The biomechanical effect of prosthetic design – a combined experimental and computational study

The Centre for Blast Injury Studies
The Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies (CBIS) (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/blast-injury/opportunities/studentships/) at Imperial College London welcomes applications for an October 2019 start from a high-calibre prospective PhD student. Studying the effects of blast injury, PhD students are important contributors of our research, which is at the forefront of developing and advancing treatment, rehabilitation and recovery from injury while improving mitigation and promoting understanding of complex trauma.

With access to world-leading academics (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/blast-injury/people/), facilities (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/blast-injury/research/facilities/) and networks (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/blast-injury/research/networks/), students benefit from a highly stimulating environment where they undertake a range of additional training and development opportunities as part of being part of a large CBIS PhD cohort. Students also have opportunities to share their research through a number of media, including conference attendance and public engagement and outreach activities.

Comprised of multidisciplinary collaborations between military medical officers and civilian engineers and scientists that address difficult research issues with a clinically-led approach, CBIS is housed within the Department of Bioengineering, which attracts outstanding students and researchers from around the world.

Project Details
Project Title: The biomechanical effect of prosthetic design - a combined experimental and computational study

The aim of this PhD will be to conduct a biomechanical analysis of the differential benefits of the most advanced lower limb prosthetics for military amputees. This will provide clear guidance for prosthetic: selection, design requirements, fitting and optimisation in the military setting.

This PhD is a collaboration between Imperial College London, Centre for Blast Injury Studies, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre. The PhD will utilise advanced musculoskeletal modelling (from Imperial College) and a substantial gait and functional analysis dataset from Walter Reed.

The project will be supervised by Professor Anthony Bull (Imperial College) and Dr Brad Hendershot (Walter Reed).

What does the studentship cover?
The Studentships will cover 3 years of tuition fees and provide a 3 year, tax-free stipend at the standard Research Council rate. In addition, a generous allowance is provided for research consumables and conference attendance.

Application Process
Home and EU candidates who meet the College's PhD programme entry requirements (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/requirements/) are eligible to apply. Entry onto the PhD programme requires an undergraduate degree at 2:1 level or higher and, normally, a master’s degree with merit or higher (or non-UK equivalents) in engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, biological sciences, physiology or medicine.
To apply to the CBIS PhD programme please visit the College's admissions webpages to view the instructions ((http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/how-to-apply/). Please ensure that when applying, you select the ‘Bioengineering Research (CBIS)’ option.

The initial deadline for applications is 31 May 2019, however we will continue to receive applications after this date, until the position is filled. The first applications will be considered from the end of May. Once applications are received, they will be sent to the supervisors for review. We will then contact you to let you know if you have been shortlisted for interview. Interviews are expected to be held in June 2019. Further interviews may be scheduled after June if the position is not filled. For general enquiries about CBIS, its activities and opportunities, please contact us at [Email Address Removed].