AI and Optimisation in Ship Design, PhD in Computer Science (Funded) Ref: 5794

Supervisors

Professor Edward Keedwell

Dr David Walker 

Dr Ben Wetenhall

Dr Weichao Shi

Mr Jake Rigby

Ship design is a mature discipline with a long history of using tried and tested methods, demonstrated by thousands of successful examples in use today.  However, the move towards more sustainable shipping and changing regulation now makes the ship design problem more challenging than ever.   This fully-funded PhD studentship in partnership with Mari-UK, University of Newcastle and BMT Ltd, will research, develop and apply state-of-the-art optimisation and machine learning methods to problems within ship design, encompassing hull, powertrain and internal designs.

The successful candidate will have an interest in computer science and/or computational approaches to engineering applied to this important maritime topic and will be willing to travel to partners within the UK (e.g. Newcastle and Bath) as part of their studies.

Ship design is a mature discipline with a long history of using tried and tested methods, demonstrated by thousands of successful examples in use today.  However, the move towards more sustainable shipping and changing regulation now makes the ship design problem more challenging than ever.   This fully-funded PhD studentship in partnership with Mari-UK, University of Newcastle and BMT Ltd, will research, develop and apply state-of-the-art optimisation and machine learning methods to problems within ship design, encompassing hull, powertrain and internal designs.

The successful candidate will have an interest in computer science and/or computational approaches to engineering applied to this important maritime topic and will be willing to travel to partners within the UK (e.g. Newcastle and Bath) as part of their studies.

The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit. Students who pay international tuition fees are eligible to apply. However, they should be aware that the award only covers part of the international tuition fee—approximately £25,000—and does not include a stipend for living expenses. International applicants need to be aware that they will have to cover the cost of their student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.

The duation of funding for this studentship is 3.5 years (42 months.  

The conditions for eligibility of home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.  

The collaboration involves a project partner who is providing funding, this means there are special terms that apply to the project, these will be discussed with Candidates at Interview and fully set out in the offer letter.  The collaboration with the named project partner is subject to contract.  Please note full details of the project partner’s contribution and involvement with the project is still to be confirmed and may change during the course of contract negotiations.  Full details will be confirmed at offer stage.

Entry requirements

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of Computer Science or Engineering.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements and provide proof of proficiency. Click here for more information.

How to apply

Apply now

To apply, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button above. In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents

•             CV

•             Letter of application (outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project).

•             Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying)

•             Two references from referees familiar with your academic work. If your referees prefer, they can email the reference direct to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk quoting the studentship reference number.

•             If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English.

The closing date for applications is midnight on 5th January 2026.  Interviews will be held virtually in the week commencing 12^th January 2026.

All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided.

Please quote reference 5794 on your application and in any correspondence about this studentship.

Summary