Wearable Placental Monitoring During Childbirth
Wearable sensor development for monitoring of placenta perfusion during childbirth
Published on the 08 October 2026 by UNSW Scientia PhD Project
This project is part of the UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship Scheme
Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend and a one-off Global Mobility Grant to conduct international engagement activities.
Could you help make childbirth safer? In this project you will work with a hospital-based engineering team to develop a new wearable sensor capable of monitoring placental blood flow during labour. Current fetal monitoring is inadequate; this project aims to measure the underlying placental function directly, providing earlier information about fetal wellbeing.
You will work at the intersection of biomedical engineering, ultrasound physics, signal processing, maternal–fetal medicine and medical-device innovation. Working with researchers at UNSW, the Royal Hospital for Women and the University of British Columbia, you will adapt the team’s validated placental perfusion technology for a wearable platform.
Your research may involve developing sensor hardware, optimising algorithms, analysing ultrasound data, and validating the system using laboratory phantoms and clinical data. The project offers international research experience, opportunities for publications and intellectual property, and the chance to develop technology with genuine potential to improve maternity care and reduce stillbirth.
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- Residency: Domestic applicants only.
- Degree program: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
You must meet the minimum requirements below to apply:
- An appropriate Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from UNSW: OR
- A completed Master by Research, with a substantial research component and demonstrated capacity for timely completion of a high-quality research thesis; OR
- a qualification from another tertiary institution at a level considered equivalent by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee (HDC)
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Eligible applicants must contact the Primary Supervisor, Tracie Barber - z9573423@ad.unsw.edu.au. If she agrees to supervise you, you will be invited to submit a formal application to UNSW.
Your email should include:
- CV
- Official academic transcripts
- A brief introduction about you and why you are qualified for this project.
- What interests you about this project and the supervisor(s) expertise.
Research project overview
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Scholarship value
$39,991 per annum (2027 rate) stipend for 3.5 years
$25,000 Global Mobility Grant (one-off) -
Supervisory team
Professor Tracie Barber (UNSW, Primary Supervisor)
Professor Alec Welsh (UNSW, Royal Hospital for Women, Co-Supervisor)
Professor Rob Rohling (UBC, Co-Supervisor)
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Global research partner
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Candidate residency
Domestic
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Degree program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
UNSW School | Research area
Faculty of Engineering | School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Impact focus area
Pillar 8: Enable healthy lives
Learn more
Supervisors
Do you have questions?
The UNSW Graduate Research School manages all postgraduate research applications and scholarships. Get in touch with our team to discuss your research interests and the next steps.