PhD Studentship – Divison of Surgery and Interventional Science UCL

The PhD studentship is based within Dr Deepak Kalaskar’s Patient Specific medical implant and device (PSMID) research group, part of the Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Sciences and multidisciplinary research facility, with a focus on patient specific implants and device design.
The studentship covers the full cost of UK/EU tuition fees, plus a tax free stipend of £10,500 per annum for three years. There will also be additional funds available for research expenses and conference travels.
Studentship Description
Working within the UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, the successful PhD applicant will work on the development of patient specific screw guides for scoliosis surgery. Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity. 0.3-0.4% of children will need specialist supervision, and 0.1% will need hospital treatment. Pedicle screw fixation has been widely used to correct scoliosis deformities. Currently, spinal surgeons either use the anatomical freehand technique or use intraoperative imaging to help with screw placements. Intraoperative imaging can improve the accuracy of screw placement, but that is usually compromised by the high dose of radiation exposure to the patients and the surgeons, and increased operative time. Current research project uses the state of the art 3D printing technology, to manufacture patient-specific anatomical shaped screw guides for each level of the spine, which can be placed on the deformed segments of the spine to guide screw placement accurately, without the use of additional pre or intraoperative imaging, and hence reduce the screw misplacement rate. Delivery of the project includes design optimization of patient specific screw guide based on CT/MRI scans and their validation in in vitro models. There is vast potential to translate this technology for applications in other surgeries to improve safety of both patients and clinical team.

Person Specification
Essentials: Applicants should hold a first class honours degree (or its equivalent) in radiology, engineering, physical sciences, or biosciences, or a Master’s degree in a related subject area to the project. Candidate should be fluent in written and spoken English.
Desirable: previous surgery and or Radiology experience, 3D printing and previous experience of working with CAD software will be valuable. Previous experience of publication will be seen positively.

Eligibility
Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is open to UK/EU candidates only.
To make an application, please email your CV and a covering letter to: Dr Deepak Kalaskar (d.kalaskar@ucl.ac.uk) explaining your interests, and research experience (including examples of previous project work related to propose studentship).

Apply Now

Funding Notes

£10,500 per annum + UK/EU fees per annum