Engineering PhD

As an Engineering PhD student at Brighton, you will benefit from:

• a supervisory team comprising two and sometimes three members of academic staff. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional supervisor from another school, another research institution, or an external partner from government or industry. 
• desk space and access to a desktop PC, either in one of the postgraduate offices on the 6th floor of the award-winning Cockcroft Building, or within the adjacent Huxley Building.  
• access to a range of electronic resources via the University’s Online Library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Aldrich Library and other campus libraries. 
• various state-of-the-art research facilities on the Moulsecoomb site. 

The University of Brighton boasts a world-leading Advanced Engineering Centre, and attracts research expertise, partnerships and funding from across the world as well as contributing to complex global engineering problems.

PhD students take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities and the AEC gives you opportunities to present ‘work in progress’ and network with other researchers.  

The Brighton Doctoral College offer a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research methods and transferable (including employability) skills. Attendance at appropriate modules within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the Schools’ various seminar series. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training. 

The main focus of our Engineering research is to develop new knowledge for advanced energy systems and emerging technologies for ground and space applications. The scope of our research covers a number of fundamental, complimentary activities as outlined below:

• Thermal propulsion systems - Significant improvements in the efficiency of thermal propulsion systems (e.g. engines), leading to more radical and disruptive approaches to conversion of heat into useful work.
• Thermofluid processes - Exploration and characterisation of complex thermofluid processes, including fluid dynamics, mass and heat transfer. We use a unique combination of both simulation and experimental work to better understand the physics of flows, droplets and sprays, to allow faster and more robust optimisation and validation of new and improved products.
• Heat management and energy storage - Design of heat transfer devices (e.g. heat exchangers, heat pipes and other two-phase systems) and energy storage systems, aiming to enhance efficiency of waste heat recovery systems, electronic cooling and renewable energy systems.

Beyond these core research areas many other engineering opportunities are available, including the study of educational technology, remanufacturing processes, magnetostrictive materials and acoustics.

Dr Steven Begg

I am interested in supervising postgraduate research students in experimental thermofluids, powertrain engineering for future transportation, alternative fuels and advanced cycles, heat transfer, sprays, two-phase flows, laser and optical measurement techniques.

Current PhD students

Mr Zuhaib Nissar (2021-) - Sprays: Liquid Break-up and Droplet Distribution

Ms Aleksandra Skalba (2022-) - Universal Life Cycle Emissions Tool Applied to the EV's in Automotive Sector

Mr Ian Kemp (2022-) - Micropower Volumetric Machines as Energy Recovery Expanders in Two-phase Conditions

Dr Angad Panesar

Dr Panesar’s supervision interests in the theme of energy engineering via simulation and experimental methods are aligned with his research interests in energy recovery, energy storage, advanced engines, sustainable fuels, low carbon transport and life cycle assessment. He welcomes correspondence from potential Placement, PhD and Post-Doctoral applicants, and new academic and industrial collaborators.

Dr Oyuna Rybdylova

I am interested in supervising research students in mathematical and numerical modelling for multiphase flows, aerodynamics and mass and heat transfer.

Completed:

Dr Abbas Al-Ameeri - Effect of climate change on durability of existing concrete structures: Comparison between UK & Iraq

Current:

Mr Zuhaib Nissar - Sprays: Liquid Break-up and Droplet Distribution

Prof Sergei Sazhin

Numerical and asymptotic modelling of fluid dynamics, heat/mass transfer, and combustion processes in Diesel and gasoline sprays. Heating and evaporation of multi-component fuel droplets (hydrodynamic and kinetic models)

Dr Simon Walters

I’m interested in research supervision in: electrical, electronic, automotive, mechanical and aeronautical engineering, including computer science - intelligent systems applications. I have particular interest in: power and high voltage systems, power electronics, intelligent systems - neural networks and fuzzy logic.

PhD Students:

 Name

 Thesis

Rama Rahimi (2022-present)

TBA

Bartosz Płoszaj (2020-present)

TBA

Alan Thomas (2014–present)

Intelligent optimisation techniques for minimising transient vehicle emissions

Shaun H Lee (2011) 

Intelligent techniques for improved engine fuel economy

Merrenna Manula De Zoysa (2003) 

Neural network estimation of air-fuel ratio in internal combustion engines 

Nicolas Miché (2002)

Gas Flow Analysis of a Uniflow Diesel Aero-engine

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.