The department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath is inviting applications for the following fully funded PhD project/studentship, expected to commence in January 2024.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if a suitable candidate is identified before the posted closing date.
Project
Over 500,000 people in the UK suffer from heart failure, with 14,000 admitted to hospital each year and 10,000 deaths. Worldwide, 26 million have heart failure, with a predicted increase of at least 46 % by 2030. The health expenditure on heart failure in the US alone is $31 billion. For patients with severe end-stage heart failure the only hope of long term survival is a heart transplant. However, donor hearts are scarce, and not available for all who need them, resulting in fewer than 200 heart transplants/year in the UK. Alternative treatments are urgently needed to keep patients alive until a donor heart can be found. One alternative is a Total Artificial Heart (TAH): a machine to completely replace the native heart. Unfortunately the only available TAH suffers from a number of issues.
Scandinavian Real Heart AB have developed a TAH with a completely novel pumping concept based on displacement of a piston and valve. It is hypothesized that the use of positive displacement, rather than rotation, has major advantages for physiological compatibility. To enable smaller patients to benefit, the company are scaling down the Realheart TAH; but if the pumping frequency is increased there is the potential to increase fluid stresses on the blood and cause damage. This project then aims to investigate the impact of reducing the size of the TAH on blood damage. Extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) will be required along with the use of numerical modelling of haemolysis (damage to the red blood cells) and the creation of a numerical model for thrombosis (blood clotting).
If proven successful as a “bridge-to-transplant”, the TAH could be a viable permanent alternative to heart transplant for suitable patients. This project is an outstanding opportunity to help bring the next generation of mechanical heart pumps to the clinic. By assisting Scandinavian Real Heart AB to optimise their TAH for smaller patients, this research will be invaluable in helping the product gain regulatory approval and be adopted into the clinic. In addition the research will contribute to fundamental science related to incompressible fluid mechanics, blood trauma and clotting, and develop new simulation techniques to advance the field of mechanical circulatory support development.
The research will involve the use of computational fluid dynamics to simulate blood flow within the TAH, the development of numerical models for damage to the different blood components and the interactions between them. As such the student should have a strong background in engineering, applied maths or physics. There may also be the opportunity to perform experimental validation of the numerical results at Scandinavian Real Heart’s location in Sweden. Through this PhD the student will become an expert in computational and mathematical modelling of fluid flows, including the use of commercial and opensource software, and in-house code development. By working with Scandinavian Real Heart the student will develop teamwork and communication skills, and an awareness of the medical device industry. The University’s DoctoralSkills training includes a wide range of transferable skills courses. The student will write high impact journal papers and present at leading international conferences.
Candidate Requirements
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class (preferred) or high Upper Second Class Honours degree (or the equivalent) in Engineering, Applied Maths, Physics, or related discipline. A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous.
Non-UK applicants must meet our English language entry requirement.
Enquiries and Applications
Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Katharine Fraser - [Email Address Removed]
Formal applications should be made via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
Please note that this is a generic application form. When completing the form, you must therefore identify your application as being for 'EPSRC DTP studentship' in Section 3 Finance (question 2), and you must quote the project title and lead supervisor’s name in the ‘Your research interests’ section. Failure to complete these steps will cause delays in the processing of you application and may result in you missing the application deadline.
More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found on our website.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We value a diverse research environment and aim to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups.
If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.
Keywords
Fluid dynamics, blood, computational fluid dynamics, artificial organs, artificial hearts, medical devices, medical technology, heart failure
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