Posted 15 August, 2026
PhD Studentship - Machine Learning for Two-phase Heat Transfer
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Full Time
Reference: 995471424
Trinity is Ireland's leading university and is ranked 75th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2026). Founded in 1592, the University is steeped in history with a reputation for excellence in education, research, and innovation, which has been inspiring generations of thinkers for over 400 years. Thrive: Trinity College Dublin's Strategic Plan 2025 - 2030
The Gibbons Lab at Trinity College Dublin is seeking a PhD student to join an ongoing Royal Society-Research Ireland University Research Fellowship project focused on Machine Learning for the Design of Additively Manufactured Two-Phase Heat Transfer Surfaces.
From the processor in your phone to the AI compute in a data centre, every high-power electronic device faces the same limit: heat. This has created an urgent demand for next-generation heat transfer surfaces capable of handling ultra-high heat fluxes. One of the most promising approaches is flow boiling, in which a working fluid circulates over a heated surface and undergoes phase change, enabling exceptionally high heat transfer via the latent heat of vaporisation. The question nobody can currently answer is what those heated surfaces should look like.
Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of spatially complex metal structures with features on the micron-scale. However, our capacity to intelligently design these surfaces is 2 limited, because the models that predict boiling performance only work for the simple shapes that have been empirically tested.
The successful PhD student will conduct research in two-phase flows, with a focus on physics-informed machine learning to model flow boiling surface performance and integrate it with topology optimisation for intelligent design of phase-change surfaces.
The researcher will work closely with other members of a multidisciplinary project team including PIs and postgraduate researchers within this research cluster. This is an innovative cutting-edge project which will yield transformative developments in the field of two-phase flow. The Gibbons research group is known for their excellence in two-phase flow, heat transfer and surface engineering in Ireland and internationally. Funding is offered for 48 months. This post is held in the School of Engineering and Discipline of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin.
Application Procedure
• The application is in two parts.
1. Please complete the application form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/uqzauBzwqR.
2. Send one combined PDF containing your CV, academic transcripts, and a short cover letter (maximum one page) setting out why this project interests you and what you hope to get from a PhD. Please include the names and contact details of 2 referees (including email addresses) as part of the PDF. Name the combined PDF Surname_Firstname.pdf and send to [email protected].
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. The next stage is a Microsoft Teams or Zoom call with Asst. Prof Gibbons and the team. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may begin before the closing date - early application is strongly encouraged. If the position is not filled, the call may be extended and applications will continue to be accepted until a suitable candidate is appointed.
Our Values - putting our words into actionValues matter. They are key to the success of our Strategic Plan. We centre our behavioural values around the importance of belonging. We recognise that the university will thrive by each of us respecting and caring for one another. We know we can achieve much more through working together. We know too that we must take responsibility for our actions and be accountable. We must, and will never stop, imagining. And through being nature positive we connect not just with the environment but with our ambitions for a sustainable future.
At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those who have been displaced due to war.
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's premier University. We are an EU Sustainable Gender Equality Champion and we hold an Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our ongoing work to advance gender equality both within Trinity and in the Higher Education sector. Trinity is committed to supporting work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment.
The Gibbons Lab at Trinity College Dublin is seeking a PhD student to join an ongoing Royal Society-Research Ireland University Research Fellowship project focused on Machine Learning for the Design of Additively Manufactured Two-Phase Heat Transfer Surfaces.
From the processor in your phone to the AI compute in a data centre, every high-power electronic device faces the same limit: heat. This has created an urgent demand for next-generation heat transfer surfaces capable of handling ultra-high heat fluxes. One of the most promising approaches is flow boiling, in which a working fluid circulates over a heated surface and undergoes phase change, enabling exceptionally high heat transfer via the latent heat of vaporisation. The question nobody can currently answer is what those heated surfaces should look like.
Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of spatially complex metal structures with features on the micron-scale. However, our capacity to intelligently design these surfaces is 2 limited, because the models that predict boiling performance only work for the simple shapes that have been empirically tested.
The successful PhD student will conduct research in two-phase flows, with a focus on physics-informed machine learning to model flow boiling surface performance and integrate it with topology optimisation for intelligent design of phase-change surfaces.
The researcher will work closely with other members of a multidisciplinary project team including PIs and postgraduate researchers within this research cluster. This is an innovative cutting-edge project which will yield transformative developments in the field of two-phase flow. The Gibbons research group is known for their excellence in two-phase flow, heat transfer and surface engineering in Ireland and internationally. Funding is offered for 48 months. This post is held in the School of Engineering and Discipline of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin.
Application Procedure
• The application is in two parts.
1. Please complete the application form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/uqzauBzwqR.
2. Send one combined PDF containing your CV, academic transcripts, and a short cover letter (maximum one page) setting out why this project interests you and what you hope to get from a PhD. Please include the names and contact details of 2 referees (including email addresses) as part of the PDF. Name the combined PDF Surname_Firstname.pdf and send to [email protected].
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. The next stage is a Microsoft Teams or Zoom call with Asst. Prof Gibbons and the team. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may begin before the closing date - early application is strongly encouraged. If the position is not filled, the call may be extended and applications will continue to be accepted until a suitable candidate is appointed.
Our Values - putting our words into actionValues matter. They are key to the success of our Strategic Plan. We centre our behavioural values around the importance of belonging. We recognise that the university will thrive by each of us respecting and caring for one another. We know we can achieve much more through working together. We know too that we must take responsibility for our actions and be accountable. We must, and will never stop, imagining. And through being nature positive we connect not just with the environment but with our ambitions for a sustainable future.
At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those who have been displaced due to war.
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's premier University. We are an EU Sustainable Gender Equality Champion and we hold an Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our ongoing work to advance gender equality both within Trinity and in the Higher Education sector. Trinity is committed to supporting work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment.
