PhD Studentship: Correlation of Hydrogen Sulphide Level with Maternal Haemodynamic Changes in Preeclampsia and Fetal Growth Restriction

Closing Date: 1st  April 2024 [23.59 GMT]

Primary Supervisor: Dr Keqing Wang

Associate Supervisor: Professor Shagaf Bakour

Associate Supervisor: Dr Mandeep Marwah

Prospective Start Date: 1 July 2024

Academic year: 2023/4

Key words: Preeclampsia, H2S, Cardiovascular maladaptation

Applications are invited for a Postgraduate studentship, supported by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust to be undertaken within the Aston Medical School.

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the home fees rate, plus a maintenance allowance of £18,622 in 2023/4.

This application is not available to Overseas students.

Details of the Project

Cardiovascular complications affect up to 4% of pregnancies worldwide. The risk of developing cardiovascular related complications during pregnancy in the Western world is also increasing with the rise in maternal age. Furthermore, pregnancy related conditions such as preeclampsia (PE) increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases later in life up to 4-fold.

Women suffer from pregnancy disorders such as preeclampsia (PE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) have shown persistent failure of maternal cardiovascular adaptation prior to the onset of symptoms. Most importantly, the abnormalities in cardiac function and vessel compliance persist for decades postpartum making PE a risk factor for cardiovascular disease later in life. However, the exact mechanisms associated with the failure in the cardiovascular system during pregnancy and the increased postpartum cardiovascular risk is unclear.

This proposed study aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular maladaptation in women who develop preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.

This studentship will provide appropriate training for an exceptional clinician to gain a broad interdisciplinary research experience. 

Person Specification

The successful applicant should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, a Masters degree in a relevant subject with a 60% or higher weighted average, and/or a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (or an equivalent qualification from an overseas institution) in a relevant subject. Preferred skill requirements are:

• a medical degree;
• have held clinical post following qualification with a medical degree (desirable);
• hold a BSc degree before medical degree (desirable);
• have previous research experience (desirable)

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project contact Dr Keqing Wang at [email protected] .

Submitting an application

For full details on how to apply, including required documents, please click the ‘Apply’ button above.