PhD Studentship: Mathematical Modelling of High Energy Density Laser-Substrate Interactions

Application deadline: 27/03/2026
Research theme: Applied Mathematics, Thermal-Fluid-Dynamics, Multi-Physics

UK only

This 4 year PhD project is fully funded and home students. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. The start date is October 2026.

Only UK Nationals with a British passport can apply. The project is sponsored by MBDA and requires security clearance for the candidate.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

The project is to contribute to a major Ministry of Defence (MOD) research programme intended to develop generation after next technologies for applications in defence and security, and this project will be co-funded by MBDA.

The main objectives of the project are:

• Build upon novel mathematical frameworks developed at Manchester to describe complex laser-substrate interactions
• Understand how laser beams propagate through, and are absorbed by, metallic vapour plumes and describe this mathematically/numerically
• Implement the mathematical descriptions into finite-volume numerical implementations for the general predictions of laser interactions with substrate materials

The plan is to recruit a PhD candidate to undertake this project and be part of a new MoD/EPSRC Energy Transfer Technology Skills and Training (S&T) Hub. The main aim of the S&T Hub is to train the next generation of leaders in energy transfer technologies relevant for defence and other related applications. The Hub is supported by MoD, Dstl, and UK companies working in the defence and security sector.

Each student funded by the Hub will have an industrial partner and have opportunities to work with and train alongside experts from industry. The Hub offers individual’s training for both a research and an industrial career path.

The student will be based at the University of Manchester but will be part of cohort of approximately 12 PhD students per year across a number of UK institutions. The Skills and Training Hub will run online and face-to-face activities to facilitate cohort building and group learning exercises throughout the PhD programme. The duration of the PhD is 4 years, and the start date is 1st October 2026.

The PhD student will be physically located in Manchester within the Henry Royce Hub Building – as part of The Department of Materials at the University of Manchester.

The industrial partner, MBDA, is a major international company. The partner will provide PhD supervision, a placement and be part of the larger STH community benefiting in the diverse academic and industrial network offered by the STH.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline. Candidates must be UK Nationals and be willing to apply for and able to obtain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance.

To apply please contact the main supervisor, Dr Thomas Flint - thomas.flint@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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