EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Sensing and Measurement

A new Centre for Doctoral Training will train the next generation of specialists to build the sensors and measurement systems that underpin modern technology. The UK faces a shortage of skilled researchers who can design and integrate advanced sensors—devices that detect everything from temperature and pressure to chemical signatures and biological markers. This gap limits innovation across industries that depend on precise measurement, from medical diagnostics to environmental monitoring. The Centre brings together two universities with extensive industry links to create a cohort-based training programme that covers sensing across science, medicine, and engineering. If successful, the Centre will produce a steady pipeline of PhD graduates who can move ideas from the lab into real-world products. These sensors could improve medical imaging, make manufacturing processes more efficient, or strengthen environmental monitoring systems. The training spans the full development chain, from fundamental science to commercial exploitation, ensuring that research does not stall at the prototype stage. The result is a workforce equipped to keep the UK competitive in a field that quietly enables everything from smartphone cameras to industrial safety systems.