This is an exciting opportunity to undertake a PhD at the University of Leeds in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The project will involve an industrial placement at GSK which will provide a unique opportunity as a PhD student to gain insight into a career in industry and to build a valuable network of contacts for your future career.
The aim of this project is to use a materials science approach to understand the structure-function relationship in the biological material dental enamel. Dental enamel, the outer coating of a tooth, is an extreme biological material since it is the most highly mineralised and hardest tissue in the body. It is made of needle-like crystallites of calcium phosphate that are highly aligned in a 3D hierarchical architecture, which give it excellent mechanical properties. However, acidic drinks and foods can degrade this super-strong material over time, dramatically reducing its effectiveness and leading to irreversible tooth decay.
In this project you will develop a novel repair mechanism to optimise the control of guided crystal (re)growth, orientation and alignment, with the aim of recovering the appearance and mechanical function of the enamel and thus maintaining enamel health throughout life.
This is an extremely exciting project using cutting edge experimental and computational techniques. You will be trained in the use of synchrotron Xray techniques, labbased tomography, and electron microscopy techniques to obtain robust, reproducible, in situ characterisation of the multiscale structure, mineral density, and mechanical changes that occur in enamel during remineralisation of enamel lesions. You will also learn to use molecular dynamics and first principles modelling to help elucidate experimental data and to provide chemical detail, using both the national (EPSRC funded ARCHER2) and Leeds (ARC4) high performance computing facilities.
You will be at the forefront of developing innovative bioengineering solutions and improving our understanding of the relationship between structure and function in human enamel, understanding the crystallographic orientation, nanostructural changes, and chemistry of dental enamel, as a function of acid attack and subsequent remineralisation processes. The results will give us globally important advances in optimising enamel remineralisation, repair, and improve resistance to future acid challenges. In the wider context of national initiatives to tackle oral health issues, it will be a timely and influential research project.
Eligibility
You should hold a first degree equivalent to at least a UK upper second class honours degree in a relevant subject. This project would suit someone with a background in physics, engineering, material science, chemistry, biomedical sciences or a related subject.
Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence that their English language is sufficient to meet the specific demands of their study.
The Faculty of Medicine and Health minimum requirements in IELTS and TOEFL tests are:
• British Council IELTS - score of 6.5 overall, with no element less than 6.0
• TOEFL iBT - overall score of 92 with the listening and reading element no less than 21, writing element no less than 22 and the speaking element no less than 23.
How to apply
Formal applications for research degree study should be made online through the University's website. Please select PhD in Dentistry as your proposed programme of study, and state clearly in the research information section that the project you are applying for is entitled “Innovating bioengineered materials to preserve function in dental enamel”. It would also be helpful if you named Professor Maisoon Al-Jawad as your proposed supervisor.
With your application please include a full academic CV, degree certificates and transcripts (or marks so far if your degree is in progress) and evidence of your English language ability (if applicable).
For further information please contact the Faculty Graduate School [Email Address Removed]
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