Closing Date: 3rd March 2023
Project start date: 1st October 2023
Funding Provider: UKRI EPSRC CDT Studentship
Subject Area: Functional Coatings
Key Information
Academic Supervisors:
Aligned programme of study: EngD in Materials, Modelling and Manufacturing
Mode of study: Full-time
Expected Interview Date: March – April 2023
N.B. Due to the nature of the industry, a UK national will only be considered.
Background
Project Background:
Satellite Navigation, often referred to as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), is a key technology in the 21st century, underpinning numerous industries and playing a vital role in Aerospace applications.
Despite its many benefits, GNSS is increasingly vulnerable to hostile interference (jamming) and this poses a significant risk to commercial activities, critical industries and defence applications. The most common form of GNSS jamming protection is the use of phased array antennas to steer antenna nulls towards jammers (as well as antenna beams to satellites) which result in lower received jamming power. The success of these technologies is limited by the large sizes required to implement them. Typically, GNSS anti-jam antennas require multiple antennas separated by approximately half the wavelength (approximately 10cm) and this quickly results in large subsystems that are difficult to integrate into wider systems. Reducing the inter-element spacing results in negative consequences to the performance of the antenna system; typically by increasing the mutual coupling between antenna elements.
The use of meta-surfaces has the potential to reduce the mutual coupling of antenna elements and thus allow GNSS Anti-jam antennas to be produced with a much smaller overall footprint. This would unlock the capability to implement the systems in smaller space envelopes (e.g. autonomous cars) but also allow more elements to be installed within a given area which could increase resultant anti-jam performance.
Alongside improvements to the RF characteristics of an antenna, the novel design and use of materials/functional coatings can improve the overall RF characteristics of a larger platform/vehicle. In the context of GNSS Anti-jam for aerospace applications, the RF energy from the jammers reaches the GNSS subsystem via non-line-of-sight propagation methods such as surface waves and diffraction. For an airborne vehicle, specific coatings may be able to reduce the impact of these propagation modes.
Company Background:
MBDA is a world forerunner in missiles and missile systems. In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.
MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).
MBDA is an example of European defence industrial collaboration, with a strong presence in 5 European countries. Within the UK, MBDA is a key partner to the UK Government and Armed Forces; and a major component in the UK Defence and Aerospace industry.
MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%).
Project Aims:
This project will explore different techniques to apply meta-surfaces to GNSS antennas (and RF antennas more widely) to address the integration issues that large arrays have on industrial and aerospace applications. Different meta-surfaces will be explored to assess their relative suitability for use with GNSS signals and other key RF subsystems such as communication and guidance sensors. The desired outcome will be the identification, design and proof of concept of a meta-surface integrated within a GNSS antenna array that demonstrates improved performance at small inter-element spacing’s compared to conventional antenna arrays.
The project will have the ability to explore opportunistic research avenues that emerge throughout the project duration. Research into functional coatings and materials that can reduce or dampen phenomena such as surface waves is one such example. The desired outcome from this will be innovative techniques to reduce the overall RF power received at an RF subsystem in an (e.g.) airborne platform.
The main working location will be at Swansea University, but occasional travel to MBDA UK sites (Primarily Bristol) will be expected (at a frequency of once every 2-3 months).
Candidate details:
Due to the nature of the industry, a UK national is required
Masters level degree at 2:1 or equivalent experience in Materials Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering or other suitable background
Sponsor Company:
COATED M2A:
COATED M2A recognises applicants have a variety of backgrounds with different educational and research experiences. We do not expect applicants to be proficient users of any techniques/equipment mentioned, at the time of application. Our focus is to upskill our participants and training will be provided.
COATED M2A in the Faculty of Science and Engineering is a Swansea University initiative which provides postgraduate research training in partnership with industry, providing access to world class laboratories and a wealth of academic and industry expertise. COATED M2A is committed to providing top quality research opportunities within an inclusive environment, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Swansea University and Industry partners.
Interwoven through the research study are business, technical and entrepreneurial courses, designed to support and prepare participants for a senior role in industry or academia, on completion of their studies.
The Athena SWAN charter recognises work undertaken by institutions to advance gender equality. The College of 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 welcomed.
All applications will be anonymised prior to short listing.
Are you considering making an application and have questions you’d like answered? Come and have a 1-2-1 chat with us at our applicant surgeries (Link). We encourage all applicants to review our ‘hints and tips’ document found here.
Eligibility
Candidates must normally hold at minimum (or expect to obtain by the start date) an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University), or a combination of degree and equivalent experience to the same level.
NB: If you are holding a non-UK degree, please see Swansea University degree comparisons to find out if you meet the eligibility.
English Language requirements: If applicable – IELTS 6.5 overall (with at least 6.0 in each individual component) or Swansea recognised equivalent. Details on the Swansea University English Language entry policy can be found here.
This studentship is open to candidates of any nationality; however, please note:
If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the studentship(s) you are interested in.
Funding
This studentship covers a full award and includes a tax-free stipend (currently £22,000 per annum) and tuition fees, each for a period of four years, subject to meeting University progression requirements.
Also, a generous budget is available to support training, project costs, industry placements and travel to enable you to network and showcase your research at an international conference.
How to Apply
To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:
- Course choice (section 1) – for administrative purposes only, please select PhD Materials Engineering and your application will be considered for the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Materials, Modelling and Manufacturing programme.
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 event, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.
- Start year (section 1) – please select 2023
- Personal Statement (section 6) – select ‘Add Personal Statement Text’ and set out your skills and experience and the relevance of these to the project within the text box provided. Please refer to the ‘hints and tips’ guide for details of how to structure your personal statement. Shortlisting decisions will be made on information supplied in section 6 of Apply only. Please do not attach a cover letter as it will not be considered.
- Funding (section 8) –
- ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
- ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter [RS286 – GNSS]
*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 studentship 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.
As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):
- Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date/interim transcripts are sufficient)
- Two references (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).
Furthermore, we invite you to complete the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form (online form). Data is solely collected for statistical purposes and is not viewed by those that shortlist.
Informal enquiries are welcome, please contact M2A@swansea.ac.uk.
*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the studentship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a studentship project is applicable.