Project Employee / Research Assistant for a Circuit design and fabrication of smart gas sensor

Project Employee / Research Assistant for a Circuit design and fabrication of smart gas sensor

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges.

Our community is made up of 13 000 students, 400 professors and close to 4 500 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland.

Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering conducts research and arranges related courses in the fields of electromagnetics, micro and nanotechnology, radio engineering, and space technology. The department research groups have active national and international

collaboration with several institutes and companies. Research groups are working with world-class research facilities and instruments; the largest clean rooms in the Nordic countries are located in the Micro- and nanotechnology center Micronova.

The Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering is looking for either a Project Employee (M.Sc.) or a Research Assistant (Bachelor or Master level student) to work on circuit design and fabrication of a smart gas sensor.

The work is in the context of Business Finland -supported Research-to-business program and will be performed in close collaboration with industrial partners.

According to the World Health Organization, pollution and toxic gases are a contributing factor to 7 million deaths annually, 12% of global fatality. This causes a 6% loss in the global gross domestic product, as estimated by the World Bank. Thus, knowing the type and level

of surrounding gases is increasingly urgent. Further issues come from climate change and the escalated geopolitical tension that can lead to the use of battle gases.

The commercial sensors made by conventional electronics have intrinsic drawbacks, e.g., high production and energy costs, low selectivity leading to false alarms, difficulty in calibrations, replacements, and recycling, which make them unable to adapt to the future sustainably.

In the sustainable smart gas sensor (SGS) project, we aim to develop a low-cost, low-energy consumption, and biodegradable multi-gas sensor by printing, and further estimating possibilities for scaling up.

The SGS project is in perfect alignment with the strategic goals of Finland, where sustainability, bio-derived materials, high-value applications, and dual-use technologies hold significant importance.

Your role and goals

The final goal of the full R2B project is to demonstrate a bio-degradable smart gas sensor, capable of detecting various analysts at low concentrations. The project consists of three major parts: sensor printing, circuit design and integration and developing of an AI algorithm.

In this role you will design and fabricate the peripheral circuit for data acquisition and transmission and finally test the circuit and calibrate the sensor. The role requires close collaboration with our team’s materials scientist for sensing measurement and AI training. You will design and fabricate the circuits board, integrating the printed sensor, to read and transmit the sensing data to the laptop or the cell phone. You will also collaborate on the sensor design, fabrication, and sensing measurement, with the team members and our partners, to build the data base for the AI training and provide feedback to material design group for sensor optimization. The goal is to demonstrate a proof-of-concept multi gas sensors based on printed nanocomposite. Together with the team, you will identify the feasible technology for large-scale sensor fabrication and circuit integration in the future as well as technical problems that need to be solved for further development.

Your network and team

The position is at the Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering of Aalto School of Electrical Engineering. The work will be done in close collaboration with potential commercial partners. Dr. Hosseini Shokouh will act as the daily manager and Prof. Zhipei Sun as the manager, but you will receive support from the entire three-person team.

Your experience and ambitions

Required and desired qualifications:

• Analog Circuit Design, OP-Amps and ADC

• Peripheral Interfacing (SPI, I2C, UART)

• Microcontroller Programming

• Embedded System Design and C Programming

• Sensor Interface and Signal Acquisition