Electronic Engineering PhD Studentship, University of Hull

Developing Novel Chemical Sensors Systems for Measuring Water Quality in the Environment

Date of expiry: Wednesday, 8th July 2009

This project aims to a develop novel, high-resolution water quality measuring system using innovative miniaturised "lab-on-a-chip" sensing devices to measure substances of environmental importance. It will require closely integrated development of the chemical and fluidic system together the electronic sensing and signal processing. Data obtained from using these sensors will help advance the science of hydro chemistry and should lead to a cheap and reliable method for monitoring water quality. This will help regulatory agencies, industries and agriculture monitor and mitigate their environmental impacts, and provide a method for the early detection of polluted water supplies, for instance from toxic algal blooms or acts of terrorism.

The engineering student will work on areas such as electronic sensor development, signal processing, system design and modelling, self-test and diagnosis; collaborating closely with the chemistry student.

This work is part of a fully-funded EPSRC project entitled "Novel technologies for in site environmental monitoring: linking sensor development to improved pollutant transport models". See: http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/ViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/G014221/1

Other partners involved are the University of Reading, the Center for Ecology and Hydrology and the Environment Agency. The Reading student will focus on field deployment of the devices, analysing the resulting data and developing pollutant transport modeling techniques.

Applicants should have a good (1st or 2.1) and relevant BEng or MEng degree in electronic, mechatronic or systems engineering. The studentship will suit candidates who have an engineering background which includes electronics and have an interest in sensors, systems design modeling and simulation, and mixed systems testing. There will also be some fieldwork in evaluating the sensor systems in the environment and the opportunity to work with professional staff in the other institutions. This will be excellent training in the inter-disciplinary, inter-institutional methods characteristic of modern research.

The student will join the Department of Engineering at the University of Hull and also work closely with the Department of Chemistry. http://www.hull.ac.uk/engineering/ and http://www.hull.ac.uk/chemistry/

The studentship is available from 28 September 2009. The stipend will be £13,290 per year and all fees and training costs will be paid.

Funding Notes

The studentship is open to any nationality (subject to immigration status) BUT will pay UK tuition fees only. Fees (2009/10) for UK and other EU students are currently £3225 p.a. Overseas students pay £11500 p.a. Therefore overseas students will have to find an extra £8275 p.a. as well as living costs. For detailed information see http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PostgraduateTraining/StudentEligibility.htm

Please Contact

Project Supervisors: Dr Bell in Engineering (I.M.Bell@hull.ac.uk) and Prof. Greenway in Chemistry (G.M. Greenway@hull.ac.uk)

Applications to: Postgraduate Admissions Secretary,
Department of Engineering, University of Hull, HULL, HU6 7RX,United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1482 465 141
FAX: +44 1482 466 664
Email: engineering.admissions@hull.ac.uk

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Head of Department Engineering Vacancy, Sheffield University

Head of Department - Engineering
Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences

Vacancy reference ACE 599/08
Salary circa £60,000 per annum

Sheffield Hallam University has long had a reputation for innovation and enhancement. This new, strategic role is the result of a new corporate plan and a restructure at departmental level.

The Department of Engineering, which includes the University Mathematics Group, delivers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has established partnerships with leading organisations such as Network Rail and Rolls Royce. In collaboration with the Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI), staff are engaged in high profile research and knowledge transfer projects.

As an outstanding individual with a strong academic profile, you will provide inspirational and strategic leadership to this successful department in a highly ambitious faculty. Developing and implementing both academic and business strategy, you will improve the quality of academic delivery, build national and international reputation, nurture strong networks and strengthen accountability. Effective people management and influencing skills are essential as is your ability to see your ideas through to implementation.

For an informal conversation about this post, please contact Professor Graham Button on tel: 0114 2253160.

Closing date: 8 May 2009 by 3.00pm

Further information and application forms are available from www.shu.ac.uk/jobs or telephone 0114 225 3950 or email recruitment@shu.ac.uk or by mail:

Human Resources Department
Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus
Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB

Please be aware we only accept completed Sheffield Hallam University application forms. You must complete an application form, but may also submit a CV in support of your application.

Working towards equal opportunities

http://www.shu.ac.uk/

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PhD Scholarship in Engineering and Life sciences, Loughborough University

PhD scholarship
Numerical and Experimental 3-D Study of strain/stress fields in Engineering and Life sciences

PhD scholarship jointly funded by the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, UK, and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), Châlons en Champagne, France. The successful candidate will spend 18 months in Châlons en Champagne and 18 months in Loughborough, aiming for a dual doctorate degree.

Up to £12,600 per annum tax free plus tuition fees.

Ref: PDR200409

Loughborough University has a world-leading reputation in the development and application of optical interferometric techniques for measuring strain fields on the surfaces of engineering components. The Mechanics and Manufacturing Laboratory at ENSAM has extensive expertise in the area of inverse identification of material properties from full-field measurements. This project aims to extend novel optical techniques to allow the mapping of strain fields and mechanical properties inside the volume of weakly scattering materials, in a non-contact way and with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution. Specific problems that will be addressed include:

• Inverse problem solution: Extraction of depth-resolved distributions of material properties inside weakly scattering materials by means of Finite Element Updating (FEU) and the Virtual Fields Method (VFM) from experimentally measured displacement fields.
• Medical applications: Evaluation of elastic modulus distributions from displacement measurements through-the-thickness of the human eye cornea to numerically predict corneal behaviour after laser ablation in refractive surgery.
• Engineering applications: Measurement of 3-D displacement fields inside 3-D granular packs under known loads to evaluate contact forces and the resulting stress distribution within the pack.
• The ideal candidate will hold, or be expecting, a 1st class or 2:1 honours degree in mechanical engineering or physical science subject, preferably with proven experience in Finite Element Analysis. Strong theoretical and numerical analysis skills, proven ability to undertake experimental projects and proficiency in MATLAB/C++ computer programming language are also required.

At Châlons en Champagne, a scholarship grant of 13,200 € p.a. will be paid by the Champagne Ardenne Regional Council. At Loughborough University, a scholarship grant of £12,600 p.a. plus PhD student fees will be paid by the Wolfson School for EU applicants; in all other cases the student will be responsible for £4,600 towards the cost of the full overseas rate.

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact Prof. Fabrice Pierron, ENSAM, at fabrice.pierron@chalons.ensam.fr or Dr. Pablo D. Ruiz, Loughborough University, at P.D.Ruiz@lboro.ac.uk. An application form and further details are available from Ms Jo Mason, Research Administrator (J.R.Mason@lboro.ac.uk). Please quote the reference PDR200409 on your initial enquiry to Ms Mason and on the application form.

The closing date for applications to this post is 15th June­­­­­­­ 2009.

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