Multi-scale modelling of new materials and microstructure for offshore wind turbines

Project Description:

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six-month of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at the University of Sheffield.

Are you passionate about solving the critical material challenges facing sustainable energy? We are seeking an exceptional PhD candidate for a project at the intersection of materials discovery and engineering design. 

High-performance magnets, such as Nd₂Fe₁₄B and SmCo₅, are the heart of modern wind turbines, but their reliance on costly and environmentally sensitive rare-earth elements (REEs) creates significant global challenges. This project tackles this problem with an innovative, dual-pronged approach. 

This project will use a high-throughput computational search for entirely new magnetic materials. Using ab-initio simulations (e.g. density functional theory), you will rapidly screen novel, multi-component, and REE-free alloy compositions to identify candidates with ideal magnetic properties, such as high anisotropy and magnetisation. 

Second, you will challenge conventional design by asking: what if we could engineer the perfect magnet from the ground up? You will explore revolutionary “combinatorial magnets,” strategically combining different materials. Working with others in the group, you will be able to then simulate your materials using finite element analysis to determine the performance of these composite magnets within virtual 2D and 3D generators. 

This research will directly aid the discovery and development of next-generation magnetic materials, reducing our dependence on critical elements. As part of a dynamic research cluster with strong industrial sponsorship from our partners Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, one of the largest manufacturers of wind turbine original equipment in the world, your work will have a direct path to real-world impact. 

Training and development

You will benefit from a taught programme, giving you a broad understanding of the breadth and depth of current and emerging offshore wind sector needs. This begins with an intensive six-month programme at the University of Hull for the new student intake, drawing on the expertise and facilities of all four academic partners. It is supplemented by Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which is embedded throughout your 4-year research scholarship.

You will be given training in the use of the atomic scale software packages . The technical aspects of the generator design and performance will be supported through the SGRE R&D engineering team who are also assisting in supervising the project. 

Entry requirements

If you have received a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Masters level with any undergraduate degree (or the international equivalents) in Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science, Engineering, Physics or Mathematics and Statistics, we would like to hear from you.

If your first language is not English, or you require Tier 4 student visa to study, you will be required to provide evidence of your English language proficiency level that meets the requirements of the Aura CDT’s academic partners. This course requires academic IELTS 7.0 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each skill.

If you have any queries about this project, please contact Dr Colin Freeman (c.l.freeman@sheffield.ac.uk) 

You may also address queries about the CDT to auracdt@hull.ac.uk.

Watch our short video to hear from Aura CDT students, academics and industry partners:

Funding

The Offshore Wind CDT is funded by the EPSRC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates. These are currently £20,780 per annum at 2025/26 rates and will increase in line with the EPSRC guidelines for the subsequent years (subject to progress).

Eligibility

Research Council funding for postgraduate research has residence requirements. Our CDT scholarships are available to Home (UK) Students. To be considered a Home student, and therefore eligible for a full award, a student must have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship (with some further constraint regarding residence for education). For full eligibility information, please refer to the EPSRC website.

We also allocate a number of scholarships for International Students per cohort.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The CDT is committed to generating a diverse and inclusive training programme and is looking to attract applicants from all backgrounds. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for home fee status candidates who identify as Black or Black mixed or Asian or Asian mixed if they meet the programme entry requirements. This positive action is to support recruitment of these under-represented ethnic groups to our programme and is an opt in process.

Find out more

How to apply

Applications for this project will open in Autumn 2025 for September 2026 entry.

Interviews will be held online with an interview panel comprising of project supervisory team members from the host university where the project is based.  Where the project involves external supervisors from university partners or industry sponsors then representatives from these partners may form part of the interview panel and your supplementary application form will be shared with them (with the guaranteed interview scheme section removed).

If you have any queries about this project, please contact Dr Colin Freeman (c.l.freeman@sheffield.ac.uk) 

You may also address queries about the CDT to auracdt@hull.ac.uk.