Physics Electrical Engineering Materials: Fully Funded PhD Studentship in Next-Generation Strain Gauge Materials (RS798)

Funding providers: Faculty of Science and Engineering and Flintec  

Subject areas: Semiconductors, Electronics, Sensors, Advanced Materials, Printing  

Project start date: 1 October 2025 (Enrollment open from mid-September) 

Supervisors: Dr Yaonan Hou, Dr Gregory Burwell  

Industrial Supervisor: Dr Andrew Evans  

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Physics, PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, PhD in Materials Engineering

Mode of study: Full-time

Project description: 

Flintec is a global Load/Force sensor company, that is responsible for manufacturing 6 million+ strain gauges per year. It is rapidly growing into industry 4.0, where sensor-based technology will be integral in the future of automated products.  

A strain gauge is a sensor that measures deformation in a material or structure by detecting changes in electrical resistance. Conventional strain gauges rely on conductive grids that alter their geometry when subjected to tensile or compressive forces, leading to measurable resistance changes. By applying the gauge factor equation, this resistance change can be translated into strain. 

Despite their widespread use, strain gauge materials have seen little advancement over the past 50 years. The industry continues to rely on Nickel-Copper alloys as the primary sensing material, with gauges produced using traditional wet-etched photolithography techniques. These methods typically yield grid structures with line widths between 10 and 50 µm.   

This PhD project offers an exciting opportunity to pioneer the development of next-generation strain gauge materials. The focus will be on exploring novel materials, such as oxides, advanced alloys, graphene, and organic conductors, to enhance the sensitivity, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness of strain gauges. 

This project will be focused on delivering: 

1. Higher gauge factors (3+) and therefore increased sensitivity  
2. Thermal Coefficient of Resistivity (TCR) properties that are easily matched to base sensor materials
3. Easy to manufacture – printable, dry etched etc
4. Low cost
5. Repeatable and Reproducible

Advancements in these areas will give a competitive edge when designing next generation sensors – allowing for greater sensitivity and improved safety factors, while maintaining electrical signal integrity. 

This studentship will have access to the advanced facilities at Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) and be part of an exciting new Doctoral Training Initiative called UK Semiconductor Industry Future Skills or UK-SIFS for short. UK-SIFS will create a vibrant, multi-disciplinary cohort experience for all our students and provide highly practical training of substantial value to those interested in careers in the semiconductor and related sectors such as optoelectronics and clean energy. You will also have a chance to work with industrial partners, who will not only deliver training content but also co-supervise research and host secondments. We would particularly welcome appropriately qualified applicants with experience from other industry sectors looking to embark on a new career journey in semiconductors. If you want to undertake cutting edge research in world class facilities closely linked to the rapidly expanding UK semiconductor sector, then UK-SIFS and this PhD project is your opportunity. 

The student will be expected to work at Swansea Universities Bay Campus, with occasional visits to Flintec’s Cardiff R&D site, and travel to their Sri Lanka manufacturing facility on an annual basis.  

The Athena SWAN charter recognises work undertaken by institutions to advance gender equality. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is an Athena SWAN silver award holder and is committed to addressing unequal gender representation. Applications from women and other under-represented groups are particularly welcome.  

Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. See - Country-specific Information for European Applicants 2019 and Country-specific Information for International Applicants 2019.

English Language
IELTS 6.5 Overall (5.5+ each comp.) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

ATAS
Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website. 

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer. 

Scholarship open to UK and international fee eligible applicants

UK Students: This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26). 

Additional research expenses of up to £3,000 per year will also be available.

International: This scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend if the applicant is successful in being offered a SUIPRES Scholarship as outlined below.

Swansea University is pleased to offer the Swansea University International Postgraduate Research Excellence Scholarship (SUIPRES). This is a competitively awarded Scholarship open to overseas PhD and Professional Doctorate applicants eligible for the international rate of tuition fees who can demonstrate excellence in academic achievement.  

The SUIPRES Scholarship covers the difference between the International and the Home tuition fee for the duration of the PhD/Professional Doctorate programme. Successful candidates will be charged fees aligned to the UK rate per year. The scholarship will be offset against your tuition fee liability. 

All International applications will be considered for a SUIPRES Scholarship. You will be informed whether a SUIPRES Scholarship will be offered within your offer letter. 

To apply, please complete your application online with the following information.

1. Course choice – please select as per preferred mode of study, either:

(Full Time) Physics/ PhD / Full-time / 3 Years / October
OR
(Full Time) Electronic and Electrical Engineering / PhD / Part-time / 3 Years / October
OR
(Full Time) Materials Engineering / PhD / Part-time / 3 Years / October

In the event you have already applied for the above programme previously, the application system may issue a warning notice and prevent application, in this case, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.

     2. Start year – please select 2025

     3. Funding (page 8 on the application process) –

• ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
• ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter ‘RS798 - Strain Guage Materials'

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.  

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):

• CV
• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)
• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project
• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable)
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
• Confirmation of EDI form submission

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Dr Yaonan Hou yaonan.hou@swansea.ac.uk  

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.