PhD Studentship: Breaking Design Silos with AI: A Knowledge-Centric Framework for Integrated Aerostructure Design

This exciting opportunity is based within the Advanced Manufacturing Technology research group, which leads cutting-edge manufacturing research with a world-unique Omnifactory facility. 

We are seeking a PhD student that is motivated in system engineering, structural, aerodynamic, and manufacturing process modelling, and optimisation techniques that will transform current design and development practices. Together we will make technological advances towards the next-generation co-design platform, accelerating the development cycle for complex interdisciplinary systems. 

Aircraft design is a highly complex process that must balance performance, safety, and cost. One of the most common causes of development delays is the presence of technical silos between specialised teams. Because the disciplines are tightly interconnected a small change can trigger redesigns across multiple groups. The challenge is compounded by the fact that each discipline uses different data models and representations making system-level interdependencies difficult to track.

This PhD will use aircraft wing design to uncover and model cross-disciplinary connections between structural, aeroelastic and manufactural domains. Advances in artificial intelligence offer promising tools for addressing these challenges. Large language models can help bridge communication gaps between subject experts, while knowledge graphs can capture complex semantic relationships and provide system-level visibility. Combined with data-mining methods and embedding techniques these approaches create opportunities to generate more informed and efficient design solutions.

The PhD will focus on developing the simulation models, data models and algorithms required to enable connected cross-disciplinary design and optimisation, laying the foundations for more integrated and intelligent engineering workflows. You will work with staff and students from the Advanced Manufacturing Technology research group and wider Faculty of Engineering having access to software packages, advanced robotics, manufacturing, assembly, and inspection facilities. 

• You should have a 1st or high 2:1 degree in mechanical/aerospace/manufacturing engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, or related scientific disciplines
• Skills in numerical tools and programming are desirable e.g. MATLAB, python, C++ etc
• Any experiences with engineering design, structural/aerodynamic/aeroelasticity modelling, manufacturing/assembly process simulation are preferred

This studentship is open to UK/home and international candidates. 

After a suitable candidate is found, funding is sought from the University of Nottingham as part of a competitive process. This will cover home tuition fees and UKRI stipend.

PhD start date: October 2026

Application deadline: 9 March 2026

If you wish to apply for this project or have further questions, please email Dr Sara Wang at sara.wang@nottingham.ac.uk  

The University of Nottingham actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We - the Faculty of Engineering - provide a thriving working environment for all our postgraduate researchers (PGRs) creating a strong sense of community across research disciplines. We understand that research culture is important to our PGRs so we work closely with our Postgraduate Engineering Society and PGR research group representatives to support and enhance the postgraduate research environment.

As a PGR at the University of Nottingham you will benefit from training through our Researcher Academy’s training programme. Based within the Faculty of Engineering you will have additional access to courses developed specifically for our engineering and architecture PGRs including sessions on how to write a paper, communicating your research, and research integrity. 

We offer dedicated postgraduate study spaces, have outstanding research facilities and work in partnership with leading industrial partners.