The effects of mechanical loading on articular cartilage development

This PhD project will investigate how mechanical loading affects postnatal development of articular cartilage in a goat model system. The first step in the project project will be to develop the animal model in which loading of the joints will be altered, and measuring the loading using gait analysis. Next, bone, cartilage and tendon will be characterised at a range of postnatal ages, leading to novel insights on how mechanical loading drives development of the musculoskeletal system. Later stages of the project will examine the role of developmental age on spontaneous repair and healing of cartilage defects.

The project will be based in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine with close collaboration with the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and the UCD Conway Institute. The project will be jointly supervised by Prof Pieter Brama and Prof Niamh Nowlan. For details on the research groups please see https://people.ucd.ie/pieter.brama and https://developmental-biomechanics.org/

Candidates should have an upper second or first class Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering/Medicine/Veterinary Medicine/Biomedical Sciences or a closely related area. Candidates should have a keen interest in working with translational animal models, and also in the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system.

To apply, please send a CV and a cover letter summarising your experience and your interests in this specific PhD project. The position is open until filled. Generic or copy-pasted applications will not receive a reply.