Dr S Vahaji, Assoc Prof F Christo, Prof David Morton
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Understanding the flow and particulate dynamics of inhaled droplets through a nasal cavity is critical for efficient and effective design of drug delivery inhalers. Despite the numerous inhalers products in the market, most fail to deliver the droplets into the targeted regions. Alongside the experimental investigation, this study aims at also developing realistic geometry and injection conditions into a nasal cavity. This study aims at helping understand the complex transient flow and particulate patterns to assist in optimising the design of inhalers and the manner in which they should be used to maximise drug delivery effectiveness.
The proposed research will include utilising advanced CFD models as the main design and optimisation tool. Full 3D-CAD models of a human nasal cavity has already been obtained from CT images of actual patients, and from a generic humanoid model. More patient-dependent models will be produced during the candidature to potentially provide statistical analysis and medical advice. An experimental study will also be carried out (using PIV imaging and other sampling techniques) on a surrogate nasal cavity. These results will then be used to validate the numerical model to demonstrate the fidelity of the numerical predictions.
https://www.deakin.edu.au/engineering/research/engineering-future-leaders
Funding Notes
This project is only open for Australian domestic students (Australian or NZ citizens or those who have Australian Permanent Residency)
The scholarship is AUD$40,000 p.a. for three years. In addition, the successful applicant will be given the opportunity to undertake a tailored leadership/change management program to increase the applicant's employability skills.