PhD position in Mapping the Modern Electromagnetic Environment: Identifying Stray Currents in Complex, Interaction-Driven Sy...

Job description

The rapid electrification and digitalisation of society are creating increasingly complex electromagnetic environments. Fast-switching power electronics in vehicles, buildings, hospitals and farms can generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) that propagates through unexpected conducted and radiated paths. Conventional EMC measurements, typically performed at a single location and moment, provide only limited insight into how such interference behaves at system level.
In this PhD project, you will develop the measurement and analysis methods needed to make these environments observable. You will design and validate a cost-effective, synchronised multi-node sensing system for simultaneous time-domain measurements of voltages, currents, electric fields and magnetic fields, supported by digital signal processing.
Using these synchronised measurements, you will develop methods to correlate information across time, frequency, space and impedance. The aim is to identify interference sources and propagation paths and understand how disturbances spread through complex electrical systems. This work will provide an important foundation for future cognitive EMC systems that can ultimately adapt mitigation measures to changing conditions.
A key application will be dairy farms, where increasing electrification and automation can give rise to stray currents and voltages that are difficult to locate and may affect cow welfare and behaviour. You will perform measurements on farms to determine where these disturbances originate and how they propagate, and use this understanding to investigate practical mitigation, including targeted filtering solutions. In this way, your research can contribute directly to solving a real problem experienced by farmers while advancing the state of the art in EMC.

Requirements

• You have, or will shortly acquire, an MSc degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.
• You have a strong interest in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), measurement systems, signal processing, power electronics, or a combination of these fields.
• You enjoy experimental research and are comfortable designing, building, programming, and validating measurement setups.
• You have experience with, or are motivated to learn, digital signal processing and analysis of time-domain measurement data.
• You have programming skills in a scientific or engineering environment, for example Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or comparable tools.
• You are an enthusiastic, independent and highly motivated researcher who also enjoys working in a collaborative team.
• You have strong analytical and communication skills and are proficient in written and spoken English.
• You are willing to perform field measurements and interact with external stakeholders; Dutch proficiency is an advantage for interaction with Dutch farmers

Additional information

Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below before October 22, 2026 , and include:

• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, motivations to apply for this position.
• A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of all courses attended and grades obtained, and, if applicable, a list of publications and references.
• An IELTS-test, Internet TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT), or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE). Applicants with a non-Dutch qualification and who have not had secondary and tertiary education in English can only be admitted with an IELTS-test showing a total band score of at least 6.5, internet. TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT) showing a score of at least 90, or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).

For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact Dr. Tom Hartman at tom.hartman@utwente.nl.
The interviews will take place around 4-6 November, please take this into account.