Scholarship overview
Degree level
Postgraduate doctoral
Value
Full tuition fees at the Oversea rate and UKRI London rate stipend for 3.5 years
Number of awards
1
Academic year
2026/2027
Tuition fee status
Home, Overseas
Mode of study
Full time
Available to
Prospective students
Application deadline
15/08/2026
Additional information
Available to applicants in the following departments
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Eligibility criteria
Applications are open to Thai nationals who meet the minimum entry requirements for both the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial, and MUT. Applicants should have a degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computing, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline, and we expect applicants to have a strong background or interest in semiconductor IC design, embedded systems, AI hardware, biosensor electronics, or PCB engineering
Please note: This scholarship is available to new entrants only. Students already studying the course are not eligible.
Application process
To express your interest please send your CV along with a cover letter to Iza Wojcicka (i.wojcicka@imperial.ac.uk), who will guide you through the next step.
Start date is flexible, with four entry dates throughout the year.
There is no fixed deadline to apply but early applications are encouraged as places will be filled as as high-quality candidates are identified
Additional information
Applications are invited for fully-funded PhD studentships hosted by the new MUT–Imperial SABER Lab—a partnership between Imperial College London and Thailand’s Mahanakorn University of Technology (MUT).
These studentships, funded by Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Research and Innovation, through MUT, are open to Thai PhD scholars who will be based in SABER Lab at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial.
The full PhD programme will be based at Imperial College London, and upon successful completion of the PhD examination, students will be awarded an Imperial College London PhD degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
About MUT & SABER Lab:
Mahanakorn University of Technology is Thailand’s premier private university, specializing in engineering and technology. Founded in 1990, the university aims to train engineering students to address Thailand’s severe shortage of engineers.
Supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, the SABER Lab is Southeast Asia’s first dedicated semiconductor, AI, and biosensor electronics research centre—a joint brainchild of MUT and Imperial.
Empower your career by joining the SABER Lab to pioneer next-generation semiconductor systems, embedded AI, and life-changing biosensor technologies. Apply now and become part of a dynamic global research initiative.
The SABER Lab:
Co-directed by Prof. Pantelis Georgiou (Imperial) and Assoc. Prof. Panavy Pookaiyaudom (MUT), the SABER Lab creates a world-class platform for doctoral training and research in semiconductor design, embedded AI, and biosensor electronics.
The lab will play a pivotal role in strengthening global semiconductor resilience by delivering advanced training and driving innovation to meet the urgent needs of the industry.
Over the next decade the SABER Lab aims to:
Train the next generation of Thai PhD scholars in integrated circuit design
Be a centre of academic excellence for training and research in semiconductor AI and biosensor electronics
Conduct cutting edge research and innovation in Biomedical and Agrifood Electronics with direct deployment and impact
Pioneer entrepreneurship by establishing successful translation of technologies through start-ups and spin-out formation
Be a global focal point for innovation with critical mass in Semiconductor design
Publish in top-tier IEEE journals and international conferences
Establish the annual UK-Thailand international workshop in IC design
Inform policy and national strategy on the topic of semiconductors
Training and research:
Training and research will take place across at two facilities under the joint umbrella of the SABER Lab: at Imperial in the UK and at MUT in Thailand.
These hubs will host PhD scholars and serve as centres for online and in-person training of post-graduates to meet the critical skills gap in Thailand’s semiconductor industry.
Imperial will focus on training in integrated circuit design using state of the art CMOS technology. MUT will focus on PCB design training using their state-of-the SMT line and equipment.
The SABER Lab will additionally conduct research and innovation focussing on:
Healthcare technologies, addressing the global burden of chronic diseases.
Agrifood electronics, contributing to more efficient farming, sustainable societies and net zero.
The lab design centre will involve industrial partners who will actively contribute to placements and bridge the skills gap between academia and industry.
Students will benefit from:
Access to a full ecosystem dedicated to semiconductor design and fabrication.
Lectures and hands-on experience for designing analog and digital ICs using industrial standard EDA tools (Cadence). This includes schematic entry, simulation, layout, verification, sign-off and testing
PCB design, layout, testing and its application for embedded systems
Training for wire bonding, chip assembly and fabrication in a clean room
Gain experience in molecular lab techniques to evaluate biosensor performance, use of electrochemical labs to set up testbenches for chip measurements and carry on validation of biosensors
Potential collaborations with other research groups in Imperial
Contact
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at i.wojcicka@imperial.ac.uk.