Studentships
Fully Funded PhD Studentship in The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
The University of Manchester has launched a further £2.5m investment in PhD training with the creation of the President's Doctoral Scholar Awards (PDS Awards). These prestigious awards are open to all nationalities and research areas.
Within the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, PDS Award funding will be allocated to our most outstanding applicants seeking PhD training opportunities starting from September/October 2012. We aim to award scholarships as part of our 2012 PhD recruitment round, which may include a number of collaborating schemes such as:
- 2012 Faculty PhD Studentships
- BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Awards
- EPSRC Doctoral Training Awards
- Alumni 'Research Impact' Studentships
Based on the academic track-record of applicants, and evidence of research potential, we will select our Presidential Scholars from the various applicants across our 2012 funding schemes. PDS Awards status will entitle our successful candidates to a further £1,000 enhancement to their funded stipend/living allowance. They will also have the opportunity to:
- Be invited to attend a series of exclusive events where you will have the opportunity to meet the University of Manchester President and Vice Chancellor, interact closely with our academic community and network with other PDS Awards students.
- Benefit from international research leadership under distinguished scholars
- Become a PDS Awards ambassador for the University
- Receive a President’s Doctoral Scholar medal at graduation
- Benefit from our extensive transferable skills training for PhD researchers
Criteria
Applicants must have obtained (or expect to obtain) a minimum first-class honours degree (or equivalent), and ideally hold a Masters-level qualification at merit or distinction (or equivalent). They should also have a track-record of engaging with research. This may include contributions to publications/articles, promoting their research to a wider audience, prizes/accolades for previous research work, setting up research collaborations with other groups etc.
If you wish to apply please email a covering letter, full Curriculum Vitae, two academic references and the transcripts of your degree course unit marks (for all years) to Ms Marie Davies by the 20th February 2012.
PhD Studentship: Development of THz QCL based high frequency electronic systems
Project to Start: April 2012
Duration: 3 years
Deadline for applications: 31st March 2012
Supervisor: Dr S Chakraborty
Project Description
A three year fully funded* PhD studentship is available in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (E&EE) at the University of Manchester. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to develop terahertz (THz) quantum cascade laser (QCL) based electronic systems. This research will form part of a wider research programme within the existing group led by Dr S Chakraborty and it is expected that the PhD student will work in partnership with other researchers, in Manchester and collaborating University(ies). The demonstration of a compact, phase-locked THz QCL system arising from this research will act as a significant enabler in the advancement of high speed
THz electronic systems and will sow the seeds for some commercially very significant THz communication technology.
The THz QCL employs sophisticated techniques for the control of electron propagation, with an MBE grown “active region” comprising a repeated superlattice of only a few atoms thick of one semiconductor material, interleaved with similarly thin barrier layers of another material. In these semiconductor nanostructures, the energy bands split into subbands and minibands, with energy separations of several tens to a few hundreds of millielectronvolts, which determine electronic transport and also enable new optical transitions. When a bias voltage is applied across the material, a periodic cascade of such intersubband transitions is established. The population inversion necessary for lasing is then achieved through electrical injection. Successfully combining high frequency electronics with THz QCLs poses a number of technical challenges. Not only must the final system be capable of efficient transmission of high frequency signals, it must also be compatible with the requirements of operating THz QCLs, not least the cryogenic temperatures.
As standard packaging and wire-bonding techniques employed for THz QCLs are incompatible with microwave frequencies, new custom-designed solutions must be found to electrically contact the devices, all carefully constructed for optimal impedance-matching in this frequency range. These components will be internal to the cryostat in a high vacuum environment and at temperatures reaching down to 4K, placing constraints on materials and design choices.
It is anticipated that suitable candidates will have, or be expected to attain, at least a 2:1 degree (upper second or equivalent) in electrical/electronic engineering, or physics, or similar scientific discipline. The studentship, depending on qualification and experience, includes the tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend of £13,590 (tax free) per annum for three years.
*Note; this grant offer is only applicable to UK nationals and those EU citizens who have been in full-time higher education for at least 3 years in the UK.
Further Information and Application
Potential candidates may wish to contact Dr Chakraborty for informal discussion on 0161 306 4831, or by e-mail s.chakraborty@manchester.ac.uk
If you wish to apply please email a covering letter, full Curriculum Vitae and the names and contact details of at least two academic referees to Ms Marie B Davies m.b.davies@manchester.ac.uk
Investigating the performance limits of next generation food line detectors
Industrially based Doctorate Project
Start date: April 2012 (earliest)
Duration: 3 years
Deadline for applications: 24th February 2012
Supervisor: Professor Tony Peyton
Project reference number: PhD/EEE/AP/SL468
Looking for an opportunity to combine industrial experience with a research project leading to a doctorate?
This industrially based doctoral studentship offers an exciting opportunity for a graduate student to pursue an industrial based PhD degree between sites at the University of Manchester School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Mettler Toledo Safeline facilities nearby at Salford Quays, close to the new Media City development, and working as part of a team of academic and industrial partners, to develop new, state of the art food line monitoring systems.
In-line metal detectors are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. They serve as a safe guard against product contamination from metal fragments and for some applications there are statutory requirement for their levels of performance. Although the metal detection industry is relatively mature; there are aspects of the performance of the detectors that still need to be better understood. Some of these issues now present a significant barrier to further improvement of these instruments
Consequently, this research will address fundamental issues, which now limit the performance of food line detectors, especially the systems for sensing foreign bodies.
One issue is to improve our understanding the “product effect”, which is the unwanted signal caused by the complex electrical conductivity of the object being scanned. A full understanding of this issue should lead to more sensitive detectors and an ability to use the product signal to monitor product quality in food stuffs. Another issue is improving the response of detectors to non-uniformed contaminants. As the research progresses we would hope to exploit our new knowledge and together with techniques being pioneered for mutual induction tomography and spectroscopy to look forward towards a new generation of electromagnetic inspection systems.
Qualifications:
This scholarship is open to both UK/EU and overseas applicants who have obtained (or expect to obtain) a minimum first-class UK honours degree (or equivalent) in Physics, or Electrical Engineering / Electronics. The ideal candidate will also be stimulated by problem solving and have proven practical ability and be able to work in a multidisciplinary team with food scientists, application engineers, business management and end-users. The candidate will also join an existing industry / university research team and be able to enjoy the support of working in an active applied research environment.
Funding:
The successful candidate will receive a scholarship covering fees paid at the UK/EU rate (currently £3,732, 2011/2 rate) plus a minimum stipend of £21,000 p.a. over a period of 3 years, subject to satisfactory progression. (N.B. please note that it will be the responsibility of the successful candidate to cover the difference between UK/EU and overseas fees if appropriate)
Contact:
Informal enquiries about the studentship are welcome by email to a.peyton@manchester.ac.uk or by telephone on 0161 306 8716.
How to Apply:
If you wish to apply please email a covering letter, full Curriculum Vitae and the names and contact details of at least two academic referees to Marie Davies (m.b.davies@manchester.ac.uk)in the first instance. (Please note that following the deadline for receipt of applications shortlisted candidates ONLY will be contacted to submit a full application). Please quote the project reference number.
See also:
- www.mt.com/metaldetection
- http://www.eee.manchester.ac.uk/
- http://www.eee.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/sisp/
- http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/a.peyton/