Fully Funded PhD Real-Time Urban Wind Simulation & Data Reduction for Environmental Hazard Assessment
Fully FundedManchester, United Kingdomphd· Covers tuition fees (UK), stipend of £21,611 for 3.5 years, and an annual research budget of £1,000
Project Overview
Investigating fast computational approaches like Lattice Boltzmann Methods and GPU-accelerated CFD for modelling urban airflow and environmental hazard assessment.
Basic Information - Project Title: Real-Time Urban Wind Simulation and Data Reduction for Environmental Hazard Assessment - Host Institution: University of Salford - School: School of Science, Engineering and Environment (SEE) - Supervisor: Dr Marta Camps Santasmasas - Study Level: PhD - Application Deadline: Applications accepted all year round - Funding: Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide) - Location: Manchester, United Kingdom -
Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Built Environment, Civil Engineering, Computational Mathematics, Computational Physics, Data Science, Environmental Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering
About the Project
This PhD project will investigate fast computational approaches for modelling urban airflow and environmental hazard assessment in complex city environments. The research is motivated by emerging challenges in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), UAV operations, emergency response planning, and sustainable urban infrastructure.
The Problem
Urban wind flow strongly influences pollutant dispersion, pedestrian safety, and UAV operation within cities. However, high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are computationally expensive and generate very large datasets, limiting their use in real-time applications and decision-making.
Research Focus
This project will explore accelerated and reduced-order modelling approaches for urban airflow simulation, potentially including:
- Lattice Boltzmann Methods (LBM)
- GPU-accelerated CFD
- Surrogate modelling
- Real-time data reduction techniques
Key Research Objectives
The research will focus on converting large volumes of time-dependent CFD outputs into actionable information, such as hazard maps, flow indicators, and environmental risk metrics, without requiring large-scale data storage.
Skills You Will Develop
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Scientific programming
- High-performance computing (HPC)
- Data processing
- Urban environmental modelling
Collaboration Opportunities
Depending on the student's interests and project evolution, there may also be opportunities to collaborate with researchers in AI, uncertainty quantification, urban systems, and environmental acoustics.
Supervisor Profile: Dr Marta Camps Santasmasas
Dr Marta Camps Santasmasas is a Lecturer in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Salford. She develops computer simulations that help us understand how air moves through cities and around structures, supporting applications from wind energy to urban safety.
Research Specialisms
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
- Advanced simulation methods for airflow around structures
- Real time and interactive computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
Professional Background
She is a member of the Women in High Performance Computing network. She previously worked as a research engineer for Normawind, using CFD modelling to optimise wind turbine generators layouts in complex terrains, and as an urban atmospheric modeller for CHAM, an industrial CFD consultancy. She completed her PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics (2016-2021).
Eligibility Requirements
- Academic Background: Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or related discipline
- Desirable Skills: Experience with programming and numerical methods
- Degree Classification: First Class or 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent)
- English Language: IELTS 6.5 (minimum) for non-native English speakers
Funding Details
- Funding Type: Funded PhD Project
- Eligibility: Students Worldwide
- Funding Schemes: University of Salford funding schemes – including the Widening Participation Scholarship
Widening Participation Scholarship Details:
- Value: Covers tuition fees (UK tuition fees), a stipend for 3.5 years of £21,611, and an annual research budget of £1,000 (years 1-3)
- Eligibility: UK candidates who meet widening participation criteria
- Number Available: 10 PhD widening participation scholarships for UK candidates
