ENACT: ENvironment-Aware Communication modes between Things

Next-generation wireless and non-terrestrial networks will rely on intelligent electromagnetic environments capable of shaping, steering, and optimising wave propagation far beyond what is possible with conventional antenna arrays. This PhD project contributes to the ENACT project on environment-aware communication modes between things, developing the mathematical and computational foundations for optimal information transfer between surfaces and volumetric current distributions in complex scattering media. The research addresses a core open problem in 6G and NTN design: how to maximise wave-based degrees of freedom (DoF) and channel capacity when links are influenced by near-field behaviour, environmental scattering, and dynamically varying propagation conditions. You will learn and develop boundary integral equation (BIE) formulations for Maxwell’s equations; Adjoint-based optimisation methods for wave problems; Statistical electromagnetic models for complex propagation channels; Wave control theory. Applications include satellite communications, intelligent surfaces, device-to-device links, and space-time programmable environments. The project offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of applied mathematics, electromagnetics, and future wireless system design within an active industrial partnership.

Open to any UK or international candidates.

We seek a highly motivated candidate with a strong background in electromagnetics, applied mathematics, physics, or electronics and telecommunications engineering. Experience in any of the following areas is advantageous: computational electromagnetics, partial differential equations, boundary integral methods, stochastic modelling, optimisation algorithms, or numerical simulation. Candidates with interest in electromagnetic theory, quantum mathematics, wave chaos and complexity, as well as emerging wireless technologies, such as reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and metasurfaces, holographic MIMO, or near-field communication, will find this project particularly well-aligned. Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C++) and an aptitude for mathematical modelling are desirable. The successful candidate will be keen to work across theory, modelling, and simulation, contributing to high-quality publications and collaborative research within the Surrey 6GIC.