Working as part of a supportive multidisciplinary team, you will support the Principal Investigator in delivering research activity on Project WHOWL: Whale- and Owl-Inspired Synergistic Aerodynamic–Aeroacoustic Control for Wind Turbine Blades — a UKRI/EPSRC-funded project starting October 2026. WHOWL is under EPSRC’s flagship “Unlocking the Full Potential of Nature-Based Engineering” call. The project investigates, for the first time, the synergistic integration of whale‑inspired leading‑edge protuberances and owl‑inspired trailing‑edge serrations on wind turbine blades, aiming to break the long‑standing trade‑off between aerodynamic performance and noise emissions. You will work alongside the Principal Investigator at Northumbria University in Newcastle and the Co‑Investigator at the University of Leeds, supported by industry partners (ORE Catapult and WhalePower Corporation) and an international collaboration with West Chester University in the USA.
This is a full‑time 24‑month fixed‑term post starting October 2026.
A bespoke £75,000 ring‑fenced PDRA/Early Career Researcher development programme is uniquely built into this project, reflecting our commitment to supporting ECR’s long‑term career growth. The successful candidate will benefit from structured technical training in the UK and USA, international conference presentations, industrial mentoring at ORE Catapult, and tailored development in research and project management — providing an exceptional springboard for career progression toward fellowship, faculty positions, or senior roles in industry.
This research project is being delivered within the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics at Northumbria University, a research‑intensive department whose work in renewable energy, fluid dynamics and aeroacoustics has contributed to Northumbria’s top‑25 UK ranking for research power. The project is hosted at the Northumbria University Aerodynamics Laboratory, with access to the University’s wind tunnel facility, advanced PIV instrumentation, and high‑performance computing resources. WHOWL is a flagship project under Northumbria’s Energy Futures multidisciplinary research theme — the University’s primary platform for net‑zero research, supporting partnerships with over 30 industrial collaborators across the renewable energy sector. The successful candidate will join a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive interdisciplinary community at the interface of engineering, applied physics, and bio‑inspired design.
Applicants should hold a PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline such as mechanical or aerospace engineering, applied physics, fluid mechanics, or a closely related field, with demonstrable expert knowledge in aerodynamics, experimental fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, or aeroacoustics.
Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.
If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Xiang Shen (Principal Investigator) at shaun.shen@northumbria.ac.uk.