PhD Student - Printed and Stretchable Electronics for Wearables

Are you a recent MSc graduate that is interested in research and want to develop novel technologies that can improve the quality of life for others? Are you interested in working in an inspiring and collaborative environment with 150 researchers from both academia and research institutes? Then we have an exciting opportunity for you!

We are looking for a PhD student in applied physics, materials science, electrical engineering, or similar, to join our team within Printed, Bio- and Organic Electronics in Norrköping, Sweden.

As one of the most renowned research institutes within the field of Printed Electronics, we offer an attractive workplace in modern premises, in which you will be an important part of the team in the development of printed and stretchable electronics.

About the project
The project is a collaboration between RISE and the Laboratory of Organic Electronics (LOE) at Linköping University (LiU), and is focused on the development of printed and stretchable systems based on near-field communication (NFC) for wearables and biomedical applications. NFC is attractive for these applications, but stretchable NFC tags suffer from a fundamental problem, as the inductance of the antenna changes when stretched, resulting in decreased communication distance and eventually loss of communication. The project will address this fundamental challenge by developing printed, self-tuning NFC tags based on capacitors with inverse strain-capacitance relationship. Based on this unique technology, two applications will be developed: wearable printed tags for on-skin applications and integration in clothing, and implantable battery-free nerve stimulators for nerve regeneration.

About the position
The PhD student will be employed by RISE (Bio- and Organic Electronics unit) in Norrköping. The employment has a duration of four years’ full time equivalent and may be extended to a maximum of five years depending on the ratio between PhD research activities and other duties. The research activities will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Lars Herlogsson. The student will also be enrolled in the PhD program of LiU, under supervision of Prof. Klas Tybrandt, who is leading the research group Soft Electronics at LOE.

You will attend courses (30-60 ECTS) and be guided to strengthen your communication, management, and decision-making skills. You will be able to attend national and international conferences and participate in all academic activities at LOE, including seminars, presentations, and group activities.

The joint laboratory facilities of LiU and RISE provide all the equipment needed for the project, including cleanrooms and labs for material and component development. This includes the Printed Electronics Arena (PEA), which is a fully equipped printing lab that has a pilot line for printed electronics. PEA has equipment for material development, printing, curing of printed inks, laser tools for cutting and ablation, SMT equipment for hybrid electronics, as well as equipment for electrical, mechanical, and optical characterization.

At the end of the project, you will acquire significant knowledge in:

- Design and characterization of NFC circuits
- Development and characterization of stretchable electronics
- Screen printing, stencil printing and inkjet printing
- Development of wearable systems and biomedical implants

Who are you?
You have a master’s degree in Applied Physics, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, or similar. Experience in electronics, process development and characterization are meritorious. You have good communication skills in English (both oral and written), a genuine interest in science and for learning new skills, are goal-oriented, enterprising, organized and can work independently. Furthermore, you should be able to work in collaboration with other scientist of different cultural and scientific backgrounds.

Are we right for each other?
At RISE, we like different things and we are convinced that diversity contributes to an innovative environment where we together challenge boundaries and develop new knowledge and skills for the future. We do not promise you an easy job, but we can promise an exciting journey where we, together with committed and competent colleagues, contribute to a sustainable future and to securing an edge in global competition. Do you want to join the journey?

Welcome with your application!
The application must be received via our e-recruitment system Varbi no later than 6th of June, 2022. Your application must contain a personal letter with justification for why you are applying for the job, a CV, and attested copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies (translation to English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in the mentioned languages).

Do you have any questions or want to know more? Please contact unit manager Ursula Hass +46 10 228 42 74 for questions regarding the recruitment process or Lars Herlogsson, +46 10 228 40 76 for questions regarding the project.

Our union representatives are Lazaros Tsantaridis, Sveriges Ingenjörer (SACO), +46 10 516 62 21 and Daniel Gäwerth, Unionen, +46 10 516 68 15.

We kindly ask external recruitment companies and salespeople not to contact us as we are governed by the Swedish Procurement Act.

PhD student, Printed electronics, Stretchable electronics, Wearables, Near-field communication, RISE, Norrköping, Sweden