Research Associate (MEMS)

University of York - School of Physics, Engineering and Technology

Department

The School of Physics, Engineering and Technology brings physicists and engineers together to push the frontiers of knowledge, foster innovation and meet the grand challenges facing society. Our aim is to deliver world-leading research in both fundamental and applied areas whilst developing new technologies that work for the public good, in an environment where everyone can thrive.

As a School, equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to our culture and we strive to provide a working environment which allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel. We aim to ensure that there is a supportive and egalitarian culture at all levels and across all staff groups and offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, campus facilities and services to support staff from different backgrounds. We are proud to hold Juno Champion and Athena Swan silver awards, which recognise our commitment to creating an equitable and fully inclusive environment in which staff and students can thrive. We aim to inspire young people to engage with science and engineering through our outreach work.

This project will bring together ecologists, micro-sensor engineers, and computer scientists to develop a new generation of miniaturised sensing and computing technologies capable of operating on-board seabirds in challenging marine environments. A key goal is to develop high-performance micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors and associated mobile hardware platforms, enabling environmental signals to be collected and processed directly within.

Role

We are seeking one Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) for the development of next generation micro-scale sensor technologies for measuring natural cues on seabirds. The successful candidate will join a highly collaborative team spanning electronics, computer science, sensor engineering, and animal behavioural ecology. The successful candidate will conduct R&D activities at the University of York, UK, and will work collaboratively with animal behavioural scientists at the University of Liverpool. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of next-generation high-performance MEMS sensors (e.g. pressure, magnetic field), working closely with collaborators designing reservoir computing architectures for embedded and in-sensor processing.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications Needed

• A strong track record of research and development in MEMS sensor technologies, including one or more of the following: MEMS sensor design; MEMS magnetometer design; MEMS pressure sensor design; nonlinear dynamics of MEMS devices; low-noise interface electronic design; and MEMS device characterisation.
• The candidate should also have strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• We are especially keen to appoint candidates who can work across disciplines and are keen to develop their interdisciplinary research skills during the project duration.

Interview date: To be confirmed.

For informal enquiries: please contact Dr. Chun Zhao (chun.zhao@york.ac.uk) or pet-hr@york.ac.uk for more details on the project and the role.