Civil Engineering: Fully Funded PhD studentship in Hybrid High-Fidelity CFD for Industry: Next-Generation Methods for Accurate and Efficient Aerodynamic Simulat (RS926)

Funding provider: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Subject area: Computational Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering

Project start dates: 1 October 2026** (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates)

Supervisors: Prof Rubén Sevilla and Dr Xi Zou

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Civil Engineering 

Mode of study: Full-time

Please of study: Bay Campus, Swansea University

Project description:

High-order discontinuous Galerkin methods are gaining traction in industrial aerodynamic simulation workflows, including those at Airbus and Dassault Aviation, because they offer significantly improved accuracy for unsteady flow problems. Their principal strength is the lower numerical dispersion and dissipation they introduce compared with the low-order finite volume and finite element schemes that currently dominate industrial solvers. In practical terms, this means that vortices, waves, and other flow disturbances can travel long distances without losing their shape or energy artificially, which is essential for high-fidelity transient simulations. However, despite these advantages, the widespread industrial use of high-order methods remains limited, largely because their integration into established development pipelines requires changes in meshing, solver technology, and verification practices. 

The project is designed to reduce this barrier by creating a practical approach that blends existing industrial strengths in low-order mesh generation with the benefits of high-order accuracy. While low-order meshes are straightforward to produce and well supported by mature tools and workflows, generating high-order curved meshes of arbitrary polynomial order is considerably more complex, especially around intricate aerodynamic surfaces. Instead of replacing current industrial meshing practices, the project proposes a hybrid strategy: low-order schemes will continue to be used in the near-field region around aerodynamic obstacles, where mesh generation is well understood and geometrically demanding, while high-order methods will be applied in the far-field, where the flow is smoother and mesh curvature requirements are less stringent. By combining the robustness of low-order meshes with the superior accuracy of high-order techniques, the project will enable meshes originally created for steady-state simulations to be repurposed effectively in transient scenarios, thereby increasing efficiency and accelerating industrial adoption of high-order CFD technologies. 

As the PhD researcher on this project, you will investigate and develop the numerical and algorithmic components needed to make this hybrid high order to low order strategy practical for aerodynamic simulation. You will work within a technically focused research group that maintains active engagement with industrial teams exploring next generation CFD technologies, giving you direct insight into real development workflows and emerging technologies in the engineering sector. Through this project you will gain specialist expertise in high order flow simulation, hybrid numerical strategies and large-scale transient solvers, areas that are becoming increasingly important yet remain uncommon across the wider simulation community. You will have the opportunity to evaluate ideas on complex, realistic configurations and develop a skill set that is highly valued in both academic research and advanced engineering computation. 

Funding duration – 3 years

UK & International students 

EPSRC DLA studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. Once the limit has been reached, we are unable to make offers to international students. We are still accepting applications from international applicants.  International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rates. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level or a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’ (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University). 

English Language 
IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.0) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.  

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance. Further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website.  

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer.  

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26).

To apply, please complete the entire application form, following this link: Complete your application here in Learner Gateway 

In order to be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required. 

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS926

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory) 

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input:  
  • the RS Code, RS926 and 
  • the scholarship title.   
• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank 
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank 
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload?*’(Mandatory) please select Yes 
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to PDF) 

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected. 

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award. 

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case: 

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable). 
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert. 
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards. 

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email): 

• CV 

• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient) 

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project. 

• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference. 

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable). 

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable) 

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Prof Ruben Sevilla at r.sevilla@swansea.ac.uk.

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co-funding of a scholarship project is applicable. 

** In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.