PhD Studentship Opportunity at MorphLab Supported by the Imperial AI4Health CDT
We invite applications for a 4-year, full-time PhD studentship funded by the Imperial AI4Health CDT to develop hybrid physical computational systems for touch sensing. The award covers home-rate tuition fees and a monthly stipend.
Project overview
The human body is more than a mechanical assembly; its physical structures often perform computational functions. For example, the tapered basilar membrane in the cochlea mechanically separates frequency components of sound waves, enabling hair cells to detect distinct frequencies at specific locations - an effect reminiscent of Fourier series decomposition.
We hypothesise that survival-critical computation exists on a continuum: from the physics of body structures through to neural processing in the brain, with feedback loops that adapt both levels.
This project will investigate how parallel stress and wave propagation in soft mechanical structures can implement primitive physical computations that serve as front ends to deep neural networks (DNNs) for tactile perception.
Potential impact
Envision a soft colonoscopy capsule that mechanically filters and interprets tactile information before digital processing, or robotic fingertips that dynamically perceive and track object geometries during in-hand manipulation. Such approaches could transform biomedical devices and dexterous robotics.
Candidate profile
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First-class (or equivalent) degree in engineering or a closely related discipline; prior research experience is desirable.
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Self-driven, comfortable working across disciplines, and keen to collaborate with clinicians to deliver real-world impact.
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Interest in soft robotics, mechanics, computation, and machine learning.
Funding
The studentship covers home-rate tuition fees and provides a monthly stipend for 4 years, supported by the Imperial AI4Health CDT.
How to apply
If you are excited about bridging physical intelligence, soft robotics, and biomedical innovation, please get in touch.
Contact: Thrishantha Nanayakkara — t.nanayakkara@imperial.ac.uk
General information for PhD studentships
Every year, I accept one or two new PhD students to my group. Imperial has a number of scholarships for potential PhD candidates:
- Please see this useful information page with guidelines for applying for studentships and important milestones for your PhD research.
- If you are an overseas student, please explore opportunities here.
- Imperial President’s scholarships.
- James Dyson Foundation Scholarships.
- UK Research Council funded scholarships.
If you want to join my group through one of these scholarships, please get in touch with me (t.nanayakkara at imperial.ac.uk). I would want to know the following:
- Whether you have a bachelor degree in engineering with a 2:1 or first class (or equivalent GPA for overseas students), and a masters with 70% marks or higher.
- It is strongly encouraged to have your own initial scientific questions and experimental methods in the area of soft robotics. This is to make sure you have already thought about a scientific research project.
- Mention why you think you fit in my group. You can have a look at the kind of things existing PhD students are doing. In essence, we make robotic prototypes to test different hypotheses about how physical circuits in the body and the environment might be contributing to solve computational problems to do with surviving in an uncertain environment.
The Imperial President’s Scholarships are very competitive. In general, a successful candidate has to show:
- Evidence of ranking highly in their class, e.g. top 10%.
- Recognition of academic achievement e.g. Dean’s list, 1st in class, prizes for academic achievement.
- Evidence of research experience through examples of relevant research projects and placements in academic groups or industry.
- Examples of academic impact, e.g. attendance at conferences, paper publications, winning further funding, and clear evidence of how the applicant’s research is significant in the field.
- Strong reference letters with consistent and convincing statements as to the candidate’s academic ability and research potential.
We take Intellectual Property (IP) very seriously. Therefore, all PhD students, please refer to the Imperial College guidelines for IP of research students.