Our studentships

Our transdisciplinary PhD projects explore a variety of exciting, cutting-edge topics.

We are offering five fully funded PhD research scholarships targeting highly transdisciplinary topics.

These projects encompass:

  • Advanced textiles
  • Smart materials
  • Flexible electronics and soft robotics
  • Sensors
  • Electronic skin
  • Signal acquisition and analysis
  • Machine learning
  • Artificial Intelligence

Successful candidates will benefit from the state-of-the-art research facilities, world-class expertise and supervision, customised training programmes, networking, outreach and career development opportunities.

Our studentship topics

We are delighted to have successfully recruited to the opportunities described below. Please feel free to review the projects our students are engaged in.

Student: Kerem Altay
Supervisors: Dr Stuart McErlain-Naylor, Professor Andy Harland and Dr Chetna Prajapati
Schools: Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, and Design and Creative Arts

Kerem is focusing on the healthcare and sports application development related to super-smart textiles and other wearable electronic technologies.

For a selection of healthcare and sports applications, Kerem will examine the user-centric design considerations, biomechanical aspects related to wearable sensing, and optimisation of sensors and wearable electronics.

Find out more about this opportunity

Student: Rachel Moody
Supervisors: Dr Ishara Dharmasena, Dr Hemaka Bandulasena and Dr Chetna Prajapati
Schools: Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Design and Creative Arts

Rachel is investigating the use of advanced materials and sensors design related to wearable applications.

She will explore the use of textiles and other flexible / stretchable materials, their functionalisation, sensor fabrication and characterisation as well as theoretical simulation and modelling aspects.

Student: Biyon Fernando
Supervisors: Dr Ishara Dharmasena, Dr Hemaka Bandulasena and Professor Varuna De Silva
Schools: Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Loughborough University London

Biyon is exploring emerging flexible electronic technologies including triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), electronic skin and soft robotics.

Studying the development of these flexible electronics, their characterisation and optimisation, Biyon is focusing on wearable and healthcare applications. 

Student: Yasiru Karunanayaka
Supervisors: Dr Ishara Dharmasena, Professor Will Whittow and Dr Varuna De Silva
Schools: Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, and Loughborough University London

Super-smart textiles have the unique capability of acting as self-powered sensors and energy harvesters. Managing the energy that they produce is critical for their autonomous operation, but such strategies need to be compatible with textiles - combining flexibility and wearability.

Yasiru is developing optimum power management, storage and wireless communication techniques for super-smart textiles.

Student: Hasini Abeyratna
Supervisors: Dr Varuna De Silva, Professor Will Whittow and Dr Ishara Dharmasena
Schools: Loughborough University London, and Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering

Hasini is developing the data acquisition, analysis and interpretation methods optimised for super-smart textiles sensors.

Using sensor fusion, edge computing, low-power data processing methods, neuromorphic machine learning and AI technologies, Hasini is exploring the development of new techniques.