Large-eddy Simulation of Particulate Plastic Pollution Transport in Turbulent Flows

This project intends to investigate how turbulence affects the transport of light plastic bodies, with special attention to the effect of secondary currents and the shape and density of the bodies. The simulations will be carried out using an in-house large-eddy simulation FORTRAN code. The successful applicant will collaborate with researchers from the University of Southampton in order to obtain experimental results. The aim of this project is to contribute to the efficient design and/or optimisation of new trapping techniques and devices for plastic pollution in continental and coastal waters.

PhD candidate specification:

The Department of Civil Engineering welcomes applications from excellent students with a civil, mechanical, chemical, or environmental engineering background. Students must have a minimum of a good (>65%) upper second-class or higher UK degree (or an equivalent qualification) in one of these or a closely related subject. Successful applicants will be creative and motivated to carry out interdisciplinary research. A background in Computational Fluid Dynamics and basic coding skills (e.g., MATLAB, FORTRAN, C++, Python) are essential.