Development of Mymo for sport and healthcare applications (Application Reference: ERDF20/EE/CIS/GODFREYAlan)

This scholarship is jointly funded by Mymo Group Ltd and the European Regional Development Fund Intensive Industrial Innovation Programme (IIIP). Mymo Group Ltd has developed an IoT device named ’Mymo’, with multiple sensors integrated for human movement analysis. This device is portable, wearable, and affordable. The device (with the aid of a bespoke AI algorithm) will be launched to the commercial market soon and will be initially used for running shoe recommendation. This will allow the individual runner to make a much more informed choice on which shoes are personally suitable for their particular running style, reducing the likelihood of sustaining a running injury by purchasing and wearing the wrong type of running shoes.

The IIIP Programme is a collaboration between Durham, Newcastle, Teesside and Northumbria Universities and aims to encourage a culture of innovation that benefits business, leading to greater export opportunities and increased graduate employment. The Programme enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop new products and services.

Aim: To advance integrated AI and IoT technologies to further develop the Mymo analysis system for other healthcare applications. This will be achieved by investigating, advancing, adopting, adapting, and developing new AI algorithms. Subsequent efforts will be made to aid the progression of hardware, cloud services, and Apps to support the growth of the company, boost the revenue, create more jobs, and to contribute to the digitalisation of the North East of England.

The PhD student will gain industry experience in product development and project management, in addition to academic research which will be supervised by a multidisciplinary team across areas of digital technologies and health sciences. In particular, the following activities will be carried out:

1) To coordinate all partners for the further development of the Mymo system
2) To design and organise big data collection in collaboration with healthcare practitioners, to extend the application range of the Mymo system.
3) To investigate feature extraction and AI methods (e.g. deep learning) to further develop the Mymo system.
4) To aid development of Mymo hardware (inc. other components) for enhanced functionalities and extended applications in healthcare.

The candidate will be supported during continuing professional development activities as well as given opportunities to attend national and international conferences. The candidate will be expected to publish translational research, achieving high impact. The successful candidate will adhere to appropriate security and privacy aspects, ensuring compliance of data processing in Mymo Group Ltd. Here, the candidate will benefit from guidance by Northumbria University’s position as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research.

The principal supervisor for this project is Dr Alan Godfrey.

Please note eligibility requirement:

* Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement. This project would ideally suit an engineering or computer science graduate with an interest in sports and/or technology development in that field.
* Appropriate IELTS score (6.5 or above), if required.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. ERDF20/EE/CIS/GODFREYAlan) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: Midnight 3rd July 2020

Interviews will be arranged to take place on 15th July 2020.

PhD Start Date: As soon as possible, but not later than 01/10/2020

Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.