Project opportunity
This Earmarked Scholarship project is aligned with a recently awarded Category 1 research grant. It offers you the opportunity to work with leading researchers and contribute to large projects of national significance.
Turbulence, the chaotic flow of fluids, occurs in most fluid flows in nature. This project aims to develop a new understanding of turbulence in superfluids, a class of quantum fluids which can flow without friction. While the applications of superfluidity have been limited to date, recent improvements in the experimental control of superfluid systems have opened promising avenues for the development of devices based on superfluid technology. The ultralow losses provided by superfluidity offer technological advances such as high precision quantum sensors, and memory and transistor technologies with ultra-low energy consumption. However, turbulence can be a key limiting factor in such applications.
This theoretical and computational project aims to develop new theoretical knowledge in superfluid turbulence. It will provie opportunities for the candidate to develop diverse and transferable skills, including high performance computing in MATLAB/C++/CUDA, techniques for solving nonlinear and stochastic partial differential equations, and data analysis. This project will also allow for attendance of related international workshops and conferences. There will also be the opportunity to interact with other projects within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS), and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronics Technoliges (FLEET), as well as international collaborators.
The results stemming from this project will be beneficial to the understanding of the physics of quantum fluids, and will inform the engineering of quantum-enhanced devices that utilise trapped superfluid media for precision sensing being under taken at UQ; the project will likely involve close collaboration with experimental groups in the Ultracold Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensate Lab and/or the Advanced Superfluids Facility.
Students will enrol through the School of Mathematics and Physics.
Scholarship value
As a scholarship recipient, you'll receive:
- living stipend of $32,192 per annum tax free (2023 rate), indexed annually
- tuition fees covered
- single Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Supervisor
School of Mathematics & Physics
Email: m.reeves@uq.edu.au
Preferred educational background
Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.
We take into account your
- previous academic record
- publication record
- honours and awards
- employment history.
A working knowledge of ultracold atoms, condensed matter, or fluid dynamics would be of benefit to someone working on this project.
The applicant will demonstrate academic achievement in the field(s) of physics or closely related fields and the potential for scholastic success.
A background or knowledge of computational physics, high-performance computing, and GPU acceleration methods would also be beneficial, although not essential.
Latest commencement date
If you are the successful candidate, you must commence by Research Quarter 1, 2024. You should apply at least 3 months prior to the research quarter commencement date.
If you are an international applicant, you may need to apply much earlier for visa requirements.
How to apply
You apply for this project as part of your PhD program application.