PhD projects in power electronics

Details

Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3 year PhD project described below

Start date: February 2023 (possibly delayable)

Project description

A studentship is available for a candidate interested in power electronics and focussed on power conversion. 

Power electronics brings together the whole of electronic and electrical engineering and uses it to create solutions to power conversion problems. It is a huge growth area, owing to its importance in managing renewable energy, driving motors in newly electric applications and achieving energy efficiency for a large range of applications.

The project focuses on the next generation of power conversion technologies. Over the past decade or so, modelling tools and control strategies have improved while the importance of energy efficiency and power density have increased. This is leading to advances in all parts of power converters. On this project, you will use next-generation transistors based on silicon carbide and gallium nitride to design highly efficient circuits. The research can follow many directions to fit the interests of the student. A few avenues include (i) multi-megahertz switching where power density is massively increased by reducing the size of all magnetic components, (ii) resonant conversion where losses are reduced and magnetic devices can be replaced with novel devices to improve performance, (iii) digital control of the converter, using FPGA or high-speed microcontrollers to leverage sub-microsecond response times.

The project will be able to draw on support from several related research projects including work on high-voltage power converters for next generation plasma reactors. These use the same modelling and design approaches as low-voltage converters but the design constraints are substantially different. Depending on the interests of the student, this could provide an exciting real-world application with the opportunity to work with colleagues in chemical engineering.

If you're intersted in doing this project, or would like to discuss a PhD in electrical power but not sure if this project is right for you, then please get in touch.

Requirements

You will need to have a I or II.1 in an appropriate degree, an MSc with merit or distinction, or equivalent industrial experience. An engineering or science graduate with experience in electronic or electrical engineering would be best suited to the project. 

Funding notes

Fully funded 3-year studentship covering mome fees, and a stipend at the RCUK rate (£16,062 pa for 2022/23). International students may alternatively be eligible for a fee waiver without a stipend

Next steps

Informal enquiries are very welcome. Please contact Dr Jonathan Davidson on 0114 222 5825 or [email protected]

The studentship is available immediately and will be open until it is filled.