PhD studentship: Breaking Design Silos with AI: A Knowledge-Centric Framework for Integrated Ae[...] in Nottingham

This exciting opportunity is based within the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Research Group (AMTRG), which leads cutting-edge manufacturing research with a world-unique Omnifactory facility. This is a 3.5-year full-time studentship and the successful applicant will receive a tax-free annual stipend and home tuition fees paid.

We are seeking a PhD student that is motivated in system engineering, structural, aerodynamic & manufacturing process modelling and optimisation techniques that will transform current design & development practices. Together we will make technological advances towards the next-generation co-design platform, accelerating the development cycle for complex interdisciplinary systems.

Aircraft design is a highly complex process that must balance performance, safety, and cost. One of the most common causes of development delays is the presence of technical silos between specialised teams. Because the disciplines are tightly interconnected, a small change can trigger redesigns across multiple groups. The challenge is compounded by the fact that each discipline uses different data models and representations, making system-level interdependencies difficult to track. This PhD will use aircraft wing design to uncover and model cross-disciplinary connections between structural, aeroelastic and manufactural domains. Advances in artificial intelligence offer promising tools for addressing these challenges. Large language models can help bridge communication gaps between subject experts, while knowledge graphs can capture complex semantic relationships and provide system-level visibility. Combined with data-mining methods and embedding techniques, these approaches create opportunities to generate more informed and efficient design solutions.

The PhD will focus on developing the simulation models, data models and algorithms required to enable connected cross-disciplinary design and optimisation, laying the foundations for more integrated and intelligent engineering workflows. You will work with staff and students from AMTRG and the wider faculty of engineering, having access to software packages, advanced robotics, manufacturing, assembly and inspection facilities.

The candidate should have a 1st or high 2:1 degree in mechanical/aerospace/manufacturing engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, or related scientific disciplines. Skills in numerical tools and programming are desirable (MATLAB, python, C++ etc). Any experiences with engineering design, structural/aerodynamic/aeroelasticity modelling, manufacturing/assembly process simulation are preferred.

After a suitable candidate is found, funding is then sought from the University of Nottingham as part of a competitive process (this will cover home tuition fees and UKRI stipend). If you wish to apply for this project or have further questions, please contact Sara Wang at sara.wang@nottingham.ac.uk.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The Faculty of Engineering provides a thriving working environment for all PGRs creating a strong sense of community across research disciplines. Community and research culture is important to our PGRs and the FoE supports this by working closely with our Postgraduate Research Society (PGES) and our PGR Research Group Reps to enhance the research environment for PGRs. PGRs benefit from training through the Researcher Academy’s Training Programme, those based within the Faculty of Engineering have access to bespoke courses developed for Engineering PGRs, including sessions on paper writing, networking and career development after the PhD. The Faculty has outstanding facilities and works in partnership with leading industrial partners.