About the project
We are currently looking for a motivated and passionate PhD student to join our maritime engineering research team at the University of Southampton in assessing the resilience of offshore renewable structures in the UK to extreme weather events in a changing climate.
By modelling 2-D storm surge and wave data fields, the project aims to forecast their effects on station-keeping, vessel motions, foundations and seabed stability to inform strategic protection and adaptation strategies.
The aim of this project is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the risks posed by increasing extreme weather events to offshore renewable structures in the UK, in the context of global climate change.
This PhD project addresses fundamental questions related to the interaction between projected extreme weather and offshore renewable structures, with a particular emphasis on storm surges and waves.
As a PhD candidate in this project, you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate with leading researchers in the field. You will be responsible for collecting data and developing numerical tools to find out how extreme weather events affect renewable energy infrastructure in the terms of structural integrity, station keeping and sediment mobility. You will also develop innovative methodologies that integrate weather data and structural response statistics to provide more accurate predictions of the severity and frequency of extreme events.
In addition to the research work, you will also have opportunities to attend international conferences, workshops, and seminars, and to present your research findings to the academic and industrial community.
You should have a background in engineering, mathematics, any Earth or environmental science discipline, oceanography or marine science, and naval architecture; with a strong interest in computational modelling, oceans and climate. As part of the selection process, the strength of the whole application is taken into account, including academic qualifications, personal statement, CV and references. It is planned to start the project in AY2024-2025, preferably in September 2024.
You will be working under the supervision of Dr Tahsin Tezdogan, Dr Hachem Kassem and Prof. Susan Gourvenec.
We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, hard-working, and committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this field.
