Civil Engineering: Fully Funded PhD studentship in AI-Assisted Mesh Generation and Adaptation for Industrial Simulation (RS928)

Funding provider: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Subject area: Computational Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering

Project start dates: 1 October 2026** (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates)

Supervisors: Dr Jennifer Thompson and Prof Oubay Hassan

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Civil Engineering 

Mode of study: Full-time

Please of study: Bay Campus, Swansea University

Project description:

In many engineering simulations, the accuracy and efficiency of the solution depend critically on how the mesh is distributed relative to the underlying physics. Features such as boundary layers, shocks, vortices, thermal gradients and structural stresses often occur in regions that are closely linked to the geometry of the problem. In current industrial workflows, these phenomena are commonly captured either by globally over refining the mesh, which is computationally expensive and environmentally inefficient, or by running multiple successive simulations to iteratively adjust the mesh. Both approaches raise computational cost, energy consumption and turnaround time, placing increasing pressure on sustainability targets. Understanding how geometric changes influence the flow, thermal or structural response remains a major challenge, and traditional mesh spacing strategies struggle to capture the complex, nonlinear ways that geometry shapes multiphysics behaviour, leading to either unnecessary refinement or a loss of fidelity in critical regions. 

Machine learning provides a promising route to capture these relationships more systematically by identifying how local geometric features determine the resolution required for reliable prediction. A central goal of this project is to learn how solution fields and mesh resolution requirements vary with geometric change, enabling sensitivity informed meshes that adapt to both physical behaviour and geometric context. The project will develop a machine learning framework that learns the link between geometric variation, coupled physical responses, solution sensitivity and mesh spacing requirements. The resulting tools will support automated mesh generation and adaptation, reduce manual tuning and improve the reliability of simulations involving geometry driven behaviour across multiple physical models. 

As the PhD researcher on this project, you will work at the intersection of machine learning, geometry processing and industrial simulation. You will have the opportunity to explore realistic engineering configurations and gain expertise in areas that are rapidly growing yet still rare across the simulation community, including AI-assisted mesh generation and adaptation for industrial simulation. The skills developed through this work will align strongly with careers in scientific computing, engineering simulation and applied machine learning for design and analysis. 

Funding duration: 3 years

UK & International students 

EPSRC DLA studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. Once the limit has been reached, we are unable to make offers to international students. We are still accepting applications from international applicants.  International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rates. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.

PhD:  Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline.

English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (5.5+ each comp.) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page. 

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance. Further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website.  

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer.  

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26).

To apply, please complete the entire application form

In order to be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required. 

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS928

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory) 

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input:  
  • the RS Code, RS928 and 
  • the scholarship title.   
• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank 
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank 
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload?*’(Mandatory) please select Yes 
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to PDF) 

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected. 

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award. 

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case: 

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable). 
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert. 
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards. 

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email): 

• CV 

• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient) 

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project. 

• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference. 

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable). 

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable) 

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact: Professor Oubay Hassan O.Hassan@swansea.ac.uk

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co-funding of a scholarship project is applicable. 

** In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.