Fully Funded PhD places - EPSRC CDT in Physical Sciences for Health (Sci-Phy-4-Health)

Sci-Phy (Physical Sciences for Health) is an exciting integrated multidisciplinary PhD programme at the University of Birmingham that applies physical and computer sciences to meet key medical challenges.

10 fully funded EPSRC studentships (including tax-free stipend of £14,777 per annum*) are available for Home/EU students to begin this inter-disciplinary four-year programme in September 2018.

Programme

We train cohorts of graduates from different scientific backgrounds together in a unique interdisciplinary programme that combines physical sciences, computer sciences, imaging and biomedicine and breaks down the boundaries between these disciplines. We seek to create interdisciplinary researchers with a broad skill-base who will be at the vanguard of developing physical science to contribute to future breakthroughs in biomedical sciences.

Our students work with world-class researchers from Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Bioscience, Medicine and Dentistry on multidisciplinary projects that develop new physical science research to address three key UK healthcare challenges:

• Cardiovascular disease - the major killer of over 65s in the UK
• Ageing, a UK healthcare grand challenge
• Trauma, the major killer of under 40s in the UK and over 65s

Our Programme is an integrated 4-year PhD: In the first year students train as a cohort and combine taught and practical work to gain the necessary theoretical foundations, laboratory and practical skills for cross-disciplinary research at the biology and medicine interface. Six tailor-made taught modules and two mini-projects are combined with training in communication skills, public understanding of science and knowledge transfer. After the first year (which can be awarded an MSc) students engage in individual specialised interdisciplinary research projects for the next three-years. Each project involves three elements: a biomedical system and challenge, one or more physical science technologies, and advanced analysis of the system or data generated.

Project areas include:

• New chemical labels and instruments for tracking and positioning therapeutic
• Devices that differentiate sterile and non-sterile inflammation
• Metal, Ceramic & Polymeric Biomaterials
• New microscopies for studying cell adhesion and signalling in vascular disease
• Nano-compounds and methods to explore flow in confined spaces in teeth under repair, and in blood circulation
• Supramolecular recognition of key nucleic acid targets for disease detection and therapy
• Nanoprobes for biomolecular applications
• New frontiers in optical imaging – enhancing instruments and molecular probes
• Statistics and Data Analysis for Characterisation, Knowledge Mining and Discovery: Computational Statistics for Quantitative Mass Spectroscopy; Image Analysis; Novel Approaches to Big Data

The Centre for Doctoral Training programme builds on the large scientific, medical and engineering base of the University of Birmingham and upon established existing cross-discipline collaborations at the Life Sciences Interface. Students will have access to excellent laboratory facilities and instrumentation across the disciplines.

Collaborations with 18 industrial companies, several national research institutes and a leading NHS acute Hospital are embedded in the programme to ensure developments have immediate impact on patients.

Our established and vibrant CDT community consists of 50+ students working on a variety of challenging projects applying physical science at the biomedical interface and provides a unique and supportive training environment in which to develop.

Entry Requirements

Applications for programme entry in 2018 are open to students that have or expect to obtain a good 2:1 (Hons) or 1st class degree (or equivalent EU/overseas degree) in Physical Sciences (e.g. Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science), Natural Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics or Engineering. Students who can demonstrate a strong physical science background within a biological or biomedical degree will also be considered.

Full details regarding eligibility for EPSRC funded studentships can be found at: www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/eligibility

Learn More

Dr Robert Neely
Email: r.k.neely@bham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 8810