PhD Studentship: High Performance Flexible Piezoelectric Transducers for Non-invasive Ultrasonic Health Monitoring

Supervisory Team:    Suan Hui Pu, Liudi Jiang, Kui Yao (A*STAR IMRE, Singapore) 

Project description

With the outstandingly large penetration depth, ultrasonic waves allow safe and non-invasive detection and imaging in deep tissue of human body with acoustic contrast. Light-induced ultrasonic wave further offers the ability in identifying the various biomolecules and biofunctions in skin and subsurface even without requiring acoustic contrast. Continuous and non-invasive detection and imaging for various vascular and cardiac functions and conditions are highly desired for realizing more effective human health monitoring. This demands for next generation ultrasonic technology. In this project, nano-structured piezoelectric materials and high-performance flexible ultrasonic transducers will be designed, fabricated, and evaluated aiming at continuous biomedical monitoring application. Electromechanical response of the piezoelectric materials will be improved through high order polarization alignment achieved by nano-confined crystallization. Ultrasonic signals will be captured and analysed by the flexible transducers with dramatically varied responsibility corresponding to the different modalities of the ultrasonic waves, such as for distinguishing the longitudinal and shear modes. Machine learning will be applied as an option to further improve the signal interpretation and imaging algorithm development. This is a split-site project between the University of Southampton and A*STAR IMRE in Singapore. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Suan Hui Pu, Prof Liudi Jiang, and Prof Kui Yao (A*STAR IMRE). 

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Suan Hui Pu, Email: suanhui.pu@soton.ac.uk. 

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent). 

Closing Date: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, up till 30 June 2024 

Funding: For UK students, Tuition Fees and a stipend of £18,622 tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years. 

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk). Select programme type (Research), 2023/24, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, next page select “PhD Engineering & Environment (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Suan Hui Pu 

Applications should include:

Personal Statement

Curriculum Vitae

Two reference letters

Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date 

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk 

The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.

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