The Healthcare Technologies Institute are striving to advance new technologies and treatments that encourage better tissue healing and rehabilitation tools. We are seeking to recruit interdisciplinary research staff and students of outstanding quality across all areas of research conducted within our Institute.
Current job vacancies
Research Fellow in Cultivated Meat Ingredients - School of Chemical Engineering - 102804 - Grade 7
Department: School of Chemical Engineering
Supervisor: Dr Tom Mills
Closing date: 15 November 2023
The project will deliver a game-changing innovation in the form of low-cost, regenerative, food-grade ingredients, that completely transform the economics of cultivated meat and improve meat product consistency, driving down costs to make them comparable to current farmed meat prices. Our initial feasibility work indicates other advantages including: our feedstocks can be easily produced in large quantities at very low cost; they can support many different meat cell types in bioreactor culture; and they can contribute to final product formation. University of Birmingham will lead a feasibility study that seeks to understand and extend stability and shelf life, to lower costs and energy use even further, because ingredients often have to be shipped refrigerated or frozen, which is costly and consumes energy.
Research Fellow - School of Chemical Engineering - 102530 - Grade 7
Department: School of Chemical Engineering
Supervisor: Professor Alicia El Haj
Closing date: 19 November 2023
The successful candidate will take responsibility for the research stream and be required to oversee junior staff involved in the development of new nanotechnologies and protocols by which we can control cell behaviour in patients undergoing treatment for disease including cancer. Specifically, we aim to expand and develop a breakthrough platform technology using magnetic particle tagging which will allow us to direct cells for therapeutic purposes. Specifically:
- To identify mechano-receptor binding sites on stem and mature cells which will enable remote activation of signalling pathways via magnetic fields
- To design and test magnetic particles with tailored tagging strategies using single cell through 3D human models to in vivo animal models
Successful approaches will be translated to relevant small animal models to demonstrate potential applications in cancer therapy. The job will specifically focus on applications in T cell activation and mobilisation.
KTP Association in Application of Computer Science for Additive Manufacturing Process Monitoring - School of Chemical Engineering - 102484 - Grade 7
Department: School of Chemical Engineering
Supervisor: Dr Sophie Cox
Closing date: 19 November 2023
This is an exciting opportunity to lead a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and Renishaw PLC. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership project will build on existing fundamental research carried out by UoB around analysis and prediction of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) process monitoring data. Following the evaluation of different technical approaches (e.g., bespoke algorithms, computational neural networks, etc.), a robust solution will be developed and validated using practical datasets. Working with Renishaw’s software team, this solution shall be delivered in a form that can be partially integrated with the current software platform.
The project presents an opportunity to work with a world leading MAM system manufacturer addressing real-world practical problems using computational methods guided by practical experimental data. A highly interdisciplinary challenge.
Research Fellow - School of Chemical Engineering - 102850 - Grade 7
Department: School of Chemical Engineering
Supervisor: Dr Patricia Perez Esteban
Closing date: 15 November 2023
The successful candidate for this post will work in collaboration with SMEs and academic institutions within an Innovate UK grant in the topic of 'Novel low-emission food production systems'. The aim of the project is to develop and test new soft material-based platforms for cell culture purposes. The duration of this post is 6 months full time or 12 months part time.
The successful candidate will work in the Healthcare Technologies Institute, which brings together leading experts from a variety of disciplines across the University of Birmingham, including chemical engineering, biomedical science, computer science, applied mathematics, chemistry and physics. Researchers across the University of Birmingham are working collaboratively to speed up the translation of new discoveries into health applications.
Research Fellow - School of Chemical Engineering - 102618 - Grade 7
Department: School of Chemical Engineering
Supervisor: Professor Liam Grover
Closing date: 22 November 2023
This Research Fellow will work on the EU SmartShape project, which seeks to develop a sensor system that can delivered in a minimally invasive manner, to continuously monitor blood pressure. The UoB part of the project will specifically focus on the development of the polymeric film on which the sensor will be fabricated. This film must be able to adopt a coiled/furled morphology when at ambient temperature, but flatten out when injected into the body. Importantly, the structure must be fabricated using polymers with previously established use in the body. The ideal candidate will have experience of polymer science, preferably with experience of processing. Some experience of working in medical/biomaterials would be beneficial, although not essential.
Research Fellow in Biomaterials and Microbiology - School of Biomedical Sciences - 102826 - Grade 7
Department: School of Biomedical Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Richard Horniblow
Closing date: 27 November 2023
The Oral, Gastrointestinal and Systemic Health (OGS) Theme, within the NIHR funded Biomedical Research Centre in Inflammation at the University of Birmingham are seeking a Research Fellow, with demonstrable experience in Microbiology and Biomaterials to join in early 2024. This is an exciting project, focussing on the conceptualisation, development, and examination of novel delivery formulations to successfully deliver beneficial probiotic bacteria and/or metabolites to both the colon and oral cavity to improve health. The OGS group are identifying novel bioactives that could have therapeutic potential when administered within the mouth or successfully delivered to the colon, however, appropriate formulation to ensure their successful delivery remains a significant challenge. The delivery of bioactives within the oral cavity or to the colon must resist many external stresses and environmental challenges, and, to overcome these, the development of formulations which contain materials to address these challenges is essential. Consequently, candidates should have a proven track-record in biomaterials and their application. Equally important is quantifying this delivery and examining the efficacy of any delivered bioactive agents; candidates should therefore have experience with biomedical in vitro models. Since many of the bioactive agents will be probiotics and the need to assess their ability at infiltrating oral-biofilm models and/or colonic multispecies community models, experience in microbiology models and biofilms is desirable.
PhD studentships
PhD position: Development of a physiologically relevant platform to inform clinical practice and limit antimicrobial resistance in orthopaedic implants
Department of Chemical Engineering, Supervisor: Dr Sophie Cox, Co-supervisor: Dr Tim Overton
Funding & Eligibility: Directly funded / UK, EU & International students
Application deadline: 4th January 2024
This PhD will develop a physiologically relevant platform to inform orthopaedic clinical practice with the aim of limiting AMR. For this purpose, the experimental plan will be focused in four principal areas:
- Ascertain the effectiveness of antibiotic an antimicrobial mixtures, dosing and regimes on the short term and long-term resistance development of an array of clinical and laboratory strains of both Gram positive and negative bacteria typically associated with orthopaedic implant infections.
- Unravel the phenotypic and genetic mechanisms behind the observed changes in resistance.
- Modification of an existing bioreactor set up to create a physiologically relevant infection model for both planktonic bacteria and orthopaedic device surfaces colonised with early-stage attached bacteria and fully formed biofilms.
- Engage with healthcare experts and regulators to optimise current practices.
PhD position: Assessing the impact of sterilisation on the usability of medical plastic waste
Department of Chemical Engineering, Supervisor: Dr Anita Ghag, Co-supervisors: Andrew Dove & Joan Geoghegan
Funding & Eligibility: Directly funded / UK & EU students only
The burden of medical plastic waste has become an increasingly pressing concern in recent years. The healthcare industry relies heavily on single-use plastic items due to their convenience and hygiene factors, but this has led to a significant environmental problem. Improper disposal and inadequate recycling of medical plastics contribute to pollution, ecosystem degradation, and potential harm to human health. This PhD project aims to address this burden via a multifaceted approach.
As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a collaborative effort to explore the critical intersections of sterilisation methods, plastic properties, and robotic selection. The project aims to address the challenges associated with ensuring the sterility and usability of medical testing plastics, while also assessing the effect of repeated sterilisation on plastic properties.
Informal enquiries can be directed to Dr Anita Ghag via email: a.k.ghag@bham.ac.uk
PhD: Glycan sensing technology for early and accurate cancer diagnosis
Department of Chemical Engineering, Supervisor: Professor Paula Mendes (The Mendes group)
Funding & Eligibility: Self-funded / Students world-wide
The project will focus on developing advanced glycan sensing technology for detecting a broad range of glycans with high affinity and specificity in complex biological samples. The project involves an unprecedented combination of principles and methods of polymer chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, synthetic molecular recognition, and nanochemistry. The project will have a transformative impact on the early detection of different cancers, including prostate cancer
Informal enquiries can be directed to Professor Paula M Mendes via email: p.m.mendes@bham.ac.uk
Outreach opportunities
The School of Chemical Engineering is dedicated to raising awareness of chemical engineering amongst young people by working closely with schools, colleges, teachers and career advisors.
Visit the Chemical Engineering outreach page for more information.
For Work Experience placements, email: hti@contacts.bham.ac.uk