PhD in Experimental Fluid Mechanics

Contrail formation remains one of the least understood yet most climate-relevant impacts of aviation. Persistent contrails can evolve into cirrus-like clouds that significantly affect Earth's radiative balance, but the physical mechanisms governing their formation particularly in the near-field region immediately downstream of aircraft engines remain poorly characterised./nThis fully funded PhD studentship is part of a Leverhulme Trust Research Project entitled Bridging the scale gap: From non-equilibrium thermodynamics to contrails. The project combines laboratory-scale experiments with high-fidelity numerical modelling to investigate vapour-liquid-solid phase transitions in aircraft exhaust plumes under controlled conditions, with particular relevance to emerging low-soot propulsion technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen./nThe PhD project focuses on the experimental investigation of early contrail formation, using a dedicated facility that generates contrail-relevant exhaust flows by injecting a high-speed moist jet into a controlled, cold environment. The student will contribute to the development and application of advanced optical and laser-based diagnostics to characterise condensation, freezing, and particle populations in the evolving plume. The project includes close interaction with numerical simulations, enabling quantitative comparison between experiment and CFD and supporting physical interpretation of the measured processes./nLocation: Cambridge. Employer: University of Cambridge. Start date (expected): 1 October 2026. Funding: fully funded, includes tuition fees and a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate. Application: via the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal (no direct URL provided in text). Contact: Andrew Wheeler ([email protected]) and Katharina Tegethoff ([email protected]).