About the project
Are you passionate about driving innovation at the intersection of medical robotics (soft robotics, microrobotics, surgical robotics), wearable and implantable medical devices (flexible electronics, textile electronics), and healthcare systems? We are seeking enthusiastic and ambitious PhD students to join our dynamic team to revolutionize future healthcare.
This PhD project aims to develop a closed-loop, soft robotic system equipped with flexible electronic sensing capabilities to deliver on-demand therapeutic interventions. You will be an integral part of our team exploring the cutting edge of interdisciplinary research including smart textiles for assistive wearables, AI-assisted intelligent microrobots, lap-on-chip devices integrated with bioelectronics, and implantable drug delivery systems.
About Us:
The Centre for Hybrid Biodevices is a world-class facility housing both Level 1 and Level 2 biocontainment laboratories, offering a cutting-edge research environment. This centre is dedicated to the secure evaluation of biodevices and the advancement of methods for miniaturising analytical equipment, enabling more efficient sample analysis and biomarker detection. Furthermore, our close collaborations with the University Hospital Southampton provide the unique opportunity to engage with actual biological patient samples, pathogens, and cell cultures, ensuring a practical and real-world research experience.
The Centre for Flexible Electronics and E-Textiles (C-FLEET) is a centre of expertise for flexible smart materials, printed electronics and electronic textile technologies. The Centre’s vision is to enable research in soft, conformable materials for electronics, wearable sensors, new sensing techniques (electronic, biological and chemical) for personal monitoring and healthcare applications, and flexible energy harvesting power supplies and storage. We work with industry, policy makers, and the general public to address both national and global challenges.
About Dr Rujie Sun:
Dr Rujie Sun is currently a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) of Soft Electronics and Multiscale Medical Robotics in Digital Health & Biomedical Engineering Group (DHBE), within the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at University of Southampton.
Dr Sun's Multiscale Intelligent Biodevices Lab are focusing on the development of next-generation medical devices integrated with biosensing, actuation, therapy, and AI-assisted control. He has published over 30 papers in areas of medical robotics, flexible sensing and energy harvesting, in top journals and conferences with 2000 citations including Nature, Nature Chemistry, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Advanced Materials, Applied Energy, Applied Materials Today, etc. Dr Sun’s team focuses on innovation and advancement in the field of biomedical engineering, with key areas of emphasis in Medical Robotics, Intelligent Systems, and Bioelectronics.
