Sensor CDT PhD projects are different from conventional PhD projects. Our PhD projects are interdisciplinary, bridging the gap between sensor technologies and applications. Each student is supervised by two supervisors from different departments who contribute expertise to the project from at least two aspects of sensor technologies, middleware or applications.
A conventional PhD project might focus on developing a novel sensor based on new materials or improving a sensor's performance. In the Sensor CDT students go further, designing and evaluating the sensor with a clear application in mind. Or students might use existing sensor technologies from Cambridge University or an industrial partner and apply them in an innovative way to solve a particular problem.
Throughout the three-year PhD phase, students are supported by a continuous training programme which fosters their research skills and provides ample opportunity to share and discuss results and ideas. We organise and run workshops on topics such as presentation and scientific writing skills, intellectual property and entrepreneurship, generating impact and disseminating research outcomes, and planning the first career steps.
Previous PhD projects
You can find out about this year's PhD project topics in our news article.
The following list represents a sample of PhD projects carried out by our students over the last few years.
| Project title | Departments |
| Healthcare | |
| Multidimensional image processing and classification for improved cancer diagnosis |
Physics & Electrical Engineering |
| Building a complete sensor system for the intelligent toilet |
Physics & Chemistry |
| Development of SERS-based microfluidic devices for the continuous, on-line monitoring of brain injury patients |
Chemistry & Clinical Medicine |
| High-resolution antibody unfolding studies for developability and novel drug |
Chemistry & Industry |
| Design of targeting and stealth functionalities in metal-organic frameworks for cancer theragnosis |
Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology & Industry |
| Environmental monitoring | |
| Carbon transfer in the Himalaya by chemical weathering in the wake of the April 2015 Nepal Earthquake |
Earth Science |
| Printable sensor technologies to monitor air pollution |
Electrical Engineering & Chemistry |
| An affinity sensor to selectively measure volatile organic compounds of biomedical and environmental interest |
Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology & Industry |
| Space technology & astronomy | |
| Ultra-low-noise detectors for submillimetre-wave and far-infrared space science |
Astronomy & Electrical Engineering |
| New devices & technology | |
| 2-photon microlithography for microscopic lab on chip devices |
Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology & Physics |
| Advanced carbon nanotube structures for sensing applications |
Institute for Manufacturing & Engineering |
| GaN sensing platform | Electrical Engineering & Material Science |
| Functional membrane-based devices for detection of biomolecules |
Physics & Engineering |
| High speed imaging of synaptic morphology with a novel structured illumination microscope |
Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology & Psychology |
| The use of distributed source coding in WSNs |
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science |
| Robotics | |
| Adaptive tactile sensing for robotics based on thermoplastics |
Engineering & Computer Science |
| Nano structured materials for tactile sensing |
Material Science & Electrical Engineering |
