Brian Sheil

Brian Sheil is recruiting a fully funded PhD researcher in Physical AI for the Built World , jointly supervised at the University of Galway and the University of Cambridge through CIRI – Ward & Burke Centre for Infrastructure Research & Innovation . The project sits at the intersection of civil engineering , computer science , physics , mathematics , robotics , and machine learning . Research directions include subsurface 3D reconstruction using physics-supervised learning and multimodal sensing, underground digital twins, physics-informed learning for particle contact and interactions, generalisable physical AI for construction robotics and autonomous systems, and scientific machine learning for infrastructure with a focus on soil mechanics. Funding is described as full funding from the School of Engineering, University of Galway . The successful candidate will be based at CIRI in Galway and is expected to spend at least six months at Cambridge during the PhD. Applicants should have a background in engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, physics, or a related field, with strong mathematical or computational foundations. Experience in machine learning, numerical modelling, computer vision, robotics, or sensing is considered valuable. To apply, email a CV and a one-page research proposal to [email protected] using the subject line SoE_studentship_26 . Deadline: 30 November 2026 .