A PhD studentship is available in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Glasgow, commencing on 1 October 2007, or as soon as possible after that date. This three year studentship is fully funded, covers University tuition fees (at EU/UK level) and provides a tax-free bursary of £12,600 per year, rising annually in line with the UK Government (EPSRC) recommended rate.
In vitro cellular analysis is generally used before costly animal testing in the fields of tissue engineering, medicine and pharmaceutical development. In most cases, these experiments take place in biologically unrealistic 2D static cultures and are associated with high levels of variability in addition to being time consuming and costly. Thus, there is real a need to develop a reliable and controlled environment that mimics in vivo conditions so that cellular function can be more accurately evaluated. Such technology has the potential for high throughput and may significantly reduce the need for animal testing.
Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip technology represents an ideal way of providing well controlled and reproducible conditions for cell culture and cellular analysis . This project aims to develop and integrate bio-mimetic microenvironments into such devices to create the next generation of cell based analysis. This will involve the development of novel methods for making tailored 2D and 3D bioconstructs with defined nanostructures. Theses will be integrated with microfluidics to create systems that replicate flow conditions found in vivo . The growth and behavior of several types of cells in the resulting bio-mimicking environments will be evaluated. The devices would allow a better assessment and understanding of cell growth in engineered constructs and would be of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry for testing new medicines and drugs.
The project will involve close collaboration between the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering and the Institute of Biology and Life Science. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary team whose researchers have backgrounds in biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. The Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering is equipped with a new £10M nanofabrication facility with dedicated equipment for the production of Lab-on-a-Chip devices and nanosensors. Full training will be provided.
The studentship is available to candidates with the equivalent of a first or upper second class degree in a relevant discipline, e.g. chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, physics or analytical science. We would be particularly interested in receiving applications from those interested in broadening their knowledge with a multidisciplinary approach to developing systems and solving problems.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Huabing Yin,
Email: hy@elec.gla.ac.uk,
Tel: 0141 330 4109
How to apply:
An on-line application form (or hard copy version) can be accessed from the following site:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/applyonline/
Applications will only be considered on receipt of a completed application form. Candidates should submit their completed applications before 16 th June 2007 to:
Dr. Huabing Yin,
Department of Electronics & Electrical Engineering,
Rankine Building, University of Glasgow,
Glasgow G12 8QQ.
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