Fully funded International PhD Scholarships in Transportation Engineering or Power Electronics (UK)

Applications are invited for two fully-funded PhD scholarships (fees and living costs) to undertake research in the areas of Transportation Engineering or Power Electronics at the University of Nottingham (UK) with approximately one year of their research program studying at Virginia Tech (USA). Competition for these scholarships is expected to be very strong because each brings the opportunity for students to study with world-leading research groups in both countries. 

Areas in which applications are invited:

Transportation

• Sustainability assessment of the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure: This might include research questions concerning the application of environmental life cycle assessment or multicriteria decision making to infrastructure systems.
• Asset management of transport infrastructure: Data handling, deterioration modelling, integration of environmental criteria including carbon footprint.
• Condition monitoring of transport infrastructure: Challenges include repeatable location referencing, data quality, and use of private vehicle data.
• Road surface condition and safety: Understanding the combined role of road geometry and condition in crash studies and prevention, impact on driver behavior.
• Low-carbon, environmentally-friendly construction materials. Laboratory synthesis or manufacture and characterisation of materials derived from renewable, waste or recycled feedstocks.

Power Electronics

• Electrical Systems in Aerospace (More Electric Aircraft): Power conversion technologies for high power density and high reliability converters - includes conversion topologies, thermal management, packaging and integration and reliability studies. Aircraft electrical network analysis and modelling - includes power quality and stability issues for AC, DC and hybrid systems.
• Smart Grids: High power converters for grid applications - including converter topologies and advanced grid interfacing strategies. Converters for DC grid systems and multi-terminal HVDC systems.
• Renewable Energy: Power conversion technologies for integration of renewable energy sources - includes converters for interfacing sources and energy storage and energy management control strategies.
• Power conversion: In addition to the applications above, opportunities exist to work on new generic power conversion concepts and topologies and their control.

Students are expected to have a Masters-level qualification at the highest level.  They must have good English and be eligible to study in both countries or be able to obtain a visa for the country (ies) where they are not.

These studentships will be available for a start date between August and September 2011.

Applications, should comprise a) a full CV/bio, b) a transcript of your academic progress to date, c) a one page Masters' project summary (the summary should describe a research-style project performed by you, showing your role and the lessons you learned, this will be used to assess your appreciation of, and suitability for, research) and d) the names of three referees who can give an assessment of your suitability.  These should be sent (via Email) to, for Power Electronics, Laura Sun, Email: laura.sun@nottingham.ac.uk, or for Transportation, Andrew Dawson, Email: andrew.dawson@nottingham.ac.uk. Short-listed applications will be shared between colleagues at both universities. Final acceptance onto the program will require students to submit a formal application to the University at which they wish to start their studies.

Please quote ref: ENG/487.

Closing date: 11 March 2011 (for an August-October 2011 start although late applications will be considered for 2012 entry). 

For all our vacancies and more about working at the University of Nottingham see: http://jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/.