PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering: Data-driven Industrial Condition Monitoring

Award Summary

Mid Sweden University and Newcastle University agree to fund a PhD student project for the duration of 4 years, focused on "Data-driven Industrial Condition Monitoring", in collaboration with SCA, co-funded by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation.

The successful candidate will be located the first two years at Newcastle University and the following two years at Mid Sweden University. During these two periods short research visits between the two institutes might be necessary.

This PhD is entirely funded for home (UK) students.

Year 1: salary covers 100% fees, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £20,780 (UKRI rate).

Year 2-4: In accordance with Mid Sweden University’s salary scale for doctoral students.

Overview

This PhD project focuses on developing real-world deployable Machine Learning (ML) solutions integrated into Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) edge devices for condition monitoring. While ML-driven industrial condition monitoring offers significant advantages in predictive and preventive maintenance, current research often relies on simplified, laboratory-based data. This PhD project aims to address the knowledge gap by investigating:

-         How ML methods can be adapted for complex, real-world conditions, including noise and interference,

-         How such methods can be optimized for resource-constrained IoT edge devices,

-         And what role optimised computing architectures can play in executing these models efficiently.

The project will be conducted in close collaboration with SCA, a major Swedish industrial company.

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

15th September 2025

Award Duration

4 years 

Application Closing Date

23rd July 2025

Sponsor

Co-funded by Mid Sweden University , Newcastle University and the Swedish Knowledge Foundation , in collaboration with the industrial partner SCA

Supervisors

Prof Sebastian Bader (Mid Sweden University)

D r Domenico Balsamo (Newcastle University)

Eligibility Criteria

Home applicants (UK) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. 

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (electrical engineering, electronics engineering or computer engineering). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements. 

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal  

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.  

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

·        search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8060F

·        Research Area: Electrical and Electronic Engineering 

·        select ‘PhD Electrical and Electronic Engineering (full time)’ as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

·        a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  

·        the studentship code ENG156 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field.  

·        when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.  

Contact Details

For more detailed information contact Assoc. Prof. Sebastian Bader (email: sebastian.bader@miun.se, phone: +46 (0) 10 142 80 95) or the Head of department, Patrik Österberg (email: patrik.osterberg@miun.se, phone: +46 (0) 10 142 86 14).

Senior Lecturer Dr.Domenico Balsamo (email: Domenico.balsamo@newcastle.ac.uk).