PhD Studentship: Design and Structural Dynamics of Offshore Aquaculture Systems, PhD (Funded)

Research Overview

The aim of this project is to characterise the impact of coupled environmental loads on the dynamic structural response of offshore aquaculture farms and potential impacts on fish behavior. Depending on your research interests and academic background, this project can be tailored to combine knowledge from structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, offshore engineering, and animal behavior.

Impact and Relevance

Improving the understanding of structural loads in offshore aquaculture has direct implications for the expansion of offshore aquaculture. It can inform robust and failure-resistant farm designs, improve the welfare of farmed fish, and reduce environmental damage. Lowering capital and maintenance costs through optimized structures is also a potential benefit.

Candidate Profile

• Strong foundation in engineering, physical sciences, or a closely related discipline
• Interest in structural dynamics, hydrodynamics, or marine systems
• Experience with programming or numerical tools (MATLAB, Python)
• A willingness to work across disciplinary boundaries
• Motivation to tackle open-ended, real-world engineering problems
• Experience with CFD, finite element methods, offshore structures, and aquaculture is beneficial but not essential