PhD Research Studentships

Centre for Doctoral Training in Next Generation Organ on a Chip Technology (COaCT)

Supervisor: Julia SHELTON
Apply by:6 January 2025
Start in:September (Semester 1)

Description

Up to 16 fully funded 4-year studentships available.

Applications for September 2025 are now OPEN.

The Centre for Doctoral Training in Next Generation Organ on a Chip Technology (COaCT) is a 4-year PhD cohort training programme, co-delivered with key stakeholders that addresses the major user need for skilled graduates to transform delivery of new medicines using organ-on-a-chip technologies. The CDT offers an opportunity to do a PhD in a highly interdisciplinary environment comprising world-leading researchers and industrial stakeholder partners. Students will, in addition to the research and technical content of their PhD project, learn about concepts of responsible research, innovation and design, and address the regulatory landscape governing safe, ethical use of organ-chips in human therapeutic discovery.

As a PhD student you will participate in pioneering research on a wide range of topics while gaining experience and essential skills in innovation and entrepreneurship, interaction with bioengineering companies and effective communication with the wider society. Students will also benefit from a 1-3 month placement with industrial stakeholder, regular seminars, journal clubs, a Winter School, and a Summer Symposium to foster a strong community and collaborative networks.  Please see www.cpm.qmul.ac.uk/cdt/training/. 

This unique training programme provides students with fundamental knowledge and in-depth training in technical Research & Development, technology translation, and essential skills for developing leadership in the organ-on-a-chip field.  This training will provide you with tools that will enable you to be able to significantly influence this rapidly expanding field of international significance in the future. The cohort-focused philosophy of our training programme ensures that our graduates learn how to collaborate and think creatively, experience diverse and vibrant research environments and leave QMUL equipped with necessary skills for a future career in academia or industry.

Studentships developing organ-chip model systems and associated technologies are currently available in the following research areas:

  • Development of a vascularised muscle-tendon inflammation-on-a-chip model
  • An organ-chip model of inflammation in the canine cartilage-synovium interface
  • Effect of mechanical environment on immune cell invasion within an organ-chip
  • Tissue-in-a-tube bioreactor screening of bioresorbable composites for bone repair
  • Development of a dual synovial joint and heart organ-on-a-chip model for investigating heart disease in Rheumatoid arthritis and testing new therapeutics
  • Generation and testing of a cutting-edge organ-on-a-chip technology for polycystic kidney disease
  • Engineering of adipose bone marrow niches of acute myeloid leukemia for safety and efficacy testing
  • Vaginal probiotics for reproductive health: microbiome organ-chip 
  • Investigating immune dysfunction in 3D microfluidic models of inflammatory skin disease
  • Personalised vessel-on-a-chip technology to stratify patients for coronary artery disease preventions.
  • Artery-on-a-chip technology to identify patients with life-threatening heart disease
  • Development of a human hepatocyte culture for measuring drug metabolism and elimination to replace animal models used in drug testing
  • A multi-organ model for breast cancer metastasis to bone and liver
  • in silico wound healing models using scar-on-a-chip platforms
  • Biosensor functionalised organ-chip platforms for improved versatility of predictive in vitro models
  • Multi-scale electromechanical cardiac fibrosis digital twins: from cellular to organ-scale predictions
  • Developing adrenal organ-chip models of endocrine disorders for therapeutic testing

Project Descriptions »

Funding

Funded by: EPSRC

Eligibility

  • The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
  • If English is not your first language, you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of minimum score of 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking).
  • Candidates are expected to start in September (Semester 1).

Contact

For informal enquiries about this opportunity, please contact Julia SHELTON.

Apply

Start an application for this studentship and for entry onto the PhD Organ-on-a-Chip Technologies full-time programme (Semester 1 / September start):

Apply Now »

Please be sure to quote the reference "SEMS-PHD-642" to associate your application with this studentship opportunity.

Related website:https://www.cpm.qmul.ac.uk/cdt/applications/
SEMS Research Centre:
Bioengineering
Keywords:Biological Sciences - Other, Biotechnology, Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, Tissue Engineering