New technologies to detect and protect against malicious drones, investigate the movement of pollutants in indoor spaces and improve radar imaging are among a wide range of technologies being developed by engineering researchers through this year’s UK Intelligence Community (IC) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, announced today.
Focusing on areas of unclassified basic research, the fellowships support cutting edge work that can assist the intelligence community and also provide mentoring support to a new generation of engineers.
The UKIC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, which are offered by the Government Office for Science and administered by the Royal Academy of Engineering, provide a vital link between academia and the intelligence community. Each awardee receives funding for at least two years of their project and mentorship from a Fellow of the Academy as well as an advisor from the intelligence community.
Alex van Someren, Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security to HM Government, said: “I am delighted with the variety of technologies and the quality of the 2021 awardees of the UK Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowships programme that the Royal Academy of Engineering manages on my behalf. A record nine awards have been made this year in a wide variety of topics. Detection of the use of synthetic biology is the first award of its kind, particularly relevant in light of the current global pandemic. In addition, the importance of detecting unmanned aerial vehicles is reflected in the two awards made in that area. The broader category of detection of radio frequency electromagnetism (5G, measurement intelligence and wireless network fingerprinting), and using electromagnetism as an energy source to power batteries, is of central importance to designing devices for future threat detection. I am looking forward with great anticipation to the outcomes of this cutting-edge research.”
The new postdoctoral researchers are:
Media enquiries to: Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0745; email: Pippa.Cox@raeng.org.uk