The UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience

The Aura CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilence builds on the exemplary research track record of the Aura CDT in Offshore Wind Energy.

Drawing on a powerful research partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield, and a wide range of industry partners, we aim to recruit 70 high quality PhD researchers over the next five years. Our focus will be on impactful solutions to technological, environmental and socio-economic challenges arising from the rapid acceleration of the offshore wind sector.

We hope to begin recruiting our first cohort of PhD scholarship students to this new iteration of the Aura CDT in January 2024.

Find out more about our planned clusters of PhD scholarships.

The rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry is generating new challenges and the transdisciplinary Aura CDT is uniquely placed to develop the solutions.

Our research themes have been co-created and refined with industry to ensure that they meet rapidly evolving sector needs:

Push the frontiers of offshore wind technology

Understanding the engineering and environmental challenges around OW expansion into new, more challenging environments further from shore in deeper water.

Build and support a sustainable workforce

A thriving industry must be diverse, providing a safe, fulfilling and equitable environment for all staff; an understanding of human factors and humans-technology interaction is key.

Develop a resilient net-zero energy system

The UK transition to netzero by 2050 requires a resilient and integrated energy system. OW will form the backbone of the future energy system but must adapt to enable increased integration.

Accelerate consent and support environmental sustainability

Reduction of the typical consent process requires integrated use of diverse models and data sources to advance understanding of OW environments.

Achieve a sustainable wind farm lifecycle

Increasing sustainability and efficiency while promoting rapid innovation is critical for keeping the UK  at the forefront of the industry.