Dielectric measurements at microwave frequencies for archaeology, environmental sensing and healthcare

About the Project

Measuring the electromagnetic properties of materials - their permittivity and conductivity - has a wide range of interesting and useful applications. A PhD project in this area would involve measurements on solids or liquids by means of resonant microwave sensors, in a laboratory well-equipped with test equipment such as network analysers. Your methods would include design and test of RF sensors, analytical studies and computational electromagnetic models. The are various ways to contribute to this collaborative, inter-disciplinary field. Potential applications are currently:

1. Archaeology: determining the provenance (origin) of artefacts found in excavations or held in museums, such as cuneiform clay tablets, flints and objects made of glass or bone;
2. Environmental monitoring of water quality, e.g. using a microwave sensor to detect contamination of water with droplets of oil or micro-plastic particles;
3. Biomedical studies of tissue hydration and total body water; abnormal hydration can be used to detect and monitor diseases, and measurement of body water is also useful in nutritional studies and sports science.

This project is open-ended making it suitable for MSc by Research and PhD 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.