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The following PhD research opportunities in Nano- and Micro-System Fluid Dynamics using OpenFOAM are available at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, UK.

Closing date: Friday 31st March.

The University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland, UK) has fully-funded opportunities for graduates in mechanical engineering, physics or applied mathematics to join an active research team investigating new ways of simulating flows in nano- and micro-scale systems using the OpenFOAM code.

Research background:
Predicting how fluids behave at the small-scale is key to a diverse range of future technologies. Mechanical devices that are a few micrometres in size are already being designed and constructed, and nano- and micro-engineering is set to revolutionise chemical, aerodynamic and industrial processes. However, one problem holding the technology back is that current models for fluid dynamics (the Navier-Stokes equations), that are so good for designing everything from aircraft to water pumps, fail in very small-scale systems. There is a need to develop and test a new science of flows in micro- and nano-devices, and these PhD projects will be part of this international research effort.

The two projects are:
1) The James Weir Postgraduate Scholarship: a prestigious new scholarship award to develop molecular-level simulations of liquid flow in nano-systems (e.g. nanotubes) for use in lab-on-a-chip, nanoscale propulsion, highly selective filtration, DNA and protein manipulation, and other applications.
2) EPSRC Studentship (with Prof Colin McInnes): to develop new techniques for simulating gas (air) flow in micro-systems, for use in aerodynamic (boundary layer) control, micro gas turbines, micro gas chromatography, pumps with no moving parts etc.

These projects will be based in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Strathclyde University (www.mecheng.strath.ac.uk), which was rated a top 5 in the last Research Assessment Exercise in the UK. They will be supervised by Professor Jason Reese (further details about the projects can be obtained from him by e-mailing jason.reese@strath.ac.uk) and Professor Colin McInnes. The worldwide interest in this research means that, during the course of the projects, the PhD students will be encouraged to present their work at international conferences and meetings.

These PhD projects are fully-funded for UK or EU students, i.e. all fees paid + £12,500 tax-free stipend per year. The studentships are for 3 years, starting summer/autumn 2006 (exact start date is flexible).

Personal requirements:
These are challenging but rewarding projects, so you will need to have (or be about to obtain) a 1st or 2:1 degree in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related subjects with a strong mathematical content (equivalent overseas qualifications are welcome). The projects are theoretical and numerical, so experience of Computational Fluid Dynamics software, the OpenFOAM code and/or C++ programming would be an advantage.

To apply: please email a full Curriculum Vitae (or Resume), stating which of the projects you are most interested in, and with the names and contact details of two referees to: jason.reese@strath.ac.uk. The closing date is Friday 31st March 2006.