Applications are invited from suitably qualified graduates for a fully funded PhD studentship within the Manufacturing Metrology Group. The Faculty is ranked in the top 5 out of 85 engineering departments in the UK in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), with most of its research output classified as world leading or internationally excellent in quality. This studentship is an excellent opportunity to become involved at the forefront of research in a rapidly developing area.

The PhD Challenge

The project addresses the measurement challenges for fast, roll-to-roll manufacturing, e.g. for printed electronics. The student will develop high-speed techniques for the measurement of defects and differences from nominal form using optical and computational methods. In essence, these methods compare the optical field scattered from the object with that derived from a “gold standard” reference.

The goal of the project is to design suitable algorithms and optical systems to allow full use of a priorimanufacturing information (e.g. CAD data) to inform the measurement system and reduce the amount of data that is necessary to establish differences from nominal. The techniques developed in this project rely on a priori knowledge of ideal form and report deviation from nominal based on differences in the scattered light responses. The systems implemented based on this comparative theme will support and enhance traditional machine vision techniques for in-line metrology,

The student will join the team of a larger project to develop new methods of measurement to be used, in many cases in-line, in roll-to-roll manufacturing. Several research fellows and students will form the project team and there is scope to apply both experimental and theoretical skills, depending on the student’s first degree topics.

The Studentship

The student must have a high-grade qualification; at least the equivalent of a 1^st or 2.1 class degree in an engineering (mechanical/materials), science (physics) or a related discipline. The student must be proficient in both written and spoken English, and possess excellent presentation and communication skills.

The PhD studentship will cover full university tuition fees and a tax-free stipend at EPSRC rate of £13,863 per annum for the duration of the project for UK/EU students (student’s obtaining a 1^st may be able to apply for an enhanced stipend). The studentship is expected to start in July 2015 (but could start earlier). This is part of a European project with multiple partners and is likely to feature excellent travel opportunities.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof. Richard Leach, tel: 07467 085 482 or Email:richard.leach<στο>nottingham.ac.uk.

Please quote ref: ENG831

Closing date: 12 April 2015