PhD in Engineering - Compact Terahertz Gas Sensors for Non-Invasive Early Disease Detection

The School of Engineering of the University of Glasgow is seeking a highly motivated graduate to undertake an exciting 3.5-year PhD project to work on fabrication and characterisation of compact gas sensor chips for non-invasive early disease detection applications. 

Application for this scholarship is made by using the online system at the following link: https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/electronicsnanoscale/

Please note that this application is to gain admission to our PGR programme, and an offer of admission may be issued before a decision on this Scholarship is made. Candidates applying for this Scholarship will most likely have an interview/discussion with the supervisor before any decision is made. Potential candidates are encouraged to have an informal chat with the PhD supervisor before they apply.

The terahertz (THz) spectrum with frequencies between 0.1 THz and 3 THz offer great advantage for mass market applications such as ultra-broadband wireless communications, surveillance and security imaging, identification of hazardous chemicals, medical applications, drug and gas detection, food control, 3D tomography and rotational spectroscopy. Gas sensing is one of the important THz applications as it can be used for environmental monitoring and breath analysis for non-invasive early detection of diseases. In addition, gas sensing can be used in clinical disease diagnosis using molecular analysis of exhaled breath, which contains hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However up to date, most gas sensing systems are bulky, require high power and are limited to the detection of a single or few gases. Having a compact, low power consumption and highly tuneable THz source that can scan the entire lower THz spectrum is key to the adoption of gas sensors on a mass scale.

This project aims to develop on-chip THz gas sensors based on rotational spectroscopy for non-invasive disease detection using breath analysis and also for environmental monitoring of air quality. These gas sensors will be based on highly tuneable resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) sources and detectors operating in the 220 GHz – 325 GHz frequency range. The aim is to develop low power consumption (<20 mW), high efficiency (>30%), low cost and compact RTDs which allows for such devices to be integrated in battery operated portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets enabling real time monitoring of air quality on a mass scale.

How to Apply: Please refer to the following website for details on how to apply:

http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/.