IDLA studentship: Temperature- and rate-dependent single-crystal model for metals
This fully-funded project offers the opportunity to undertake ground-breaking research in the fields of impact engineering, shock-physics, and materials science, involving both computational and experimental elements within physics and mechanics.
Key facts
Application deadline
12:00 midday UK time on Tuesday 3rd March 2026
Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available.
Places available
1
Academic supervisor
Professor Daniel Eakins
Funding (fully-funded scholarship)
This project will be offered as a fully-funded scholarship, which will include:
- all course fees for the duration of your course; and
- a living stipend.
This project is funded by an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Industrial Doctoral Landscape Award (IDLA).
The industrial partner for this project is Rolls-Royce Plc (UK).
Expected start date
Expected duration
Full time: 3-4 years
Part time: 6-8 years
About this project
The plastic deformation behaviour of single-crystals in metals is fundamentally governed by the motion and interaction of dislocations, which are strongly influenced by strain-rate and temperature. Accurate modelling of rate- and temperature-dependent plasticity in single crystals is therefore essential for predicting the mechanical response of metallic materials under diverse loading and environmental conditions, e.g. as components of aircraft engines. The state-of-the-art in modelling includes a wide variety of approaches, from highly computationally efficient phenomenological power laws to more accurate atomistic modelling. However, despite significant efforts in the past decades, our ability to model behaviour in “extreme conditions” (eg high temperature, high rate) is still relatively limited, owing to the complex, multiscale nature of the underlying deformation mechanisms and the challenges associated with bridging length and time scales.
In this DPhil project, you will have the opportunity to explore different approaches to model crystal plasticity, developing novel computational techniques to combine accurate physically-based predictions into computationally efficient frameworks using relatively conventional (eg hierarchical multiscale) or more novel (eg machine learning) algorithms. The numerical work will rely on direct measurements with high spatial and temporal resolutions carried out as part of the larger group effort into understanding crystal plasticity in “extreme conditions”.
You will be based at Begbroke Science Park as part of the Impact and Shock Mechanics group, comprising more than 30 researchers and students.
Course details
Unless stated otherwise, this project information is subject to the more detailed information provided on the page of the offering course.
Course offering this project
You should familiarise yourself with the details of this course before applying for this project.
Entry requirements
This studentship project is funded by UKRI.
In addition to the entry requirements for the main course, prospective candidates for this project will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria:
- a first class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in Engineering, Physics or Materials Science; and
- excellent English written and spoken communication skills;
The following skills are also highly desirable:
- ability to program in Matlab, Python or similar; and
- strong laboratory-based skills.
Please refer to the DPhil in Engineering Science course page for all other entry requirements, including the required level of English language proficiency.
College preference
If you have the option of stating a college preference for this project, the available colleges will be confirmed within the application form.
For some projects, including all of those offered after the standard course has closed to applications, the department will assign your application to a college.
How to apply
The guidance for this project may differ from the standard course - please read it carefully.
Application fee waivers (for all applications via this page)
Applications to this project should be made only via this page and not the related course page.
The application fee will be waived for all applications made via this page.
Contacting the department before making an application
Guidance for completing the application form
After you have started an application via this page, please refer to the application instructions on the main course page.