PhD Studentship: Rolls Royce Sponsored PhD Scholarship - Micromechanics and in-depth Materials Analysis of Advanced Aerospace Materials Upon the Manufacturing Process

Applications are invited to undertake a three-year PhD programme in partnership with industry to address key challenges in on-platform manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing Technology and On-Wing Technology (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/utc/index.aspx ) at the University of Nottingham. Having state-of-the-art purpose-built facilities, the UTC offers a world-class environment for the realisation of high-impact research projects. 

The Rolls-Royce funded Studentship is the result of the expanding manufacturing activities sponsored at the Rolls-Royce UTC dealing with in-depth investigations of the response of advanced aerospace materials to various manufacturing operations in the scope of robust manufacture of safety-critical aero-engine components.

The project will deal with the micromechanics and in-depth materials analysis of advanced aerospace materials upon manufacturing operations to understand the materials' response to the manufacturing process to efficiently support the manufacture of aerospace components. This will involve using a wide range of sophisticated testing and analysis techniques including not only the study of the conventional manufacturing process of advanced aerospace materials but also the state-of-the-art materials investigation such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and in-situ micromechanics. 

This project will involve manufacturing trials, workpiece surface quality analysis (e.g. metallurgy, integrity, residual stresses), followed by in-depth investigation from macromechanics to micromechanics, to evaluate the materials’ response upon the manufacturing process. Internationally recognised Rolls-Royce specialists in the field will be available throughout the project to provide the PhD student with support and guidance if required.

For mutual interest the project can be offered as a "package" - this will include:

• Appropriate training within Rolls-Royce for a period to be agreed. The training will enable the understanding of the technical issues related to the project, as well as developing a good partnership with the appropriate technical teams.
• Joint academic and industrial supervision.  In this way, the student will develop both academic and industrial skills with multiple career opportunities at the end of the PhD study.
• For PhD students wishing to pursue an academic career, the opportunity to participate in teaching activities will be sought.

The bursary covers the tuition fees and provides a tax-free stipend of approximately £19,237 per year for the duration of the project (three years).  

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic first or upper-second class graduate in mechanical/manufacturing/materials science/physics to build strong knowledge in both manufacturing and material science while building strong relationships with both academic and industrial areas at international level. Graduates finishing their degrees in July 2025 are also encouraged to apply. Due to the nature of funding, only UK applicants can be considered for this position.

Interested in this studentship? Applications with a CV, cover letter and academic transcripts should be sent to Prof Dragos Axinte. Suitable applicants will be interviewed, and if successful, invited to make a formal application. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first.

Please contact the Rolls-Royce UTC director for further information.
UTC Director: Prof. Dragos Axinte
Email: dragos.axinte@nottingham.ac.uk
  

Due to the high volume of applications, we will only be contacting shortlisted candidates. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is appointed.

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