Multifunctional antimicrobial sensor fabrics for patient’s healthcare (Advert Reference: RDF20/EE/MCE/VICENTE)

Hospital-acquired nosocomial infections are the most frequent adverse event during healthcare delivery or surgical interventions worldwide. The development of antibiotics has played an important role to control these infections. However, the overuse or misuse of antibiotics has led to increase antibiotic resistance of hospital pathogen. One of the most promising approaches to prevent spreading resistant bacterial strains in hospitals is to introduce durable antibacterial textiles by coating them with an antibacterial agent. In addition, these textiles can be further developed by making them behave as sensors, generating response signal to change in any stimulus such as pressure, electrical current, temperature and force. These kind of textiles are known as smart textiles. The nature of textiles makes them ideal for designing smart wearable devices because textiles can come into direct interaction with human beings.

In this context, the aim of this PhD project is to develop antimicrobial sensor fabrics (AS-fabrics) to be applied in the healthcare sector, including hospitals. For example, they can be used by patients in hospitals to get aid from healthcare workers by sending them a signal if the patient falls down. The PhD student involved in this project will use a range of deposition techniques for fabric fabrication and subsequent characterization.

The principal supervisor for this project is Dr Yolanda Sanchez Vicente. The second and third supervisors will be Professor Khalid Lafdi and Dr Sergio Gonzalez Sanchez.


Eligibility and How to Apply:

Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the propoVsed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
• Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF20/EE/MCE/VICENTE) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: Friday 24 January 2020
Start Date: 1 October 2020

Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.