Investigating an AI-based framework for digital twins in manufacturing

We are recruiting new doctoral researchers to our EPSRC-funded Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) PhD studentships starting 1 October 2025.

Applications are invited for the project title: Investigating an AI-based framework for digital twins in manufacturing.

Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) of approximately £21,237, including inner London weighting, plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of 42 months (3.5 years).

You should be eligible for home (UK) tuition fees there are a very limited number (no more than two) of studentships available to overseas applicants, including EU nationals, who meet the academic entry criteria including English Language proficiency.

You will join the internationally recognised researchers in the Department of Computer Science research and PhD programmes | Brunel University London.

The project

A digital twin is a virtual model of a real-world object, system, or process that is connected to its real-world counterpart through a two-way flow of real-time data. A digital twin of a manufacturing process enables real-time control with possible cost savings and process improvements. There have been many developments in AI since digital twins first appeared on the scene. However, there is little evidence of these impacting digital twin practice, despite potential benefits. This research presents the opportunity to develop a framework to show how AI can advance the state-of-the-art of digital twins in manufacturing – there are many different possibilities in this research that are being pioneered by Brunel such as automatic factory design and model creation, machine learning to develop better statistical distributions, AI-based optimisation and experimentation, perpetual simulation, etc. This project will develop a framework and develop a small-scale demonstrator to show how aspects of an AI-based digital twin can benefit manufacturing. Metrics to evaluate this will also be developed and both artifacts will be evaluated in this and other manufacturing system settings. It is anticipated that this work will be conducted by a large manufacturer (e.g., the Ford Motor Company) and will offer a real-world setting in which a doctoral researcher can study and gain experience from industrial placements at the company.

Objectives

1. To establish the state-of-the-art of digital twins in manufacturing by conducting a literature review of the subject area.
2. To investigate how AI techniques advance the state-of-the-art of digital twins in manufacturing.
3. To propose a framework of AI-based digital twins in manufacturing based on the outcomes of 2 (possibly focussing on a specific area).
4. To demonstrate elements of the framework in the context of a real-world manufacturing system through the development and implementation of a small-scale software demonstrator.
5. To evaluate and generalise the framework and demonstrator with respect to different types of manufacturing system enterprises.

Please contact Dr Anastasia Anagnostou at anastasia.anagnostou@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the studentships.

Eligibility

Applicants will have or be expected to receive a first or upper-second-class honours degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Mathematics, Physics or a similar discipline. A postgraduate master's degree is not required but may be an advantage.

Skills and experience

Applicants will be required to demonstrate the following skills;

• A 2:1 technology-related degree (Computer Science or related degree with a strong AI component)
• Strong programming experience in Java and/or Python
• Good knowledge of artificial intelligence, especially machine learning and evolutionary algorithms
• Have the intellectual capacity to assimilate new knowledge and apply this to solve problems
• Be enthusiastic and highly motivated to learn
• Take personal responsibility and be accountable for your own work in a hybrid working environment
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, external advisors and clients
• Work well within a large and complex team environment

How to apply

There are two stages of the application:

1. Applicants must submit the pre-application form via the following link

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/brunel/epsrc-dla-25-26-pre-application-form-brunel-university-of-londo

by 4 pm on Friday 17 January 2025.

2. If you are shortlisted for the interview, you will be asked to email the following documentation in a single PDF file to cedps-studentships@brunel.ac.uk within 72hrs.

• Your up-to-date CV
• Your undergraduate degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) first or upper-second class honours degree essential
• Your postgraduate master's degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) if applicable
• Your valid English Language qualification of IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in each section) or equivalent, if applicable, this must be valid up to 31 October 2025
• Contact details for TWO referees, one of which can be an academic member of staff in the College

Applicants should therefore ensure that they have all of this information in case they are shortlisted.

Interviews will take place on 13 and 14 February 2025. For shortlisted international/EU applicants’ interviews will be via Microsoft Teams and for UK applicants’ interviews will be in person at Brunel University of London campus.