Dr R Dahiya
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
The enforcement of regulations prohibiting the use of animal or animal derived substances for the development and testing of consumer, cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients (EU regulation 76/768/EEC), makes it important to develop, evaluate, and integrate alternative approaches (e.g. in silico approaches such as (Q)SARs and expert systems) for skin sensitization hazard and risk assessment. These studies open an interesting window for as they could be extended to develop the in-silico model of skin to investigate the transduction mechanism in soft-skin at molecular scale. The student involved in this project will develop the in-silico models of skin by considering the receptors in soft skin at various depths and role of various soft materials. Working with other group members the student will incorporate new findings in the synthetic material to be used for making of artificial tactile sensing skin. The job requires good skills related in-silicon modelling and COMSOL/Ansys etc. for modelling of soft materials.
This PhD will be part of the cohort supported by EU funded Innovative Training Network - INnovative Network for Training in ToUch InteracTIVE Interfaces (INTUITIVE), which aims to bring a paradigm shift in our understanding of human tactile processing and in the exploitation of opportunities offered by artificial tactile sensing. Instead of limiting themselves to the properties that can be empirically defined at the level of single tactile sensors, the cohort will build on the novel principle that the brain/artificial haptic sensing system control the state of population-level tactile sensor activation using force modulation to obtain a super-rich source of information in haptic exploration. Based on this new conceptual framework, the first computational biomimetic skin that will be developed in INTUITIVE will consider the skin mechanics and integrate a large variety of individual sensor elements. Robotics and assistive technology applications will illustrate the new generation of tactile artificial intelligent systems enabled by these findings.
The candidate should have passed (with high grades) or likely to pass the relevant degree making them eligible to start PhD. Normally it is Master’s degree but can also be the Bachelor degree for outstanding candidates. Degree in Engineering (electronics, mechanical, biomedical or similar), Materials Science and similar is desired.
The researcher must not have carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc) in the United Kingdom for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment.
The researcher should not have obtained a PhD degree and should not have more than 4 year full-time or equivalent research experience since obtaining the degree which makes them eligible for starting the PhD degree.
The researcher should not have obtained a PhD degree and should not have more than 4 year full-time or equivalent research experience since obtaining the degree which makes them eligible for starting the PhD degree.
All candidates are advised to visit the following website to obtain further details of the eligibility requirements for Marie Curie initiatives, see particularly page 8 to assess your criteria before making an application: - http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2018-2020/main/h2020-wp1820-msca_en.pdf
Applicants will also need to submit an application to the University’s job vacancy site:
https://my.corehr.com/pls/uogrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=034719
Funding Notes
Salary: Approx. £35,000 - £45,000 per annum*
Researchers will receive an additional mobility allowance and, depending on personal circumstances, a family allowance.