PhD Studentship: Numerical Investigation of Liquid Metal Magneto-Coriolis-Centrifugal Convection

Applications are invited for a PhD position in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics within the project MAGNADO - The Magnetohydrodynamics of Liquid Metal Tornadoes (selected for funding by the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) and funded through the UKRI 'Horizon Europe guarantee') at the Research Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems (FCS) at Coventry University. The ERC is The European Union’s most selective funding mechanism for ground-breaking science. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of the award winner, Associate Professor Dr Susanne Horn.

This ambitious  project tackles the long-standing challenge of understanding how convective flows in liquid planetary cores generate and sustain the magnetic fields of planets through the dynamo process,  The project explores the radically new idea that the elusive type of flows able to generate  magnetic fields may be produced by tornado-like vortices.

This PhD project will focus on the modelling of electro-magnetic effects, in particular, clarify the possible role of Alfvén waves in planetary core convection.

The successful candidate will implement increasingly sophisticated magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models accounting for Alfvén waves in our in-house code goldfish. The PhD researcher will then carry out numerical simulations to assess their performance against cutting-edge experiments and against the classical quasi-static MHD approximation that ignores waves.

This project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the field of planetary science and to develop a world-leading expertise in geophysical and numerical fluid dynamics. The successful candidate will also be able to develop an extensive scientific network by working with the best experts in the field word-wide, through extensive collaboration across the USA and Europe thanks to the great flexibility offered by the ERC-guarantee.

Experience in fluid mechanics and/or with numerical simulations is strongly advised. The position is fully funded for a period of 3.5 years and is expected to start in September 2023 or January 2024.

Candidate specification

• A bachelor’s (honours) degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum classification of 2:1 and a minimum mark of 60% in the project element (or equivalent), or an equivalent award from an overseas institution.
  PLUS 
• the potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within 3.5 years
• An adequate proficiency in English must be demonstrated by applicants whose first language is not English. The general requirement is a minimum overall IELTS Academic score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the four sections, or the TOEFL iBT test with a minimum overall score of 95 with a minimum of 21 in each of the four sections.

For further details please visit:  https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-opportunities/research-students/making-an-application/

To express interest in this PhD opportunity, please send a CV and a full transcript of academic records to Susanne Horn (susanne.horn@coventry.ac.uk). Informal enquiries are encouraged.

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