DTU PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct 2027

How can coastal vegetation help protect our coastlines from waves and flooding? Understanding how waves interact with vegetation is key to exploring its potential for coastal protection and climate adaptation. Are you interested in combining fluid mechanics, mathematical analysis and numerical modelling to help answer this question.

Then join for a 3-year PhD fellowship in coastal engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Section for Fluid Mechanics, Coastal and Maritime Engineering.

Your PhD research will play an integral part in the project “Marine advection and dissipation in the vegetated coastal environment”, financed by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.

You will collaborate with researchers at DTU and DHI in Denmark, as well as at University College Dublin, Ireland and Northeastern University, USA.

Responsibilities 
Your primary tasks will be to develop analytical and numerical models for waves interacting with coastal vegetation. Particular emphasis will be placed on the wave-averaged flow generated by surface waves and on the changes introduced by vegetation canopies.

The research will include:

• Development and validation of models for wave-induced mean velocity profiles over vegetated beds under regular waves.
• Extension of these models to irregular wave fields, including derivation of wave-averaged shear-stress distributions and mean velocity profiles.
• Investigation of undertow and circulation currents above vegetated beds in the surf zone under breaking waves.
• Development of a cross-shore momentum balance describing wave-induced changes in mean water level and the potential reduction of storm-surge flooding by coastal vegetation.
• Numerical simulations using computational fluid dynamics 
• Application of advanced turbulence models for surface-wave flows, modified to account for vegetation.
• Validation of the developed models against existing high-quality laboratory datasets.
• Development of practical parameterizations suitable for implementation in larger-scale coastal and hydrodynamic models.

The project combines fundamental fluid mechanics with applications directly relevant to coastal protection and climate adaptation. A major scientific objective is to move beyond conventional empirical vegetation models and instead explicitly account for the modification of the wave-induced velocity field within and above vegetation canopies.

• Table of Content
• About Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
• PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct PhD Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct PhD Scholarship

• The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.

Requirements for PhD scholarship in Coastal Engineering (Wave-Vegetation Interaction) - DTU Construct PhD Scholarship Qualification

Candidates with a strong background in one or more of the following areas:

• Coastal or ocean engineering
• Fluid mechanics or hydrodynamics
• Computational fluid dynamics
• Environmental hydraulics
• Applied mathematics or a closely related field

Experience with numerical modelling, programming and/or CFD is highly desirable. Experience with turbulence modelling, wave mechanics or coastal hydrodynamics would be advantageous, but is not essential. Strong mathematical skills and an interest in combining theoretical analysis with numerical modelling are important.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment 

• The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU.
• For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education. 

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 10 November 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Further information may be obtained from Professor David R. Fuhrman ([email protected]).

For more information, kindly visit DTU scholarship webpage.