PhD Studentship: Developing Ontologies for Digital Engineering and Manufacturing - Sponsored by BAE Systems

Funding for: UK

Funding amount: Sponsored by EPSRC and BAE Systems, this studentship will provide a stipend of £25,222 (tax free) plus fees* for four years for UK Nationals.

Supervisors: Professor John Ahmet Erkoyuncu & Dr Pavan Addepalli

Across manufacturing, data is growing in abundance, and creating numerous challenges as to how to make better decisions over time. As the amount of data increases, it is necessary to store, standardise, process, and make data accessible in a way that gets beyond the quirks of different teams and technology.

This requires interoperability to be in place to sustain the potential value that we can get from Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs) and the ever-growing richness of information. Interoperability is a vital aspect of modern technology, driving the seamless interaction and collaboration between diverse data sources, software/hardware systems, applications, devices, and enterprises.

Managing interoperability sits at the heart of this PhD research project, which brings together Cranfield University and BAE Systems. The project will aims to develop an interoperability platform using ontologies to enable the exchange of data across platforms at scale.

Whilst data is becoming more available, we need better ways to manage its use. This is where ontologies offer an exciting opportunity, with its ability to enable knowledge sharing and reuse by means of common data architectures. This approach will semantically enhance the data, which will enable interoperability across a system of systems environment. 

This PhD aims to develop a common ontology based methodology to address interoperability issues both in the context of new and legacy assets. A breakdown of the objectives is provided below:

• Objective 1 is focusing on mapping the current data types, structures, and interoperability challenges to develop a detailed as-is model. This will be developed through interviews, and cross case analysis to capture trends,.
• Objective 2 is measuring and assessing interoperability levels by means of designing and applying a new process to identify metrics for interoperability measurement, and also define thresholds for a minimum required interoperability level (MRIL). The output will be the interoperability of both quantitative and qualitative indicator metrics and the process for their measurement.

Cranfield University is wholly postgraduate institution and is famous for its applied research in close collaboration with Industry. At Cranfield, the candidate will be based within the Manufacturing theme at the Centre for Digital Engineering and Manufacturing (CDEM). The Centre hosts cutting-edge simulation and visualisation facilities. The student will have access to high-end computers for simulating the complex nature of maintenance. There will be relevant visits to BAE Systems (as the Industrial Sponsor of the project) in particular but also various other organisations throughout the PhD to develop and demonstrate the research. This PhD is offering a fully funded PhD through the EPSRC ICASE scheme and BAE Systems to UK Nationals.

Entry Requirements

We are inviting applicants with a First or upper Second Class degree equivalent qualification in an engineering background, software or an alternative quantitative focused discipline. 

About the sponsor

Sponsored by EPSRC and BAE Systems, this studentship will provide a stipend of £25,222 (tax free) plus fees* for four years for UK Nationals.

Closes: 09/10/2024

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