University of Bath PhD Project in Civil Engineering: Combined Effects of Ventilation Design and Operating Parameters on Local Ventilation Effectiveness in Single-Zone Naturally Ventilated Spaces

University of Bath PhD Project in Civil Engineering: Combined Effects of Ventilation Design and Operating Parameters on Local Ventilation Effectiveness in Single-Zone Naturally Ventilated Spaces

This University of Bath Civil Engineering PhD project asks why an adequate total supply of outdoor air may still be distributed poorly through a room. Its proposed contribution is a practical analytical model linking combinations of ventilation-design and operating parameters to local ventilation effectiveness in single-zone naturally ventilated spaces. The notice names computational fluid dynamics and machine learning as methods. Previous parametric work assessed the individual effects of window layout, effective opening area, room depth, internal heat-gain distribution and supply airflow; this project concerns their combined effects. Finite-volume CFD, preferably ANSYS, and machine-learning skills are desirable rather than essential. A master's qualification is advantageous, not mandatory.

The notice lists 29 November 2026 as the deadline, and the saved Engineering URSA policy specifies 23:59 GMT on that date. Current application availability has not been verified. If awarded, the expected start is 4 October 2027; an alternative date requires agreement with the intended supervisors and Doctoral College. Overseas tuition may be covered through a competitive award, while the individual 2027/28 maintenance rate and funded months remain unknown. Confirm individual supervision and award arrangements with the supervisor.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

The notice cites Maddalena et al. (2015), Dorizas et al. (2015), Cook et al. (2023) and Malki-Epshtein et al. (2023) for field studies in which indoor CO2 levels were often 2–4 times the 1,000 ppm target even when ventilation met or exceeded suggested minimum fresh-air rates. Those results describe the cited study settings; they are not measurements from this PhD or a universal estimate. A room can receive a nominally sufficient outdoor-air volume while some occupied parts are poorly served. The research concerns this spatial distribution, termed local ventilation effectiveness, rather than merely increasing total flow. Natural ventilation makes the problem especially dependent on the building and its environment. Window arrangement and opening area, room depth, internal heat distribution and supply flow can interact, so an isolated parameter study need not predict their combined effect.

The notice proposes CFD and machine learning to develop a usable analytical model for designers and operators. The scientific question is whether combined effects can be represented accurately enough to improve design decisions within a defined range of conditions. It does not establish that a trained model already generalises across all room geometries, weather, occupancy patterns or operating practices. A surrogate that predicts its own simulation dataset accurately would still need an independent test of the underlying physical model and its scope. Reproducing simulation output and supporting decisions in real spaces are separate tests: agreement derived from the same assumptions cannot alone validate those assumptions. The thesis should identify conditions supported by measurements and those reached only by extrapolation.

A defensible early research discussion would specify the room class, target metric and evidence needed to validate it. Subsequent work could examine interactions and identify where a simplified model is reliable or uncertain. These are possible ways to bound the advertised programme, not an agreed year-by-year schedule or a requirement for every named technique. The initial deliverable is a practical analytical aid; a commercial tool, standards revision, particular experimental campaign or guaranteed building-energy saving has not been promised.

Several outcomes must remain distinct. Airflow rate measures how much air is supplied; local effectiveness concerns its distribution; CO2 can be a useful occupancy/ventilation indicator; energy depends also on thermal conditions and operating decisions. Improved values for one do not automatically establish improved values for all. An infection-related motivation adds another layer of assumptions and evidence. This PhD is an engineering modelling project, not a clinical trial proving a reduction in infections.

The cited 1,000 ppm figure is a study target, not a universal health threshold. HSE describes CO2 as a broad ventilation guide rather than proof of safe conditions. Changing occupancy, other CO2 sources, spatial differences and air cleaning can change its interpretation. A concentration, ventilation score or simulation therefore does not establish a quantitative level of infection protection. HSE CO2 interpretation

The research lineage makes the combined-parameter question plausible. Mustafa's 2021 thesis abstract describes computational parametric work supported by full-scale evidence, while his later review highlights sparse natural-ventilation studies, misapplied metrics and weaknesses in CFD robustness. A new model needs to address these issues, not just attach machine learning to inherited outputs. The thesis is historical groundwork and the review is synthesis, not two additional recent original experiments. 2021 thesis original abstract 2025 critical review

This direction could develop transferable skills in building-performance modelling, numerical validation, data analysis and communicating engineering trade-offs. HSE's practical guidance and the group's applied work support a real professional problem. They do not establish an individual placement, job offer, salary premium or this project's graduate outcomes. Access to an appropriate benchmark, suitable computation and genuinely independent validation should be clarified before relying on the proposed thesis plan.

School, Programme and Field Context

The awarding institution is the University of Bath, with registration in Civil Engineering, REAR-AFM02, in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Faculty of Engineering and Design. The department's name does not turn the degree into an Architecture PhD. Its current Civil programme explicitly includes building systems, energy use, thermal comfort and air quality among its research areas, making this topic's placement coherent. Current Civil Engineering PhD

Full-time study normally takes four academic years, with a minimum of two and normally a maximum of four. The course explicitly warns that four-year registration can accompany only three or three-and-a-half years of studentship funding; a short reduced-fee completion period requires approval. Probation is confirmed through a report after 12 months and an oral assessment, followed ultimately by a substantial thesis and viva. Research seminars, doctoral workshops and supervised research form the training setting.

The programme describes membership of one of the faculty's research centres. Mustafa is associated with energy systems and regenerative design; Shepherd's current affiliations include computational design and the Foundry. These are relevant institutional connections, not evidence that every facility, software licence, dataset or partner arrangement is allocated to this student. Ask which centre and technical training would actually support the project, especially where CFD validation and machine learning require different mentoring.

Bath's overall QS 2027 rank is 125, versus 132 in 2026. That is a university-wide signal, not a natural-ventilation or Civil doctoral-team ranking. The institution-wide REF 2021 statement of 92% world-leading or internationally excellent research likewise is not an outcome for this narrow project. The direct subject evidence is the Civil programme's building-performance coverage and the supervisor's relevant original work. Professional-development and career provision exists, but no project-specific curriculum or placement commitment was found. QS Bath overall table Bath postgraduate research Doctoral professional development

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Dr Murat Mustafa is currently a Lecturer in Architecture and Civil Engineering, accepting doctoral applicants. The current institutional profile confirms mm3714@bath.ac.uk and ORCID 0000-0002-3190-5086. It records a decade of building-services engineering experience and postgraduate training in low-energy building services, building energy demand and CFD, with a Loughborough doctorate awarded in December 2021. His later UCL/AIRBODS and UWE roles are historical experience, not additional current host institutions for this PhD. Murat Mustafa institutional profile

The header's P Shepherd corresponds to Professor Paul Shepherd, the current Professor of Computational Design, not the retired EEE academic Peter Shepherd. His contact is P.Shepherd@bath.ac.uk, ORCID 0000-0001-7078-4232. His profile connects computer simulation, optimisation, digital twins and operational building performance with industry experience. This makes a computational contribution plausible, but the advertisement does not allocate formal supervisory percentages, meeting frequency or responsibility for the machine-learning component. Current grants and centre affiliations are not this student's confirmed funds. Paul Shepherd institutional profile

Three recent published originals inform the project, with different evidence limits:

2025: room depth and local effectiveness

Mustafa, Cook, McLeod and de Dear, 2025, Building and Environment 283:113406. The complete institutional original abstract describes full-scale tests and validated CFD challenging a blanket assumption that natural ventilation is unsuitable for deeper plans. The findings concern tested configurations and modelled extensions, not universal approval for all deep buildings or a demonstrated clinical effect. The data statement says an open dataset is intended after other papers are published; it does not establish that the dataset is already public. Historical Sydney laboratory access and LoLo support do not guarantee a new visit or a personal award. Available evidence is limited to the original abstract, metadata and data statement, without full methods/results. 2025 local-effectiveness original

2023: ventilation and thermal comfort in an auditorium

Mustafa, Cook and McLeod, 2023, Building and Environment 234:110202. The complete original abstract describes CFD supported by field measurements in a Leicester Passivhaus auditorium, comparing ventilation approaches in relation to thermal comfort. Its reported potential for comfort without conditioning for up to 80% of a temperate-climate year depends on the study's criteria and context. This is not a universal energy-saving percentage or proof of infection reduction, and the auditorium includes mechanical/mixed-mode questions beyond this proposed single-zone natural-ventilation focus. Available evidence is limited to the original abstract and metadata. 2023 Passivhaus original

2022 online/2023 issue: spatial and temporal IAQ at events

Malki-Epshtein and colleagues, with Mustafa, online December 2022/2023 issue, Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 44(2):113–133. Available primary evidence covers selected published methods, results, discussion, limitations and conclusions. The observational study assessed 10 venues, 90 events and 179 spaces, relating CO2-based IAQ to spatial and temporal conditions. It found generally good average performance alongside local/time-specific weaknesses. Venue selection depended on availability; precise local occupancy was not fully analysed, some events were below capacity, and non-occupant CO2 could affect interpretation. It is not a randomised clinical outcome study, and a favourable average does not establish safety everywhere. The two publication years describe one paper, not independent evidence. 2022 online/2023 issue event-IAQ original

The 2025 critical review is useful for assessing metric choice and numerical credibility, but does not count among those originals. The 2023 AIRBODS Findings and Guidance is a 174-page research guidance report. Its original institutional abstract acknowledges uncertainty, including the absence of a defined acceptable infection-risk level. Available evidence covers its abstract, type and funding metadata, without the full guide. It should not be counted as a fourth original or used to infer that this student joins the historical consortium. The 2015 references remain older background citations in the notice, not additional recent team originals supported by detailed evidence here. 2025 critical review AIRBODS guidance report metadata

The evidence supports a coherent path from physical ventilation studies to a combined-parameter model. It leaves important practical questions: which experimental evidence can be reused, whether new measurements are funded, how modelling uncertainty will be quantified, and who supplies the data-analysis expertise. None of the reviewed historical grants establishes the 2027 student's award or equipment entitlement.

Funding, Application and Living Cost

The URSA policy described in the October 2026 information invites Engineering and Design applications for October 2027, with 29 November 2026, 23:59 GMT as the scheme deadline. This adds a precise clock to the topic's date-only notice. The expected 4 October start is project-specific; the generic course's flexible starts do not automatically preserve a scholarship at another date. Current URSA Engineering policy

The competition can cover Home or Overseas tuition, maintenance and up to £1,000 a year in training support. This is not an employment salary or an extra £1,000 of personal living income. Overseas awards are capped without a stated proportion. £21,805 belongs to 2026/27, not a verified personal 2027 stipend. A supervisor's interest, academic admission and an award decision are separate stages. Doctoral FAQ 2026/27 UKRI stipend guidance

The Engineering URSA general maximum is 3.5 years, not a promise of 42 funded months for this person. The Civil course also explicitly separates four-year registration from potentially shorter support. Request an offer stating funded months, maintenance, covered tuition increases, any project-specific support fees and completion-period responsibility. Do not call the programme four years fully paid simply because four years is its normal academic length.

Engineering Overseas research tuition is listed at £31,350 annually for 2027/28, with continuing increases up to 8% a year. Covered tuition should not be double-counted as a personal bill; the concern is any gap in period or coverage. Home fees are subject to the applicable rate. The individual award needs to resolve indexation and any uncovered completion period. Engineering tuition 2027/28

The dated official 2025/26 living budget totals £405 a week/£21,060 a year. A £37 utilities entry sits within an ambiguously labelled accommodation presentation; subtracting it gives an analytical £368 comparison, not a second official total. References include £230 average weekly accommodation over 51 weeks and £750 monthly off-campus rent before bills. None is a 2027 housing quotation or room guarantee. Keep deposits, relocation and cash before first payment separate. Postgraduate budget 2025/26

Current official immigration references are £558 for a Student visa application and £776 annual student IHS, paid personally under the notice. The actual upfront total depends on permission length and part-year rules; future rates may change. Neither a dated living budget nor a dated stipend permits a guaranteed 2027 surplus calculation. Student visa Student IHS

Apply for Civil Engineering, choose URSA and enter the exact project and lead supervisor in the specified fields; at most two projects may be selected. For a second choice, use the dedicated second-project title and supervisor fields. The course requires two references, at least one from the latest academic institution, intended supervisor details and a personal statement. A roughly 1,000-word proposal is for a self-proposed idea, rather than an automatic extra requirement for this advertised topic. A generic international application lead time does not extend the funding deadline.

Applicant Fit and Preparation

The notice requires a UK First/2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, held or about to be obtained. A master's is advantageous. Finite-volume CFD, preferably ANSYS, and machine learning are explicitly preferred, not essential. Do not convert either preference into a compulsory prerequisite, or import the mandatory MSc requirement from a different Bath project. The current Civil course also describes a relevant Merit master's alternative in its general admission framework; individual funded-project assessment remains authoritative.

Bath encourages applications from under-represented groups. Applicants may explain circumstances that affected educational attainment in the application form; the university recommends a short paragraph at the end of the personal statement. If an applicant states on the application that they have a disability, the Disability Service will contact them to discuss their support needs.

The saved project notice does not specify whether, or for which supporting documents, English translations are required; applicants should follow the formal Civil course application instructions.

An informed preparation portfolio could explain one modelling or data-analysis problem, the assumptions made, the validation used and the limitations discovered. This is an analyst's suggestion, not a published requirement to submit a particular CFD design or machine-learning architecture. Applicants stronger in building physics should discuss data-analysis support; those stronger in machine learning should discuss physical validation and the meaning of ventilation metrics.

Chinese applicants have a positive conditional pathway through international equivalent qualifications, Overseas URSA eligibility and the Student visa route. The Civil programme welcomes worldwide applicants. Bath's indexed China PGR wording refers to a first-class bachelor's background, research experience and research-oriented master's work; the directly readable country body did not establish a complete current individual threshold. The 62–75% postgraduate-taught range is not a PhD cutoff, and a Chinese master's does not automatically override an assessment of earlier study. Seek a transcript-specific decision. International qualification requirements

Civil's current requirements are IELTS 6.5 overall/every component 6.0. TOEFL before 21 January 2026 uses 90 overall/all components 21; on or after that date it uses 4.5 overall/all components 4, including the accepted Home Edition route. Tests normally must be within 24 months of starting. Duolingo is listed at 120 overall, speaking/writing/reading 110 and listening 105. These are distinct scales, not interchangeable component scores. Doctoral English requirements

The topic imposes a stricter timing condition: non-UK applicants not currently studying in the UK must meet English by the application deadline, with no exceptions. A qualifying recent English-taught degree may support an individual exemption under the university's timing/residence rules; Chinese English-medium education or an MOI letter is not an automatic waiver. Resolve this before the deadline rather than assuming a later language condition is always possible.

The Civil course is ATAS-covered. China is not nationality-exempt, but that is not a nationality ban. The actual classification, required clearance, CAS and visa depend on the individual offer and official decisions. Allow the necessary time; academic eligibility, scholarship competition and immigration approval do not collapse into a single guarantee. ATAS rules

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before applying, contact Mustafa with academic evidence and a concise explanation of why spatial ventilation performance matters, alongside a quantitative example of assumptions and validation. Confirm the degree-equivalence decision and English evidence early, and have referees and the exact Civil/URSA fields ready for 29 November.

At interview, ask how the initial parameter range, target metric and independent validation will be chosen; whether relevant data are available for reuse; and what new measurements, computing and software licences are actually funded. Clarify the two supervisors' responsibilities, frequency of discussions, and whether the thesis remains feasible without additional laboratory or industry access.

Before accepting, obtain the personal award rate, funded period, tuition indexation and completion-fee arrangements, together with data/code publication and intellectual-property terms. Establish whether data described as future open or available on request will actually be accessible at the PhD start and licensed for thesis/publication use. Those descriptions are not existing permission. The project offers a meaningful building-performance research problem and an international funding competition. Individual financial coverage and practical validation arrangements still need written confirmation; improved ventilation modelling must not be advertised as proven infection prevention.

Evidence and Sources

Project context, supervisors and research

• Murat Mustafa institutional profile.
• Paul Shepherd institutional profile.
• 2025 local-effectiveness original.
• 2023 Passivhaus original.
• 2022 online/2023 issue event-IAQ original.
• 2025 critical review.
• 2021 thesis original abstract.
• AIRBODS guidance report metadata.
• HSE CO2 interpretation.

University, programme and applicant requirements

• Current Civil Engineering PhD.
• Doctoral English requirements.
• International qualification requirements.
• Doctoral professional development.
• QS Bath overall table.
• Bath postgraduate research.

Funding, cost and immigration

• Current URSA Engineering policy.
• Engineering tuition 2027/28.
• Postgraduate budget 2025/26.
• Doctoral FAQ 2026/27.
• UKRI stipend guidance.
• Student visa.
• Student IHS.
• ATAS rules.