Cranfield University and Aston University Birmingham

Applications are invited for a three year EPSRC Doctoral training Partnership Postgraduate studentship, supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to be undertaken within the Biomedical Engineering Research Unit at Aston University and the Forensics Biomechanics Laboratory in Cranfield University.

Musculoskeletal issues in the feet of growing children result in pain and gait problems during skeletal maturity in adolescence. Many of these cases require surgery to relieve pain and prevent disability in adult life such as joint arthritis. This project aims to investigate the key parameters impacting surgical outcomes with the aim of improving surgical planning and prognosis. This project will include gait analysis, parametric analysis of patient data and mechanical testing; therefore the candidate will be consulting with collaborators in orthopaedic surgery, biomechanics and mechanical engineers. The candidate will gain a unique opportunity to carry out clinical-led research in an exciting interdisciplinary project. The candidate would also benefit from the use of modern facilities at Aston and Cranfield. This includes a gait analysis lab, biomedical testing lab and tissue biomechanics lab. The candidate will spend the majority of time at Aston University with part of the time at Cranfield University’s Defence & Security School, Shrivenham.

At a glance

• Application phase will stay open until the post is filled.
• Award type(s)PhD
• Start date after 04 Feb 2019
• Duration of award 3 years
• Eligibility EU, UK
• Reference number PHD CFI03

Supervisor

Professor Peter Zioupos (Cranfield University)

Dr Sarah Junaid (Aston University)

Clinical supervisor: Mr Basil Budair

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a Masters at merit level (or MEng) in an appropriate subject and a First class or upper second (2:1) class honours degree or equivalent qualification in Mechanical engineering, Biomedical Engineering or Biomechanics. The candidate will have an excellent academic track record and preferably have one or more of the following skills or knowledge/experience of: biomechanics, gait analysis, inverse dynamics, statistical data analysis, finite element modelling.

Person specification and full details at: www.cranfield.ac.uk/research/phd/cds-a-statistical-parametric-tool-for-flatfoot-surgery

Funding

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the home/EU fees rate plus a maintenance allowance of £ 14,777/year for 3 years.  

*Applicants from outside the EU may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home/EU’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees, which is currently a difference of £14,240 per annum.  As part of the application you will be required to confirm that you have applied for, or, secured this additional funding elsewhere, if you are from outside of the EU.

Cranfield Doctoral Network

Research students at Cranfield benefit from being part of a dynamic, focused and professional study environment and all become valued members of the Cranfield Doctoral Network. This Network brings together both research students and staff, providing a platform for our researchers to share ideas, identify opportunities for collaboration and create smaller communities of practice.  It aims to encourage an effective and vibrant research culture, founded upon the diversity of activities and knowledge. A tailored programme of seminars and events alongside our Doctoral Researchers Core Development programme (transferable skills training), provide those studying a research degree with a wealth of social and networking opportunities.

How to apply

If you are eligible to apply for this research studentship, please complete the online application form.

Please quote the following title and reference number: PhD in “Biomechanics and biomedical engineering in reconstructive surgery of feet” with the reference number PHDCFI03.

In addition to the application form, please attach a covering or motivational letter as well as a CV.

For further information contact us today:

CDS Admissions office
T: 44 (0) 1793 785400
E: cdsadmissionsoffice@cranfield.ac.uk

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in October 2019. 

The PhD will be based in the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences and will be supervised by Professor Gordon Blunn and Dr Gianluca Tozzi. 

The work on this project will investigate: 
– the strain distribution in normal human articular cartilage obtained from bone cancer specimens
– the strain distribution in human OA samples taken from the tibial plateau during total knee replacement 
– the strain distribution in specimens taken at different time points (longitudinal study) from animal models that develop OA 

Project description 

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects over 250 million people worldwide, impacts more than half of the population over the age of 65 and is predicted to increase 7-fold by 2030. Our understanding of the aetiology and 
pathogenesis of OA remains incomplete despite numerous research studies over several decades and treatments have been largely unsuccessful. 

Early OA is associated with early changes in the architecture and volume of subchondral bone, which has led many in the field to think of OA as a disease of the ‘whole joint.’ The focus on bone changes as the initial effector of the osteoarthritic process is influenced by studies proposing how pathogenesis of OA can be attributed to a primary alteration in surrounding bone, which leads to increased strains in the the overlying articular cartilage. This adversely affects chondrocyte function and cartilage matrix loss. This hypothesis is supported by numerous studies which have demonstrated that changes in bone occur very early in the development of OA. However, cartilage and bone both have the capacity to respond to adverse biomechanical signals and, therefore, it is more likely that both tissues undergo structural and functional alterations during the initiation and evolution of OA. The extent, the interrelated effect on bone and cartilage and the precise timing of these changes remains unknown. 

The strain in the subchondral bone and in the cartilage will be investigated using high-resolution 3D X-ray computed tomography (XCT), using both adsorption and phase-contrast imaging. Specimens will be subjected to in situ mechanical loading and imaged at increasing incremental loads. The degree of strain will be determined using digital volume correlation (DVC) and its distribution related to the degree of damage using histology and immunohistochemistry, which will detect the breakdown of the cartilage matrix. 

The University of Portsmouth is uniquely positioned to answer this research question with its state-of-the-art imaging facilities available at the Zeiss Global Centre as well as world-leading experience in digital volume correlation in musculoskeletal research. The project will develop and train a PGR student in the large research area of osteoarthritis, but at the same time will utilise new techniques to address the research question. The student will utilise and develop skills, which could be applied to other aspects of biomedical engineering giving them a number of potential career opportunities after completing the PhD. 

General admissions criteria 

You’ll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum second class 
or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in a relevant subject area . In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or Qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0. 

How to Apply 

We’d encourage you to contact Professor Gordon Blunn (gordon.blunn@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code. 

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form and select ‘Biomedical, Biomolecular and Pharmacy’ as the subject area. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV. Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process. 

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code PHBM4820219 when applying. 

Funding Notes

The bursary is available to UK and EU students only and covers tuition fees and an annual maintenance grant in line with the RCUK rate (£14,777 for 2018/19) for three years.

PhD Student in Computational Biomechanics

for a period of three years starting in the spring 2019.

The outstanding candidate will be integrated in a research group in biomechanics combining experimental and computational methods to test original scientific hypotheses and develop new diagnostic methods or medical devices. She/he will work on a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation that will develop a new diagnostic tool for osteoporosis.

The project is initiated in cooperation with the Service for Bone Diseases of the University of Geneva (HUG) as well as the Polyclinic for Osteoporosis of the University Hospital in Bern. The candidate will advise undergraduate students in her/his domain of expertise and may be involved in teaching of biomedical engineering.

The University of Bern aims at increasing the proportion of women in its scientific personnel and explicitly encourages qualified women to apply for this position. The salaries correspond to the ones published by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch) and the academic track is managed by the Graduate School in Cellular and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Bern (www.gcb.unibe.ch).

Please, send your application, including a letter of motivation, complete CV and records before February 28th 2019 to

Prof. Philippe Zysset, Institute for Surgical Technologies & Biomechanics, University of Bern, Stauffacherstrasse 78, CH-3014 Bern

www.istb.unibe.ch

philippe.zysset@istb.unibe.ch

PhD Student in Medical Image Processing

for a period of three years starting in the spring 2019.

The outstanding candidate will be integrated in a research group in biomechanics combining experimental and computational methods to test original scientific hypotheses and develop new diagnostic methods or medical devices. She/he will work on a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation that will develop a new diagnostic tool for osteoporosis.

The project is initiated in cooperation with the Service for Bone Diseases of the University of Geneva (HUG) as well as the Polyclinic for Osteoporosis of the University Hospital in Bern. The candidate will advise undergraduate students in her/his domain of expertise and may be involved in teaching of biomedical engineering.

The candidate must hold a Master’s Degree in biomedical engineering or related field. A solid background in mathematics and image processing is essential, practice in statistical shape modeling, broad programming skills are necessary and project related experience in biomechanics is advantageous. Strong writing skills in English are indispensable, while knowledge of French or German is desired.

The University of Bern aims at increasing the proportion of women in its scientific personnel and explicitly encourages qualified women to apply for this position. The salaries correspond to the ones published by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch) and the academic track is managed by the Graduate School in Cellular and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Bern (www.gcb.unibe.ch).

Please, send your application, including a letter of motivation, complete CV and records before February 28th 2019 to

Prof. Philippe Zysset, Institute of Surgical Technologies & Biomechanics, University of Bern, Stauffacherstrasse 78, CH-3014 Bern

www.istb.unibe.ch

philippe.zysset@istb.unibe.ch