For optimal design of engineering structures it is important to consider uncertainties in specifying system parameters, boundary conditions and applied loading. In safety-based optimal design the effect of uncertainties are explicitly considered at the design stage, which is not the case in conventional design methods. Failure to consider uncertainty can lead to unreliable, uneconomical and even unsafe products, proving costly to the industries, and indeed to the economy in general. This proposal outlines a five-year work-programme aimed at the development of safety-based optimal design tools for engineering structures subjected to a wide range of dynamic loading. The methods available to handle uncertainties in structural dynamics can be broadly divided into two groups: (a) the methods applicable for low-frequency vibration (e.g., Finite Element (FE) method) and (b) methods applicable for high-frequency vibration (e.g., Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA)). The developments of these two groups of methods have tended to take place independently with little overlap between them. Up until now there is no method suitable for mid-frequency vibration, which is important in many application areas, for example, in aerospace and automotive industries. The proposed research will bridge this gap by going from the 'low-frequency end' to the 'high-frequency end' and the new methods will be integrated with the optimal design process. The overall outcome of the project will be numerically and experimentally validated unified design tools that can be used to optimally design dynamic engineering structures meeting a priori prescribed safety targets. Proposed work would also integrate the newly developed tools with existing industry standard design tools (commercial FE software) so that it can be incorporated easily within the existing design facilities without significant additional investments. The benefits of probabilistic design methods are yet to be fully appreciated in many industrial sectors and the success of the proposed project will be a motivation to move away from the paradigm of traditional safety factor based design philosophy.

Advanced glass technology with added electronic functionality is increasingly prevalent in areas such as smart displays (think about the touch screen on a smart phone or tablet), IOT sensing and next generation healthcare devices. In addition, the use of glass substrates in advanced semiconductor devices is a huge new opportunity. This project focuses up these opportunities, and will entail early-stage concept investigations of the integration of transparent / semi-transparent optoelectronics and electronic circuitry on glass with advanced semiconductor functional elements. This PhD project will be undertaken in close collaboration with (and is sponsored by) a multinational glass and coatings company and will be undertaken within the new Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) - Swansea University's flagship new £55M facility for advanced semiconductor research and development.

This PhD project aims to enhance the digital twinning process for fusion energy components by leveraging physics-based modelling, data analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. The primary objective is to accelerate the digital twinning loop, which involves continuously refining and improving digital twin models based on real-world data and feedback. In addition to reviewing physics-informed neural networks and standard finite element modelling, the project will also investigate the possibility of improving finite element-based analysis by embedding some modern AI principles. This could involve manipulating the FE shape function using neural networks to conserve the formulation's energy. The PhD project ensures that all applications investigated are directly relevant to the challenges faced by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in fusion energy research. This involves addressing issues related to component design, performance optimization, safety considerations, and other relevant aspects within fusion energy systems.

Background: ProColl is a supplier of bovine and recombinant collagen for application within medical devices, cell culture, tissue engineering, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The company was founded as a spin out from Swansea University in 2018 to bring to market the improved scale production of collagen with exceptional quality and purity. The company then developed techniques to produce recombinant collagen to answer the market need for animal free collagen that is more biocompatible, ethically robust and removes the risk of interspecies transfer of disease. Collagen is the most abundant protein within the human body and plays a central role in the maintenance and repair of all organs and tissues. Collagen has a structural role as the glue that anchors and houses cells within the extracellular matrix of tissues. Thus, it is one of the most industrially important proteins with applications as a functional, structural material in medicine, cosmetics, and food. Within medicine and cell research collagen is predominantly used as a gel or a coating; the collagen is used to coat cell culture materials to allow adhesion and subsequent development of the cells. Through collaboration with Swansea University, ProColl currently produce recombinant human Type I collagen molecules with the view to expand this to other collagen types. The research of the project will develop advanced materials in the form of new recombinant collagen materials and novel collagen formulations that are optimised for the coating of surfaces and application within cell culture, tissue engineering and wound healing. The recombinant collagen will be produced through fermentation in a sustainable process that removes the need for bovine sources and their accompanying impact on the environment. In addition, alternative raw materials for the fermentation will be investigated to further improve sustainability. The collagen surfaces will be characterised in terms of coating film morphology, biocompatibility and mechanical resilience using advanced techniques including atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic and fatigue testing systems, and cell culture. The project will examine different coating methods such as layer by layer, lyophilisation, spray coating, casting and electrospinning to control the morphology and functionality of the collagen coatings. Project Aims: The outcomes of the project will be the creation of new and improved processes for the manufacture of recombinant collagen. A range of novel surface coatings will be developed that are optimised for application within research and medicine. The research needed to achieve these outcomes will provide comprehensive and novel insights into collagen materials which is of interest to the academic community and will be published. The research will also be disseminated at key international conferences. ProColl will commercialise the new processes and products creating industrial impact and benefit to Welsh and UK economies.

Develop a Finite Element model of pouch and cylindrical cells for the purpose of providing a Battery Management System for Na-ion cells. The model at minimum has to simulate the temperature profiles of the desired cells at different loading conditions and ambient temperatures. Desired simulation would include reaction to mechanical deformation. The ideal model will include electrochemical simulation of the cells, to arrive at results from first principles rather than data curve fitting. The model will be validated against physical cells manufactured as part of the project.