iPLACENTA Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN Early Stage Researcher ESR13 - Application of novel ultrasound technology for improving diagnostic capability of complicated pregnancies

Brief overview
St George’s University of London is looking for an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) with a focus on developing an application of novel ultrasound technology for improving diagnostic capability of complicated pregnancies. Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine. It is often associated with fetal growth restriction. It is one of the commonest causes of maternal mortality and contributed to 10% of stillbirths. It is associated with increased perinatal mortality and morbidity.

About St George’s University of London
St George’s University of London offers the perfect research environment for cardiovascular studies in pregnancy and specialised research facilities. St George’s has a strong track record of observational and interventional studies on maternal haemodynamics, with an emphasis on cardiovascular changes in preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. This has led to an excellent publication record and successful PhD and MRes projects.

There are currently over 15 research studies, including several multi-centre NIHR portfolio studies, on-going in the Department, many of which are commercially sponsored. The research department thus provides an ideal environment for higher academic research degree students; these currently include PhD and MD(Res) students pursuing projects focused on both Maternal and Fetal cardiovascular studies in pathological and uncomplicated pregnancies. The researcher will receive close direct supervision from senior academic staff. He/She will have regular supervision meetings with their clinical academic supervisor and will be encouraged to work within our multidisciplinary team to develop their research proposals. They will be provided with bench space at the Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, fully integrated within the research team. The researcher will be encouraged to join the department’s active programme of research publication and presentations at national and international meetings.

Project description:
The project is part of iPlacenta (www.iplacenta.eu), a new European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme ITN under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie, to model the placenta for early detection of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction, and to train the next generation of Translational Scientists for Maternal and Fetal Health.

The focus of the project is assessment of novel ultrasound technology for improving diagnosis of assessing complicated pregnancies and predicting maternal and perinatal outcomes. The Researcher will be expected to assess the placental microvasculature, volume and tissue stiffness, using novel ultrasound technology such as the use of Shear Wave Elastography S-Fusion in application to both the maternal and fetal health identifying new indices and ultrasound methods of assessing normal and complicated pregnancies. He/She will also be expected to ascertain their value in predicting maternal and perinatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by uteroplacental insufficiency. Furthermore, he/she will obtain well characterised clinical parameters and samples for further assessment to aid computer modelling. There will also be opportunities to apply your research and collaborate with fellow trainees in the consortium on cross-disciplinary projects.

Candidate profile:
- Interests in developing and translating technology to answer medical questions and solve healthcare problems in women health
- Strong understanding in cardiovascular imaging
- Good knowledge of Cell and Molecular Biology
- Able to communicate with scientists, engineers and clinicians of different disciplines;
- Have a motivated, flexible and positive work attitude;
- Proficiency in English language.
- be flexible to travel throughout the Europe in order to exchange expertise between the partners of iPLACENTA consortia

Eligibility:
To this position applies a mobility rule. The respective candidate must not have worked for more than 12 months in the UK within the last three years. Furthermore, the candidate needs to be in his/her first four years of his/her research career. The four years are counted from the date a degree was obtained which formally entitles to embark on a doctorate in the country either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided.

Starting date: 1st Sept 2018
Duration: 36 months

How to apply:
Submit an application to [Email Address Removed]
Application form can be downloaded from http://www.iplacenta.eu
Interviews by teleconference: June-July

Deadline for application: Monday 18th June 2018 (Midnight-GMT)