[Australia] PhD Scholarship Co-Sponsored By Swinburne University Of Technology And Woodside Energy Ltd.: Physical Oceanography

http://www.swin.edu.au/feis/scholarships_fac.html

TITLE: Wave Modelling within Extreme Tropical Cyclones

BACKGROUND:

Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) and Woodside Energy Ltd (WEL) are seeking a suitably qualified student to undertake post-graduate study to develop a wave forecast model suitable for extreme tropical cyclone conditions.

About Swinburne University of Technology

Swinburne University of Technology is a large multi-sectoral and multi-campus institution with a stated mission to be a pre-eminent entrepreneurial university from the Asia-Pacific, thriving on new ideas and knowledge and exploiting its intersectoral heritage to create value for its stakeholders.

The Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences is host to most of the engineering activities at Swinburne as well as key programs in aviation and photonics. The Coastal Engineering and Physical Oceanography group of the Faculty specialises in research of deep-water and finite-depth wave dynamics, spectral modelling of wind-generated waves, wave breaking and dissipation, air-sea interaction, wave-bottom interaction and turbulence.

About Woodside Energy Ltd

Woodside Energy Ltd. (WEL) is Australia’s largest offshore oil and gas producer and operator of the North West Shelf project. Over a period of 20 years, WEL has been conducting and sponsoring applied and fundamental oceanographic research. The issue of enhancing understanding of extreme tropical cyclones, and in particular improving the wave forecast under such conditions, is among the current priorities of the research sponsored by the company.

PROJECT ABSTRACT:

Accurate wind wave models are essential for all elements of extreme air-sea interaction, including loads on structures, upper-ocean mixing and bottom boundary layer formation. At present, physics of such models is mostly based on theory and experiments applicable to moderate wind/wave situations, which physics is then extrapolated to extreme conditions. Since air-sea interaction at such tropical cyclones is known to be different, the models manifest inconsistent results. This is a major concern for engineering design applications. The project is intended to produce, parameterise, implement and test new energy source/.sink functions for the wave forecast models, based on direct measurements in the extreme tropical cyclones and on recent theoretical advances in this field.

SELECTION CRITERIA

1) Honours degree in Physical or Mathematical Sciences (essential)
2) Strong analytical and mathematical skills (essential)
3) A good working knowledge of programming (desirable)

Commencement Date March 2008

Scholarship
AU$24815 per annum, tax exempt
Duration – three years

Application deadline: 31st of January, 2008

Contact
Alexander Babanin
Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences
Swinburne University of Technology
PO Box 218 Hawthorn VIC 3122
Victoria
Telephone: +61-3-9214 8033
Fax: +61-3-9214 8264
Email: ababanin@swin.edu.au