Biomedical Engineering: Fully Funded EPSRC and ProColl PhD Scholarship: Animal Free Collagen, Characterisation and Control - From Cells to Gels

31 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Swansea University

Department

Central

Research Field

Engineering » Biomedical engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

United Kingdom

Application Deadline

6 Mar 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/London)

Type of Contract

Other

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Funding providers: EPSRC and ProColl

Subject areas: Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Cell Culture, Rheology, Advanced Experimental Mechanics

Project start date: 

• 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Supervisors:

• Dr  Hari Arora  ([email protected] )
• Dr Dan Curtis

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Mode of study: Full-time 

Project description: 

Collagen is the focus of a lot of biomedical engineering research, harnessing the structural properties of collagen in applications such as tissue engineering. A lot of applications of collagen use it in the form of a hydrogel, with and without chemical cross linkers, where it forms a system of fibrils, trapping an aqueous environment for tissue growth. The project partner ProColl in collaboration with Swansea University have developed novel animal free collagens including Type I, II and III collagen, which are found in different tissues of the body. The research community and medicine are keen to use animal free materials, which reduce disease risk, inconsistency and negate ethical issues (aligning with the principles of the 3Rs). The project will answer this challenge and develop novel animal free hydrogels with mechanical characteristics that can be tuned for different applications by changing the type of collagen and chemical crosslinkers.  Further novelty and rigour will be achieved by using a multiscale approach combining rheological methods to characterise the gelling of hydrogels alongside bulk scale measurements of the mechanical properties. This characterisation will inform the formulation and thus control of the hydrogel properties and impact on cell growth, which will be studied using the recently established biomedical engineering cell culture facility.  

The successful candidate will use a variety of equipment, including mechanical test devices and state-of-the-art rheometry. The candidate will also have access to a range of microscopy for imaging microstructures. Atomic force microscopy will also be accessed to interrogate structure-property relationships of formulations on the microscale. The performance of biomaterials in biomaterial phantom applications will be assessed, maximising wider resource in phantom organ testings within the Biomedical Engineering Simulation and Testing (BEST ) Lab.   

The sponsoring company will be engaged throughout in developing ideas and applications with regular reporting expected throughout the project by the successful candidate. Collaborating research groups and stakeholders from across disciplines in healthcare and industry will regularly engage throughout to broaden the development opportunities of the candidate. By the end of the project, the candidate will have acquired a portfolio of skills and external collaborators that will provide a strong footing for future careers in either academia or industry.  

The student will work within The Complex Fluids Research Group within the Advanced Rheometry Laboratory  led by Dr Dan Curtis and The Biomedical Engineering Simulation and Testing (BEST ) Lab led by Dr Hari Arora. There are currently >20 researchers in the group with >10 PhD level working on advanced experimental and computational mechanics problems. A relevant area of focus within the group includes the development of biomaterials, novel measurement methods to study medical devices and the design of suitable simulated environments for biomechanical testing. There is a wide range of expertise within the BEST Lab to support on specialist topics as well as interdisciplinary skills development of the successful candidate. 

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (i.e. a student who is eligible to pay the UK rate of tuition fees) but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. 

We also welcome applications from graduates in computational science or mathematics.

Specific Requirements

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations . 

Additional Information
Benefits

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £18,622 for 2023/24).

Additional research expenses will also be available.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (i.e. a student who is eligible to pay the UK rate of tuition fees) but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. 

We also welcome applications from graduates in computational science or mathematics.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations . 

Selection process

Please visit our website for more information.

Website for additional job details

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/biomedical-enginee…

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Swansea University

Country

United Kingdom

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/biomedical-enginee…

Contact

State/Province

Swansea

City

Swansea

Website

http://www.swansea.ac.uk

Street

Singleton Park

Postal Code

SA2 8PP

STATUS: EXPIRED