PhD position in Mapping the Modern Electromagnetic Environment: Identifying Stray Currents in Complex, Interaction-Driven Systems
Are you interested in making complex electromagnetic environments observable? We offer a four-year PhD position in the Radio Systems group to develop distributed sensing and digital signal-processing methods for identifying and characterising electromagnetic interference and high-frequency stray currents in real-world systems.
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.
Information and application
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.
About the department
The Radio Systems group at the University of Twente conducts research on radio-frequency systems and electromagnetic compatibility, with strong experimental expertise in conducted and radiated EMI measurements, time-domain measurement techniques, power-electronic interference and EMC mitigation. You will work in an international and collaborative environment with researchers working across EMC, radio systems and related disciplines. The project offers access to extensive measurement and laboratory facilities, while also providing opportunities for in-situ measurements and collaboration with external partners.
About the organisation
The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of a tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
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