently set at the 2024/25 stipend rate of £21,237 pa) and 3 years fees at the home level.
Eligibility
- The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
- If English is not your first language, you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of minimum score of 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking).
- Candidates are expected to start in September (Semester 1).
Contact
For informal enquiries about this opportunity, please contact Kshitij SABNIS or Holger Babinsky.
Apply
Start an application for this studentship and for entry onto the PhD Aerospace Engineering full-time programme (Semester 1 / September start):
Please be sure to quote the reference "SEMS-PHD-664" to associate your application with this studentship opportunity.
| Related website: | https://www.sems.qmul.ac.uk/staff/k.sabnis/ | |
| SEMS Research Centre: | ||
| Keywords: | Aerospace Engineering, Engineering - Other, Fluid Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Thermodynamics |