Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Advanced electronic/optoelectronic technologies designed to allow stable, intimate integration with living organisms will accelerate progress in biomedical research; they will also serve as the foundations for new approaches in monitoring and treating diseases.
Research Theme
Aim
To develop geometry-aware optimisation methods for designing and manufacturing components of autonomous sensing platforms that jointly satisfy operational-performance, sensor-integration, interface and fabrication constraints.
Objectives
- Develop geometric optimisation formulations for selected components of autonomous sensing platforms, incorporating shape, fit and lightweighting constraints.
- Investigate computational representations that allow these constraints to be handled efficiently and robustly.
- Incorporate basic manufacturing considerations, such as material use and fabrication complexity, into the optimisation process.
- Demonstrate the resulting methods on a small number of representative platform components, such as sensor mounts or lightweight structural parts.
Description
Autonomous sensing platforms operate under demanding physical constraints. Components for aerial, marine or ground systems may need to be lightweight, mechanically robust and precisely fitted to existing assemblies, while also accommodating sensors without obstructing their operation. Their geometry can therefore affect both platform performance and the practical difficulty of manufacturing the component.
This project will investigate geometric optimisation methods for the design of selected components of autonomous sensing platforms. The focus will be on representing requirements such as shape, fit, lightweighting and sensor integration as geometric constraints and objectives that can be treated computationally. The project will study suitable geometric representations and optimisation methods that allow such constraints to be handled efficiently and robustly.
A further objective will be to incorporate basic manufacturing considerations into the optimisation, such as material use, geometric complexity and compatibility with processes such as additive or subtractive manufacturing. Rather than attempting to optimise an entire autonomous platform, the methods will be demonstrated on a small number of representative components, such as sensor enclosures and mounts, fairings, or lightweight structural parts. The aim is to develop practical and reliable computational tools that connect geometric design requirements with manufacturable component geometry.
Minimum entry qualification - an Honours degree at 2:1 or above (or International equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering discipline, possibly supported by an MSc Degree.
Further information on English language requirements for EU/Overseas applicants.
This position is fully funded.
The control of a liquid droplet’s wetting state on solid surfaces through the application of non-uniform electric fields is known as Dielectrowetting. By modulating the electric field, the wetting behavior of such droplets can be altered and can be employed to create uniform and controlled thin films. Advantages such as low power consumption, fast response time, and the ability to perform complex droplet manipulations with high accuracy and with precise control over droplet movement, spreading, splitting as well as film creation, Dielectrowetting and has applications in various fields, including microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip devices, digital microfluidics, and opto-fluidics.
In previous work, we have shown that Dielectrowetting can be used to create thin circular films and that by releasing the electric field quickly (quenching), it is possible to study the dynamics of the contact angle in dewetting droplets.
In this PhD you will create surfaces with ultra-low contact angle hysteresis and chemically treat them to obtain highly mobile contact lines. You will then investigate how the rapid retraction of the contact line for a dewetting droplet can lead to capillary waves on the surface of the droplet that are eventually damped by the viscous forces within the droplet. You will also investigate whether inertia in this system can be exploited for practical applications.
It is expected that the applicant will have a good degree in Engineering or Physics with a good experimental background. We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants with experience in surfaces, fluids and/or droplet manipulation.
The student will be part of the Wetting, Interfacial Sciences and Engineering Group within the Institute for Multiscale Thermofliuds. You will join a vibrant community of PhD students, postdoctoral research associates and academics working in various aspects of surfaces and wetting.
Minimum entry qualification - an Honours degree at 2:1 or above (or International equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering discipline, possibly supported by an MSc Degree.
Further information on English language requirements for EU/Overseas applicants.
Applications are welcomed from self-funded students, or students who are applying for scholarships from the University of Edinburgh or elsewhere.