Acoustics Research Unit

Postgraduate Research Studentships

NEW funded PhD scholarship opportunity in vibroacoustics

Project description

Applications are invited for a postgraduate student to join the Acoustics Research Unit at the University of Liverpool for a three-year funded scholarship to carry out research that will lead to the award of PhD. 

The PhD scholarship is funded by Malcolm Crocker, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at Auburn University, who is one of the world’s foremost experts in acoustics and vibration. Professor Crocker gained his doctorate from the ARU at the University of Liverpool in 1969 on the topic of the response of structures to acoustic excitation and the transmission of sound and vibration. The Acoustics Research Unit is based in a laboratory complex containing test chambers designed primarily for research and are furnished with a full range of instrumentation for measuring sound, vibration and material properties.

The PhD research is expected to be in the general area of engineering acoustics concerning sound and structure-borne sound transmission that is relevant to the automotive, space, aeronautical, marine or construction industries. The research topic should focus on prediction modelling for vibroacoustics or structure-borne sound alongside experimental validation. Applicants are welcome to propose a research topic or to develop one of the following topics: substrate-borne vibration intensity in layered media on land/sea, Transient Statistical Energy Analysis with structure-borne sound sources, or direct and flanking transmission with sandwich panels. If you wish to discuss the topic informally, please contact Prof. Carl Hopkins (email:  carl.hopkins@liverpool.ac.uk)

Supervisory team: Prof. Carl Hopkins, Dr Pyoung Jik Lee

Funding

The PhD scholarship includes a stipend (starting at £18k per annum for 2024/25) and fees for a UK applicant to be registered for PhD study in the School of Architecture. International applicants are welcome to apply but they would need to pay the additional cost between UK and International fees (please contact carl.hopkins@liverpool.ac.uk for details). This award cannot be held in conjunction with any other external or internal funding, and the funding will not be extended beyond 3 years and 3 months.

Applicant Eligibility

A degree (First or Upper Second) in physics or engineering, or equivalent, is required. Experience in acoustics, vibration and structural dynamics is highly desirable.

For International applicants, the English language requirement is for an IELTS score of overall 6.5 with no band below 6.0 (alternative English language requirements are given at https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/degrees/architecture/).

The expectation is that the successful candidate will start in late 2024 or early 2025.

Tenure

Full-time research study of 3 years with 3 months for writing-up.

How to apply

The online application for PhD study in the School of Architecture can be accessed via https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/how-to-apply/ .

The ARU provides a uniquely friendly and stimulating research environment for a mix of full- and part-time postgraduate students, research associates and guest researchers from all over the world. The academic staff, researchers and students are based in office space which is adjacent to the acoustic laboratories with a large central meeting area.

The ARU focuses on research, which means that experimental research work in the laboratories generally takes priority over consultancy; something that is rare to find in universities nowadays. Researchers in the ARU come from a variety of backgrounds including physics, mechanical engineering, architecture, building physics, mathematics, electrical and electronic engineering.

Postgraduate study in the ARU to gain a PhD or MPhil in acoustics is available either full-time or part-time, with registration in either the Faculty of Engineering or the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences depending on PhD topic and your preference.

To be admitted to postgraduate study you will need a good honours degree in an appropriate subject.

  • For UK and EU students that are coming towards the end of their first degree or Master’s degree and are interested in doing a full-time PhD in acoustics then please get in contact before January as it may be possible to apply for an EPSRC Doctoral Training Grant which can provides fees (UK and EU) and stipend (UK only).
  • For prospective PhD students (UK, EU and International) that are self-funded or will be funded by your employer, please get in contact if you wish to discuss potential research topics.
  • For prospective PhD students (UK, EU and International) that are applying for a scholarship to fund the PhD, please get in contact well before your scholarship deadline.
  • For UK students, potential sources of funding for post-graduate studies can be found on websites such as www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk
  • EU and International students will need a suitable qualification in the English Language that is obtained either before coming to Liverpool or in the Applied English Language Studies Unit of the University before starting your research.

Funded projects from research councils or the EU that require the recruitment of research assistants or research students are either advertised on this web page, or on www.jobs.ac.uk and the University web site. These are usually PhD studentships, post-graduate research posts, or post-doctoral research posts.

Contact: Professor Carl Hopkins (+44 (0) 151 794 4938, carl.hopkins@liv.ac.uk)