AI-Enabled Integrity Monitoring for Affinity Biosensors: Ensuring Trustworthy Measurements for Clinical and Industrial Deployment

About the Project

Affinity biosensors have demonstrated great promise for real-time diagnostics, bioprocess monitoring, environmental sensing, food safety, and point-of-care healthcare. However, despite strong analytical performance under controlled laboratory conditions, most affinity biosensors fail to translate reliably to real-world use. The primary limitation is not sensitivity or selectivity, but trustworthiness: when deployed outside controlled environments, biosensors are vulnerable to drift, fouling, temperature shifts, non-specific binding, reagent degradation, and batch-to-batch variation.

Currently, no standardised integrity monitoring method exists for determining when a biosensor reading can be trusted in the field. This PhD will bridge this gap: it will develop AI-powered integrity monitoring algorithms that enable biosensors to self-assess the reliability of each measurement. This capability is essential for certification, clinical adoption, and scalable manufacturing—forming the foundation for biosensors that can be trusted in the real world and cleared for market.

Suitable for a candidate with background in bioengineering, analytical chemistry, systems engineering, AI/ML, or computational biology, with motivation to work at the interface of wet lab experimentation and algorithm development.

This project is open-ended making it suitable for MSc by Research and PhD level. The funding opportunities may vary depending on the level.

How To Apply:

Applicants should apply via the University’s online application system at https://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/apply/. Please read the application guidance first so that you understand the various steps in the application process.

Funding Notes

This is a self-funded project and you will need to have sufficient funds in place (eg from scholarships, personal funds and/or other sources) to cover the tuition fees and living expenses for the duration of the research degree programme. Please check the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology website View Website for details about funding opportunities at York.