Joint PhD at the University of Manchester (UK) and University of Melbourne (Australia) in High-...

This project is for a funded joint PhD between the University of Manchester and the University of Melbourne. Graduating students will be located at labs in both institutions for a minimum of one year each, with a four-year degree timeframe spread across both Universities.

High throughput cell analysis is increasingly important for a range of biomedical research and clinical applications. This is especially the case for diagnostic applications, where single-cell shape, structure and mechanics are highly relevant to their disease state, including cancer. This work aims to develop a novel and impactful approach towards cell analysis, developing a high-throughput microfluidic system utilising high-frequency electromagnetic fields to generate snapshots of cellular parameters down to a single-cell level. The research will involve the design and manufacture of new micro-antenna structures on microfluidic devices, combined with the commissioning of radio-frequency and microwave data-acquisition systems and supporting signal processing and high-frequency front-end electronics. The work will seek to understand and explain the interaction of the cell in an electromagnetic field using new and established dielectric models, equivalent circuits, and electromagnetic simulations, with the goal of relating electromagnetic responses to the cell properties.

Because this interdisciplinary project lies at the intersection of different research fields, self-motivated students with an interest or experience in the following:

·        microfabrication,

·        simulation,

·         analytical modelling and/or microscale physics,

·        electromagnetics,

·        microwave and radio-frequency systems,

·        sensors and instrumentation,

with the potential to develop skillsets in cell culture, are strongly encouraged to apply. 

https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/emsensing/

https://www.davidjohncollins.com/contact.html