Ryan’s PhD research investigates how to improve the durability and performance of bird-tracking tag antennas through the integration of advanced materials science and nature-inspired design. Wildlife tracking relies heavily on external whip antennas, particularly for very small birds where internal antennas are impractical. These whip antennas are lightweight and flexible but are highly vulnerable to mechanical damage caused by bird interaction, environmental exposure, and repeated bending fatigue. Antenna failure leads to premature tag loss, reduced data quality, and increased handling of animals, raising both technical and welfare concerns.

The research aims to extend antenna lifespan while maintaining ethical requirements for low mass and minimal impact on birds. Work is structured around three key strands:

1) Damage analysis of returned antennas — systematic inspection of failed antennas from field deployments to establish how birds interact with antennas and where wear, kinking, and fracture occur along their length. This generates the first dedicated dataset describing real-world mechanical failure in wildlife tracking antennas.

2) Advanced materials investigation — evaluation of alternating magnetic field (AMF) treatment applied to nickel–titanium (NiTi) shape-memory alloys used in antenna construction. This project is the first to examine AMF treatment for NiTi in any application, with the objective of enhancing fatigue endurance and mechanical stability under cyclic loading...

3) Biomimetic design development — exploration of protective antenna structures inspired by natural systems such as insect antennae and hierarchical biological materials. These designs aim to introduce variable stiffness and distributed protection along the antenna to improve upon reinforcement methods currently used in industry.

The project combines experimental fatigue testing, tensile characterisation, computational modelling, and field-informed design evaluation to establish an integrated material and structural solution for next-generation wildlife tracking antennas. The planned outcomes include new data on antenna damage patterns, the first assessment of the effects of AMF treatment on NiTi fatigue behaviour, and validated biomimetic protective concepts for small-scale flexible structures. Collectively, the research contributes to improving wildlife telemetry reliability while supporting ethical and practical conservation practices.