PhD Studentship in Bioelectronics and Robotics at UCL

About the Position

4-year funded at the Home-fee rate PhD in Bioelectronics and Robotics at UCL. £28,955/year stipend. Open until filled. Apply early.

Opportunity	PhD Studentship in Bioelectronics and Robotics at UCL
Host	University College London
Location	London, United Kingdom
Study Level	PhD
Funding	Partially Funded, stipend provided
Stipend	£28,955 per year stipend plus Home-rate tuition fees.
Application Deadline	No closing date - open until suitable candidate found
Apply	Official application page ↗

Tuition Coverage to Check

The advertised package covers Home-rate tuition. It should not be treated as full international-fee funding: confirm your fee status and any overseas-fee difference with the university before accepting.

Project Overview

This is a 4-year, funded at the Home-fee rate PhD studentship in Bioelectronics and Robotics at UCL (University College London), supervised by Dr Yu Wu. The position is based in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering. There is no fixed closing date; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is found.

Research Project

The project combines bioelectronics and robotics to build safer, more adaptive robotic systems for medical and healthcare settings. The aim is to develop sensing-driven control approaches that let robots move with improved safety, precision, and responsiveness when assisting patients or supporting clinical procedures.

You will explore the integration of bioelectronic sensing technologies with robotic platforms, so that robots can detect physiological and environmental signals and translate them into actionable control strategies. The research spans sensing interface development, control algorithm design, and system integration.

Core research tasks include:

• Design and implementation of bioelectronic sensing systems for robotic platforms.
• Development of adaptive control algorithms that use real-time physiological and environmental data.
• Integration and testing of robotic systems for safe interaction with patients and healthcare professionals.

The project sits at the interface of biomedical engineering, soft robotics, and intelligent control systems, in a collaborative environment focused on translating advanced research into practical applications.

Funding Details

The studentship covers 4 years of Home-rate tuition fees plus an annual stipend of £28,955 for living costs. The stipend is paid throughout the studentship.

Key funding facts:

• The stipend is for living costs and is paid throughout the studentship.
• International students are welcome to apply but will only receive funding at the Home rate. This means the studentship pays tuition at the Home fee level, and any gap between Home and international fees would need to be covered by the applicant (via external scholarships or personal funding).
• Full funding details and budget rules are published on UCL's Research Studentship Budgets page.

Qualifications Required

The ideal candidate has a strong academic record in Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline. Specifically:

• A strong academic record in Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Solid understanding of circuit and system-level design, with experience implementing complex edge devices in resource-constrained environments.
• Practical experience designing hardware accelerators and versatile programming approaches for data-intensive applications.
• Genuine interest in applying these skills to develop robotic systems capable of safe and adaptive interaction in healthcare environments.

Eligibility condition: the candidate must pass the entry requirements of the PhD programme at UCL EEE (MPhil/PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering).

Important Notes

• Application deadline: Open - Apply as soon as possible - late or incomplete applications are normally not considered.
• Listing details were recorded from the official source at the time of publication; always confirm the latest requirements on the official page before applying.
• Prepare the documents listed in the eligibility and application sections before starting the online form - transcripts, CV and references take the longest to collect.

How to Apply

1. Submit the application through the UCL online system using the standard UCL postgraduate study application form, and mark it to the attention of Dr Yu Wu.
2. Prepare a summary of your research interests/proposal (maximum two pages) describing how your background fits the PhD project. New ideas relevant to the research field are explicitly welcome.
3. For informal enquiries, email Dr Yu Wu directly (yu.wu.09@ucl.ac.uk). She is happy to answer any questions about the project before you apply.

Practical advice on timing: since the advert states there is no closing date and the position remains open only until a suitable candidate is found, this is effectively a rolling recruitment. Strong applicants are reviewed as they apply, and earlier applications stand a better chance.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

UCL actively encourages applications from underrepresented backgrounds in engineering, including women, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities. The department states that its research is driven by researchers and PhD students from countries and backgrounds across the globe.

About UCL and the Department

UCL is London's leading multidisciplinary university, founded in 1826, with more than 11,000 staff and 38,000 students from 150 different countries. It was the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to admit women on equal terms.

The Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering is the UK's first EEE department, founded in 1885 by Sir John Ambrose Fleming FRS. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, it was ranked the leading EEE department in the UK for research outputs.

Official Link

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/electronic-electrical-engineering/study/4-year-fully-funded-phd-scholarship-bioelectronics-and-robotics

Contact

Dr Yu Wu: yu.wu.09@ucl.ac.uk

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