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Electronic and Electrical Engineering Fully Funded EPSRC and Swansea University PhD Scholarship: Wireless Power Transfer System for Medical Implant Devices

20 Mar 2024

Job Information

Organisation/Company
Swansea University
Department
Central
Research Field
Engineering » Electronic engineering
Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Country
United Kingdom
Application Deadline
Type of Contract
To be defined
Job Status
Full-time
Hours Per Week
35
Offer Starting Date
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
Not funded by an EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No

Offer Description

Electronic and Electrical Engineering: Fully Funded EPSRC and Swansea University PhD Scholarship: Wireless Power Transfer System for Medical Implant Devices

Implantable medical devices (IMDs) are gaining popularity in the health and medical sectors because of their vast applications, such as cardiac pacemakers, artificial hearts, defibrillators, coronary stents, intraocular lenses, hip implants, orthopaedic implants, and implantable glucose sensors. Traditionally, these IMDs are battery-dependent with limited life span hence surgery is required to replace the battery, which is the biggest source of distress in patients. A wireless power transfer (WPT) system can prove to be an excellent alternative that acts as a wireless charger to the medical implants.

However, there are many considerations when designing a WPT system. For example, the distance between power transmitter and position of the IMD inside the human body, the operating frequency and its effect on the body’s tissue, and size of the WPT system are some of the major considerations. Therefore, the research into WPT system consists of optimizing the size and geometry of the coils of transmitter and receiver, appropriate material selection for the coil, finding the optimal operating frequency, improving the quality factor of the inductors and selection of best performing compensation capacitor to enhance the efficiency of the system.

Aims:

  • To design highly efficient wireless power transfer (WPT) system that is safe to use for the elderly population.
  • To ensure the WPT system is receptive to misalignments between transmitter and IMD.
  • To produce a compact and portable WPT system.
  • To implement artificial intelligence in the system to allow autonomous operation and application.

Requirements

Research Field
Engineering » Electronic engineering
Education Level
Bachelor Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications

Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (i.e. a student who is eligible to pay the UK rate of tuition fees) but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. 

Specific Requirements
  • Qualifications in Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or Physics. 
  • Strong background in electronic circuits, power electronics and machine learning. 
  • Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C/C++ and MATLAB. 
  • Demonstrated relevant project experience. 
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations

Additional Information

Benefits

This scholarship covers the full cost of UK tuition fees and an annual stipend at £19,237.

Additional research expenses will also be available.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (i.e. a student who is eligible to pay the UK rate of tuition fees) but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. 

Desirable:

  • Qualifications in Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or Physics. 
  • Strong background in electronic circuits, power electronics and machine learning. 
  • Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C/C++ and MATLAB. 
  • Demonstrated relevant project experience. 
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations

Selection process

Please see our website for more information.

Website for additional job details

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
Swansea University
Country
United Kingdom
City
Swansea
Postal Code
SA2 7AS
Geofield