Research into the interaction between gait and footwear with special reference to Microwobbleboard™ technology.

Location: Southwark Campus
Fixed-term: 3 years
Stipend of up to £15,000 per annum
Closing date for applications: 9th May 2014
Reference: FitFlop/LSBU

PhD Studentship: Research into the interaction between gait and footwear with special reference to Microwobbleboard™ technology.
Co-funded by FitFlop Ltd and London South Bank University

Studentship information: London South Bank University (LSBU) and FitFlop Ltd are co-funding a 3-year PhD industrial CASE research opportunity. The scholarship provides a tax-free maintenance allowance, tuition fees at the UK/EU rate and research costs.

We are seeking an exceptional young scientist to join researchers at the Human Performance Research Centre at LSBU for a programme of training and research. The team at LSBU are very pleased to be able to develop their collaboration with FitFlop™ in this latest venture. The company philosophy is to take a creative approach in the design and shoe-making process and to incorporate precision ergonomics into each shoe. For this studentship, the focus is on a computational methodology to allow the prediction of the influence of material and geometric characteristics of prototype footwear on subsequent human biomechanics during gait. The work will be carried out in collaboration with researchers in the engineering departments at LSBU. The studentship will be predominantly based at LSBU where the successful applicant will join an experienced and dynamic multidisciplinary team with excellent facilities and funding. There will be scope for secondments at FitFlop Ltd. throughout the project, when appropriate.

Supervisory team: Dr Darren James, Dr John Seeley, Dr Nikolay Zlatov (all LSBU), and Dr Kim Lilley (FitFlop Ltd).

Project Description: Footwear development often requires several iterations of prototyping, even before human testing; this process can be a considerable burden to manufacturers with respect to time and cost. To avoid this, a computational approach can be adopted, allowing the prediction of the properties of designed footwear on subsequent interactions with the wearer. In light of the ever-increasing interest in footwear technology for health and well-being, such an approach would be highly advantageous. This research program will be structured into three main areas of activity: (1) exploration of existing Microwobbleboard™ technology using higher order statistics; (2) development of a computational model to predict gait responses to various foot-ground interfaces, and (3) validation of this model against experimental testing.

Eligibility: The studentship will cover a stipend of up to £15,000 per annum and tuition fees at the prevailing UK/EU rate. The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit for three years of full-time study. This funding is preferentially open to UK and EU Nationals.

Contact: For informal enquiries please contact Dr Darren James (email: [Email Address Removed]; Tel: +44 (0)20 7815 7935).

Closing date for applications: 9th May 2014

How to apply: Your application should be completed on a RES1 form and should include the following: Reference to Fitflop/LSBU, a curriculum vitae, academic transcripts, names and contact information of two references and a statement setting out your motivation for applying for the post and explaining how your skills, experience and academic knowledge will contribute to the project. For full details and application details please visit: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/research/research-degrees

London South Bank University is an Equal Opportunities Employer.