PhD Studentship: Tackling the Geotechnical Challenges of Floating Offshore Wind

3 weeks ago


Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

PhD Supervisor: Prof David White

Supervisory Team: Prof David White, Prof Susan Gourvenec, Dr Benjamin Cerfontaine

Lead the Way in Offshore Renewable Energy Infrastructure

Are you interested in the development of offshore wind energy and have a passion for geotechnical engineering? This PhD position is for you. This project is an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of offshore renewable energy as part of a UK-wide research team while deepening your expertise in geotechnical engineering.

Project Description

You will join the UK-funded Offshore Renewable Energy Supergen Hub project, which aims to advance ORE to meet net zero by 2050. You will be part of the geotechnical team and will contribute to research that streamlines and optimises offshore wind developments.

What will you do?

Your PhD will be framed around the topics described below:

  • Optimising farm-scale site characterisation: Evaluate the best approach for farm-scale geotechnical characterisation, which makes best use of existing and new site investigation tools.
  • Farm-scale geotechnical design strategies: Devise new design approaches that adopt reliability-based methods to suit farms with hundreds of turbines and account for variability in loading and soil conditions.
  • Anchoring systems for floating offshore wind: Develop novel anchor concepts, suited to the seabed conditions in ORE frontier regions.

Your project will include interaction with industry partners, keeping it aligned with sector needs and relevant to real-life challenges.

What is the expected impact of this research?

  • Cost reduction: Optimised ORE design and installation processes, that allow cost-effective deployment of future wind farms.
  • Environmental sustainability: Enable wider adoption of offshore wind energy, a clean and renewable source of power.
  • Technological advancement: Push the boundaries of knowledge in geotechnical engineering for offshore applications.

Who are we looking for?

  • A highly motivated and self-directed individual with a strong foundation in geotechnical or civil engineering.
  • Experience with soil mechanics, statistical analysis, numerical modelling, and/or experimental testing is desirable.
  • A passion for renewable energy and a desire to contribute to a sustainable future.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with supervisors, researchers, and industry partners.

What are the benefits for you?

  • Work with a team of academic and industry experts on the geotechnical design of offshore wind systems and use state-of-the-art facilities.
  • Develop advanced numerical and physical modelling skills, and a deep knowledge of offshore geotechnics, enabling you to choose your preferred path in academia or industry.
  • Develop transferrable skills, write journal papers, attend conferences and extend your network via the Supergen ORE Hub activities.

To discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Prof. David White, Email:

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent).

Closing date: 31 August 2024.

The position will be filled when a suitable candidate has been identified.

Funding: We offer a range of funding opportunities for UK and international students, including Bursaries and Scholarships.

For more information please visit PhD Scholarships | Doctoral College | University of Southampton

How To Apply

Apply online, by clicking the 'Apply' button, above. Select programme type (Research), 2024/25, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, next page select "PhD Engineering & Environment (Full time)". In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor David White

Applications should include:

  • Cover Letter
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Two reference letters
  • Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date

We offer a range of funding opportunities for UK and international students, including Bursaries and Scholarships



  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    PhD Supervisor: Dr Benjamin CerfontaineSupervisory Team: Dr Benjamin Cerfontaine, Prof David White, Prof Susan GourvenecLead the Way in Sustainable Energy InfrastructureAre you interested in the development of offshore wind energy and have a passion for geotechnical engineering? This PhD position is for you. This project is a unique opportunity to contribute...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    PhD Supervisor: Prof David WhiteSupervisory Team: Prof David White, Dr Benjamin Cerfontaine, Prof Susan GourvenecLead the Way in Sustainable InfrastructureAre you interested in civil engineering technology and offshore wind energy, and have a passion for geotechnical engineering? This PhD position is for you. This project is a unique opportunity to...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: David Richards, Fernando Alvarez-Borges, Madhu Murthy, Benjamin CerfontaineProject description:Around 70% of Europe's offshore wind turbines are installed in the North Sea. Chalk, a calcareous weak rock, is widely present in this area. Driven piles are currently the preferred foundation system for these structures, but pile design entails a...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Benjamin CameronProject descriptionThis PhD is focussed on a new theoretical/computational method to measure material properties in places where they are really difficult to measure: e.g. in a shock wave, in a shear band, or at a crack tip. These are all of critical importance in many engineering problems such as car crashes, manufacturing...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Project title: PhD Studentship in Nanophotonics and Metamaterials: Development of Switchable and Programmable Metasurfaces using Novel Materials Supervisory Team: Prof. Otto Muskens; Dr Ioannis ZeimpekisProject description:Metaoptics, the application of metasurface concepts in optical systems, is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Dr Seung Lee (School of Chemistry), Prof. Jeremy Webb (School of Biological Sciences and National Biofilms Innovation Centre), Prof. Paul Stoodley (University of Southampton), Dr Rob Howlin (Haleon, industry), Dr David Bradshaw and Dr Ricarda Hawkins (Haleon, industry) Project Description:A fully-funded 4 year National Biofilms Innovation...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    PhD Supervisor: Dr Nema AbdelazimSupervisory Team: Dr Nema AbdelazimProject description: The University of Southampton is expanding its PhD research in the area of Quantum Technology Engineering. In addition to the research project outlined below you will receive substantial training in scientific, technical, and commercial skills.We are offering an exciting...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    PhD Supervisor: Dr Seung Lee Supervisory Team: Dr Seung Lee (School of Chemistry), Prof. Jeremy Webb (School of Biological Sciences and national Biofilms Innovation Centre), Prof. Paul Stoodley (University of Southampton and Ohio State University)Project description:A fully-funded 4 year PhD studentship (Institute for Life Sciences studentship) for research...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Ioannis ZeimpekisProject description:Revolutionising the semiconductor industry with next generation 2D materials and devices.Moore's Law is currently being challenged with Nvidia CEO recently claiming it is over. The scaling of transistors cannot continue due to physical limitations of silicon posing a threat to the sustainable evolution...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Dr N.C. Townsend, Prof D.A. Hudson and Dr J.A. Bowker (industrial)Project descriptionShip model testing is expensive and time consuming. Can we derive hydrodynamic seakeeping and manoeuvring characteristics with focused datasets, eliminating time consuming single variable investigations?In this PhD program you will develop and test novel...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Dr N.C. Townsend, Prof D.A. Hudson and Dr J.A. Bowker (industrial)Project descriptionWave energy can be used to improve the performance of ships and boats. By exploiting hydrodynamically the available wave energy, the motions, emissions, and powering requirements of ships operating in adverse weather conditions can be significantly...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    PhD Supervisor: Antonia MarcuSupervisory Team: Antonia Marcu, Jonathon HareProject description:Deep Learning (DL) is a widely successful tool. However, there are many fundamental challenges left to solve in DL. One such challenge is "simplicity bias'', which is a model's bias towards learning simplistic rules even at the cost of performance. As a result,...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Chris-Kriton Skylaris (90%) Andrea Russell (10%)Project description:Proton-exchange Membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells are an emerging technology for environmentally sustainable transport and other carbon-neutral energy applications. A crucial component of these devices are the metallic catalyst nanoparticles which allow the chemical...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Prof. Otto Muskens; Alberto PolitiProject Description:In this project, the student will develop new technologies for integrated quantum optical chips allowing programming and tuning of devices under different operating conditions and in particular for operation in a cryogenic environment. The ability to actively control different parts of...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Professor Pedro Rivera and Dr Ben CameronProject description:Rail safety is dependent upon the ability to control the nucleation and growth of cracks. Current popular techniques focus on crack prevention, e.g. through grinding, but the mechanisms leading to failure remain largely ununderstood. The topic has recently been reviewed...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory team: Neil SandhamProject descriptionYou will join a group of PhD students and post-doctoral researchers using high performance computing to advance understanding of high speed aerodynamics. Over the past decade we have developed efficient open-source software that enables us to run large numerical simulations with billions grid points on mixed...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Chris-Kriton Skylaris (80%) Jeremy Frey (20%) Project Description: The computational simulation of chemical reactions in materials requires an accurate, explicit description of their electrons. This can be achieved by quantum mechanical calculations from first principles, in particular with Density Functional Theory (DFT) which achieves a...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Why the University of Southampton?We are ranked 11th in the UK's Best University Guide by Times Higher Education, one of the UK's top 20 universities by the Complete University Guide 2024, and a top 100 university globally. We are a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-focused institutions.As a University of Southampton PhD student...

  • PhD Studentship

    3 weeks ago


    Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory team: Ben LinetonProject descriptionThe mechanical response of the cochlea to sound exhibits an intriguing array of different non-linear phenomena, involving interactions across time and frequency. These remain poorly understood but can be assessed using otoacoustic emissions (OAEs): low-level sounds detectable in the ear canal.OAEs are measured...


  • Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom University of Southampton Full time

    Supervisory Team: Jonathan GeorgePhD Supervisor: Jonathan GeorgeProject description:The School of Chemistry is offering a fully funded PhD studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in September 2024. The student will carry out their doctoral research in the George Group, which has recently moved to the University of Southampton.BackgroundThe use...