About the project
Harness advances in wearable sensing, data analytics and medical AI to identify early mobility and biomechanical indicators of functional decline and fall risk in people aged 65 and over, including those with cognitive impairment and other coexisting long-term conditions, supporting timely, personalised interventions and independent living.
Multiple coexisting long-term conditions are increasingly prevalent among older people, substantially reducing quality of life. Conditions such as cognitive impairment, diabetes, and musculoskeletal or cardiovascular disease can interact to impair sensation, neurological control, muscle strength, gait and balance, increasing the risk of falls and loss of independence. Cognitive impairment may further affect attention, spatial awareness, motor planning and dual-task walking, but its impact on everyday mobility is not fully captured by conventional assessments. These assessments are typically episodic and clinic-based, relying on brief performance tests or self-reported falls, and may therefore miss subtle or progressive functional deterioration. Continuous monitoring of real-world mobility could reveal early changes and enable timely, personalised interventions.
This project will investigate novel wearable sensing technologies for continuously monitoring movement kinematics and kinetics during daily living in people aged 65 and over with comorbidities, including cognitive impairment. Mobility measurements will be integrated with relevant clinical information and analysed using advanced signal-processing, data-analytics and machine-learning methods.
The aim is to identify mobility and biomechanical indicators associated with cognitive and functional decline and to develop approaches for the early detection and prediction of fall risk.
This interdisciplinary project would suit students seeking to apply engineering skills in wearable sensing, signal processing, data analytics and machine learning to unmet healthcare challenges, with a view to improving quality of life and supporting independent living. You will benefit from multidisciplinary training and supervision spanning clinical neuroscience and wearable sensing.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
