From Microdrops to Forecasts: Multiscale Modelling of Clouds
This is a fully-funded 4-year PhD position based in the HetSys Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Warwick.
Project outline
How do countless microscopic droplets shape the weather we see? This project tackles that challenge - linking the physics of droplet collisions in turbulent clouds to the rainfall and climate patterns predicted by forecasters.
You'll use high-fidelity simulations to uncover how droplets merge and grow, and work with partners such as the Met Office to embed this understanding into their weather and climate models.
Along the way, you'll develop new mathematical and computational models, and test ideas against real-world data - perfect for students who enjoy applied maths, computation, and making 'models of matter that matter'.
Supervisors
Primary: Prof. James Sprittles (Maths)
Prof. Duncan Lockerby (Engineering)
Project Partner: UK Met Office
- Build mathematical models for the collisions of water droplets which account for complex physics occurring in the intervening gas lubrication layer.
- Incorporate models into a robust open-source computational framework.
- Develop mesoscale computational models that couple droplet collisions with turbulent cloud dynamics.
- Derive practical collision/coalescence 'maps' and upscale them into parameterisations for large-scale weather models.
- Work with the Met Office to identify which microphysical choices most affect cloud-scale outcomes.
- Drive improvements in current forecasting.
By the end of your PhD, you'll have created open-source tools and new parameterisations that improve how cloud and rainfall processes are represented in the Met Office's weather and climate models. You'll work within an interdisciplinary team of mathematicians, physicists, and atmospheric scientists, collaborating with experimentalists to connect simulations with real measurements. You'll get to publish your findings in leading journals, present your work at international conferences, and spend time with international project partners - building global experience, technical expertise, and a strong network along the way.
Physical applied mathematics: nanoscale gas physics; free-surface flows; turbulent modelling.
Computational development: finite element coding; open-source software; high-performance computing.
Model reduction: multiscale techniques; robust parameterisation of microphysics.
Collaboration & impact: working with the Met Office/industry partners; communicating results to technical and non-technical audiences.
Transferable skills: scientific writing; presenting; project planning; research integrity/RRI.
These skills position you for careers in AI research, computational materials science, national laboratories, tech industry or academic research. The HetSys training provides a foundation for these skills through dedicated courses and cohort activities.
We require at least a II(i) honours degree at BSc or an integrated masters degree (e.g. MPhys, MChem, MSci, MEng etc.) in a physical sciences, mathematics or engineering discipline. We do not accept applications from existing PhD holders.
If you are an overseas candidate please check here that you hold the equivalent grades before applying.
For postgraduate study in HetSys, the term “overseas” or “international” student refers to anyone who does not qualify for UK home fee status. This includes applicants from the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland, unless they hold settled or pre-settled status under the UK’s EU Settlement Scheme.
If you are a European applicant without UK residency or immigration status that qualifies you for home fees, you will be classified as an overseas student.