Advanced design strategies for offshore horizontal-axis wind turbines

A fully funded EPSRC DTP PhD studentship is available at the University of Huddersfield’s School of Computing and Engineering, specifically within the Centre of Thermofluids, Energy Systems and High-Performance Computing. The project, supervised by Dr Hossein Fatahian and Professor Rakesh Mishra, focuses on advanced design strategies for next-generation offshore horizontal-axis wind turbines. Research will involve developing a hybrid CFD–AI–experimental framework to optimize the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of wind turbine blades, integrating active/passive flow control techniques, surrogate modelling, AI-driven multi-objective optimization, wake structure characterization, and wind tunnel experiments. The opportunity is highly interdisciplinary, combining fluid dynamics, machine learning, and experimental methods, and aligns with the UK’s Net Zero and renewable energy targets. Applicants must be UK home students with a First Class or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Renewable Energy, or related fields, and have strong skills in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and CFD tools. Desirable skills include machine learning, surrogate modelling, MATLAB/Python, and experimental fluid dynamics. The studentship covers tuition fees and a tax-free stipend starting at £20,780 for 2025/26, funded for 3 years via the EPSRC Doctoral Training Programme. The application deadline is August 1, 2025. Interested candidates should contact Dr Hossein Fatahian and apply via the University’s postgraduate portal, submitting the required documents and references.