RF and Microwave Design Engineer
Contract: Fixed term until January 2027, full time
Salary: £39,906 per annum
Location: Liverpool, hybrid (minimum of 3 days on site per week)
Role Purpose
The RF and Microwave Design Engineer will play a critical role in the design, development, and integration of advanced microwave sensing systems for next-generation healthcare diagnostic and monitoring technologies within the Infection Innovation Technology Laboratory (iiTECH). The postholder will be responsible for developing and optimising microwave and radio-frequency (RF) circuits, antenna design, and sensing architectures that underpin innovative handheld and wearable devices aimed at the detection, monitoring and prevention of infectious diseases.
Working as a part of multidisciplinary research and development team, the appointee will contribute to the full lifecycle of sensor technology innovation from conceptual design, simulation and prototyping to experimental validation and clinical translation. The role will involve close collaboration with electronics engineers, biomedical scientists, applied machine learning engineers and clinicians to ensure the developed systems are robust, accurate, and clinically applicable.
Key responsibilities include design and characterisation of RF/microwave circuits, antennas design, development of microwave-based sensing and imaging modalities, integration with digital and embedded systems, and implementation of rigorous quality assurance and regulatory standards.
This position offers a unique opportunity to push boundaries of microwave sensing, contribute to technological innovation in healthcare diagnostics, and develop transformative tools that address global health challenges.
Key Responsibilities
1. Design, simulate and prototype RF and microwave antennas, circuits for healthcare sensor applications targeting the detection, monitoring, and prevention of infectious diseases
2. Develop antenna resonators optimised for biomedical sensing and material characterisation
3. Use electromagnetic simulation tools namely CST to model, optimise, and validate sensor performance across relevant frequency ranges.
4. Conduct iterative testing, calibration and refinement of designs to ensure sensitivity, stability and reproducibility
5. Collaborate with data scientists and electronics engineers to integrate microwave structures with electronics and AI and ML algorithms for real-time data collection
6. Support the development of data pipelines and algorithms for real-time signal analysis, imaging, and feature extraction from microwave sensor outputs.
7. Evaluate system-level performance, including signal-to-noise ratio, frequency response, and environmental robustness, ensuring compatibility with downstream AI and data processing modules
8. Develop and implement rigorous testing and characterisation protocols to assess microwave sensors reliability, calibration accuracy, and long-term stability.
9. Design and prototype circuitry in alignment with environmental and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing to ensure robust operation under varied physiological and clinical conditions.
10. Document design procedures, test outcomes, and quality assurance measures to support translational deployment
11. Work closely with partners in academia, industry, and global health organisations to align research objectives.
12. Coordinate with clinical teams to ensure technologies address user needs and healthcare priorities.
13. Publish research findings in high-impact academic journals and present at international conferences.
14. Contribute to translating research findings into practical applications by supporting collaborations with industry partners
15. Identify potential sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds
You will have
16. PhD or equivalent industrial experience in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, or a closely related discipline, with a focus on RF/microwave circuit design or sensing systems.
17. Proven expertise in the design, simulation, and prototyping of RF and microwave circuits, antenna resonators for sensing applications.
18. Proficiency in analogue, digital, and mixed-signal circuit design, including RF front-end development, impedance matching, and high-frequency measurement techniques
19. Experience with electromagnetic and network analysis instrumentation (e.g., VNA, spectrum analysers, signal generators) for circuit testing, calibration, and characterisation
20. Demonstrated ability to conduct experimental validation, iterative prototyping, and performance optimisation of sensing systems.
21. Strong track record of publishing research in peer-reviewed journals or writing industrial reports.
22. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present findings clearly to diverse audiences
Additional benefits of joining LSTM:
23. 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, plus Christmas closure days
24. Generous occupational pension schemes
25. Government backed “cycle to work” scheme.
26. Affiliated, discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre
27. A range of additional family friendly policies