PhD Studentship: AI-Driven Ultrasound for Materials Evaluation

AI-Driven Ultrasound for Materials Evaluation

Are you excited by the idea of combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence with real-world physics and engineering to solve problems that matter? This fully funded PhD studentship offers an exceptional opportunity to do exactly that, working at the forefront of AI-driven ultrasonic evaluation of materials.

Ultrasound plays a critical role in keeping our world safe and reliable. From inspecting aircraft components and pipelines to monitoring batteries in electric vehicles, ultrasonic measurements help us “see” inside materials without damaging them. However, interpreting the resulting signals is far from straightforward: the physics is complex, simulations are computationally demanding, and turning measurements back into useful information about a material’s internal state is a notoriously difficult inverse problem.

This is where AI can be a game changer. Deep learning models trained on simulation data can predict ultrasound responses almost instantaneously, and remarkably, can be transferred to work directly on experimental measurements.

In this PhD, you will help develop AI-driven ultrasonic methods for materials evaluation. Depending on your interests, you may focus on building fast AI surrogate models that replace expensive simulations, on inverse models that directly extract material properties or defect information from measurements, or on both. You will work across simulation, experiment, and machine learning, including running large-scale ultrasound simulations, designing modern neural network architectures, and validating your models in our ultrasonic laboratory. Application areas include metals, layered and composite structures, and additively manufactured parts, giving you the freedom to shape the project around your interests.

You will join a dynamic and rapidly growing research centre at Sussex, with access to advanced ultrasonic instrumentation, high-performance computing resources, and a strong network of academic and industrial partners. Throughout your PhD, you will gain a highly valuable skill set spanning ultrasonic physics, large-scale numerical simulation, experimental measurement, and state-of-the-art AI, opening up excellent career opportunities in academia, industry, and beyond.

What we are looking for:

We welcome applications from enthusiastic, curious, and self-motivated candidates with (or expecting) a strong undergraduate or Master's degree in physics, engineering, applied mathematics, materials science, computer science, or a related discipline. Prior experience in any of the following is a plus but not essential: ultrasound or wave physics, numerical simulation, Python programming, and machine learning frameworks. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who enjoys learning across disciplines, thinks creatively, and is keen to make real research impact.

What you will get:

A fully funded studentship covering tuition fees and a stipend (open to UK and international applicants).
World-class supervision and training in an interdisciplinary, research-active environment.
Opportunities to publish in leading journals, attend international conferences, and collaborate with industry.
A vibrant student community at the University of Sussex, located near the beautiful coastal city of Brighton.

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