Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network

Qualification: Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (PhD)

Start date: 30th September 2024

Deadline: 30th June 2024

MetacMed Doctoral Network - Doctoral Candidate Position DC8

“Metamaterials and metasurfaces for improved ultrasonic clinical screening”

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, fixed-term position of 36 months duration as a Doctoral Candidate (DC8) at the University of Warwick, UK. This position will be recruited as a part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (DN) on Acoustic and mechanical metamaterials for biomedical and energy harvesting applications – ‘MetacMed’, GRANT-101119738, see www.metacmed.eu, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The successful applicant will be enrolled on a PhD programme within The School of Engineering, University of Warwick, and will work on the topic of “Metamaterials and metasurfaces for improved ultrasonic clinical screening” under the supervision of Prof. David Hutchins, Prof Peter Thomas and Dr Oksana Trushkevych. There is a planned secondment to the University of Calabria, Italy, for 6 months during the second year of funding.

Eligibility: Only applicants who have not been resident in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding the effective starting date of this contract, are eligible for this position. Moreover, applicants must not have been awarded with a PhD at the effective starting date of this contract. Further information is detailed below. The deadline for applications is 30 June 2024.

The MetacMed Doctoral Network

MetacMed aims to link basic research on acoustic and mechanical metamaterials (MMs) to health and well-being issues. Teh candidate will consider ways in which human health can be improved using MMs, e.g. improvement in the resolution of biomedical ultrasound imaging for cancer diagnosis, the design of better spinal implants, monitoring of bone healing, and the use of insoles to aid human walking. Another area of interest is to develop MMs that can be used for energy harvesting, to better power e.g. medical devices, and reduce reliance on conventional power sources. These are all backed up by fundamental studies into the MMs themselves to provide the background to achieve these tasks. The balance of the network has thus been carefully considered in terms of basic science and applications, with input from industry in areas such as MMs fabrication and exploitation. Associated with the above is a strong set of training events and tailored secondment periods at both associated partners and beneficiaries. Please visit www.metacmed.eu for further information.

The position and the research project

This full-time position will be available, subject to funding, from October 2024 and offered on a fixed-term 36-month contract. This post benefits from a highly competitive and attractive salary, plus mobility and family allowances as applicable. The research at The University of Warwick is part of Work Package 4 (Metamaterials for biomedical Ultrasonic Imaging) and 5 (Multi-Physics and Artificial Intelligence for improved metamaterials). The successful applicant will complete a research project on: “Metamaterials and metasurfaces for improved ultrasonic clinical screening”. The objectives of this project are:
(1) Design and construct holey-structured MMs for close-range sub-wavelength imaging
(2) Develop a testing apparatus in water tanks
(3) Demonstrate a hybrid method using MMs and lenses on test phantoms
(4) Investigate multiphysics MMs aided by AI for possible use in biomedical applications

Research environment:

The University of Warwick is one of UK's top 10 and Europe's top 20 universities. It is ranked 67th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2024), making Warwick one of Europe’s top 20 universities. Warwick supports equal opportunities and operates on a set of principles of respect and inclusion (see https://warwick.ac.uk/about/principles/). It has an excellent track record for research (greater than 90% of research is world-leading) with a Teaching Excellence Framework “Gold” award. The University is committed to increasing the diversity of our team and encourages qualified people from all backgrounds and genders to submit an application. The starting date is 1st October 2024 or upon mutual agreement.

The School of Engineering at the University of Warwick has a range of facilities that will be used for this project. This includes well-equipped labs, with a range of ultrasonic and acoustic-based experimental equipment, plus excellent computing and workshop facilities. We have a dedicated BuildSpace for 3D-printing and other technologies needed for the fabrication of metamaterials.

Qualifications/Skills required and Requirements:

Candidates will be required to meet certain Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Researcher eligibility criteria (https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/ ), plus criteria specific to this project, as follows:

• At the effective starting date of this contract, applicants must not have been awarded with a PhD;

• At the effective starting date of this contract, applicants must not have resided in the UK for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the appointment;

• Applicants must have a BSc/BEng or Masters degree in a suitable discipline (e.g. Engineering,Physics, Materials Science etc) and an excellent track record of academic achievement;

• Previous experience with acoustic/mechanical metamaterials modeling, design, and characterization would be welcome;

• Have excellent communications skills in both written and spoken English;

• Ability to and commitment to producing scientific outputs for publication in peer reviewed journals;

• Evidence of ability to work independently and collaboratively within an internationally team;

• Highly motivated, with excellent organisational skills;

• Willingness to travel to attend secondments, training and academic events.

Salary:

This position is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), in cooperation with Horizon Europe under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network programme. The gross salary, including the mobility allowance, will be £4,433 per month. The actual salary received per month by the fellow each month will depend on employer/taxation deductions and personal circumstances at the time of appointment.

Start date:

Funding will be available from 01/09/2024 (or an agreed starting date) for 36 months.

Continuing Professional Development/Training:

Researchers at The University of Warwick are encouraged to engage in a range of training and development opportunities designed to support their personal career development plans. The University of Warwick provides professional development support for all researchers seeking to build their own career pathways.

For further information about the position please contact Prof David Hutchins (d.a.hutchins@warwick.ac.uk), who will be happy to provide more details about the project and also to give details of how to apply for the DC8 post at The University of Warwick. When submitting your application to this position, you are kindly asked to also fill out the pre-application moduleLink opens in a new window.

For informal inquiries, please contact Dr Stefano Laureti at info@metacmed.eu. For further information please also see the MetacMed Call for Applicants (download hereLink opens in a new window) and have a look at the MetacMed website (www.metacmed.eu) to stay up-to-date!

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The University of Warwick provides an inclusive working and learning environment, recognising and respecting every individual’s differences. We welcome applications from individuals who identify with any of the protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010.

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