PhD Studentship in Aeronautics: Development of Multifunctional Measurement Methods for Coupling in Structural Power Composites (AE0083)

Start Date: 01/10/2026

Application deadline: 26/03/2026

Applications are invited for a fully-funded Ph.D. studentship in the Department of Aeronautics in structural power composites. This PhD is funded through the EPSRC Industrial Doctoral Landscape Award (IDLA) scheme with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

Introduction: As recognised by the World Economic Forum (Top 10 Emerging Technologies for 2025), structural power composites (SPCs) meld electrochemical energy storage with mechanical load-bearing, delivering huge sustainability benefits. The topic brings together the two disparate disciplines of composite mechanics and electrochemistry, presenting compelling technical challenges and offering exciting opportunities to develop and innovate with new materials. These composites will provide enormous weight and/or volume savings for any electrically powered structural system, from laptops to aircraft. The concept is garnering considerable public, academic and industrial interest but the lack of multifunctional testing standards is critically hindering the advance of this field. The main objective of this PhD is to address this gap through the development of a ‘universal’ coupon that permits simultaneous mechanical and electrochemical measurements. The initial focus will be on elastic behaviour to resolve issues such as coupon isolation, influence of scale and non-contact instrumentation. The project will then advance to study coupling between functions, such as the effect of mechanical damage on electrochemical performance.

This position is in the Structural Power Composites Group at Imperial College London, providing the candidate with opportunities to work closely with our academic and industrial collaborators in the UK and Sweden. The research project will entail experimental studies in the Multifunctional Materials Laboratory and Composite Suite in Aeronautics, as well as placements at NPL at their Teddington Site in South-West London.

The candidate will gain experience in: development of new structural power constituents; manufacture and characterisation of the structural supercapacitors and batteries; test method development and post-failure analysis of the tested cells and; development of multifunctional modelling and design tools for products using these materials.

Supervisors:

The principal supervisor is Professor Emile S Greenhalgh (Aeronautics) whilst the co-supervisor is
Professor Milo Shaffer (Materials) and the industrial supervisor is Dr Stefanos Giannis (NPL)

Duration: 4 years.

Funding: Full coverage of tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £22,780 for Home students.

Find out more about fee status at:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/fee-status/.

Eligibility: Due to the competitive nature of our studentships, candidates will be expected to achieve/have achieved a First-class honours MEng/MSci or higher degree (or international equivalent) in Aeronautics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or Materials.

How to apply: Submit your application via our Apply webpages:

www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/postgraduate-doctoral/application-process/.

When applying, please use the following details:

• Search course/Programme: Aeronautics Research (PhD)
• Research Topic: Please use reference number AE0083
• Research Supervisor: Emile S Greenhalgh
• Research Group: Aero

For further information: For questions about the project, email: Emile S Greenhalgh, e.greenhalgh@imperial.ac.uk

For queries regarding the application process, email Lisa Kelly, PhD Administrator, l.kelly@imperial.ac.uk

You can also learn more about Imperial at www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Imperial is committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident Employer and are working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.

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