Postgraduate research opportunities Multi-layer Temporal Network Model of the Space Environment
ApplyKey facts
- Opens: Thursday 17 March 2022
- Deadline: Tuesday 31 May 2022
- Number of places: 1
- Duration: Three years
- Funding: Home fee, Stipend
Overview
This PhD project, co-sponsored by the European Space Agency, aims at developing a conceptually new model of the space environment to capture and study the complexity of the inter-relationships among space objects now and in the future. The project will encompass elements of stochastic differential equations, graph theory, machine learning and artificial intelligence.Eligibility
- good mathematics skills
- first-class degree in aerospace engineering, computer science or physics
- software development skills and knowledge of space flight mechanics and space systems.
- familiar with MATLAB, Python, C++ or Julia
Project Details
The idea is to build a temporal multi-layer network connecting the space objects (or groups of objects, like swarms of fragments, that behave as one) in the current population.
Once a network model is built, the idea is to study the inter-relationships among objects using a mix of modern network theory and uncertainty quantification to assess the resilience of the space environment and study its possible evolution.
The network is multi-layered because we want to model different levels of interaction among objects:
- communication layer represents the direct exchange of information among objects (active, like in the case of intersatellite links, or passive, like in the case of the detection of an object by another object)
- physical layer is the physical interaction (e.g. collisions)
- service layer models the shared functionalities of the objects and the service they provide including communications with the ground station and end-users
The network is temporal because links and state of each object evolve in time. The use of a network will be used to identify sub-nets, clusters and weak-links and their evolution in time. This representation is also useful to test the effect of the addition or removal of links and nodes and to recognise patterns or structural changes. Appropriate underlying models will be used to study the state of each object and their interrelationships.
For example, a conjunction model is used to study the possible physical interaction between two objects. In this study, it is proposed to build a first multi-layer network and demonstrate the potentialities of this new modelling approach at studying the resilience and sustainability of the space environment.
Further information
The project commences between 1 June 2022 to 1 November 2022.
Funding details
Joint funding between the University of Strathclyde and European Space Agency.
Tuition fees at “Home” student level, and a monthly stipend (currently an annual stipend of £15,609 for academic year 2021/22 subject to increase), for the 3 year period of study.
Apply
Number of places: 1
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