PhD in Advanced Imaging of Fetal Growth Restriction

Job title:

PhD in Advanced Imaging of Fetal Growth Restriction

Company

University College London

Job description

About usMeasurement and Models of Organ Development in Fetal Growth RestrictionA 3-year PhD Studentship in Advanced Medical Imaging of Fetal Growth Restriction is available within the Institute of Women’s Health, funded by the institute. The studentship will commence from 1 October 2024 onwards, under the supervision of Dr Andrew Melbourne & Dr Rosalind Aughwane.Review of the Key Literature:Fetal growth restriction (FGR) affects at least 10% of all pregnancies. FGR describes a fetus that has failed to reach their genetic growth potential. Many cases of FGR are caused by placental insufficiency occurring secondary to poor placentation in early pregnancy. The resulting inadequate maternal and fetal placental perfusion inhibits oxygen and nutrient supply to the fetus, resulting in poor growth. Placental insufficiency is responsible for over a third of UK stillbirths and is associated with considerable morbidity due to preterm birth.This PhD project will take recent developments in computational modelling of advanced MRI in pregnancy and adapt them to characterise fetal organ growth and development, especially in the lung, and link this to neonatal outcome data. The project will focus on developing the tools to facilitate and improve relevant physiological models of FGR and evaluate their use in clinical populations of FGR.This project will specifically develop:

• techniques for automatic lung structure measurement and analysis using advanced MRI.
• apply these methods for measuring fetal lung development to fetal growth restriction.
• evaluate the performance of these measurements against outcome makers of fetal lung function
• validate these methods against results from an advanced pre-clinical model of fetal growth restriction.
• integrate the results and methods above with corresponding data from other fetal organs.

This work will be carried out on extensive pre-acquired data (in an ethically approved study) from both pre-clinical and clinical FGR datasets. The supervisors have a range of international physiological and clinical partners (from University College Hospital, the University of South Australia & Oregon Health and Science University) with whom this project will be developed, giving opportunities for wider travel and learning experiences including lab visits.Hypothesis/Aims * To develop software for accurate assessment of fetal organ volume, shape and function using advanced imaging.

• Apply this software to singleton pregnancies to investigate developmental patterns in fetal growth restriction and control pregnancies
• Compare results with clinical markers of outcome such as lung and kidney function in the neonatal period.
• Carry out validation by applying the developed methodology to a pre-clinical model of fetal growth restriction.

About the roleEnvironment:The student will work within the Institute of Women’s Health, Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine. The Department, headed by Prof Pascale V Guillot, represents a significant collaboration of scientists and clinicians with a unifying aim to improve outcomes for pregnant women and their babies through improved diagnosis and treatment. Research ranges from investigation of mechanisms of conditions such as preterm birth, fetal growth restriction and perinatally acquired brain injury to the development of novel therapies using vector based gene delivery and stem cell based strategies to address prenatal acquired and congenital abnormalities.The project will provide the student with invaluable hands-on experience of applying their knowledge in various subjects, ranging from human anatomy and physiology to data analysis and computer programming, in a single multi-disciplinary project. The student will be embedded and supported within an internationally leading team of clinicians and engineers and learn about (i) methods of fetal imaging and data analysis, (ii) principles of mathematical modelling, (iii) applying advanced image analysis, (iv) programming skills needed for analysis, (v) recent advances in fetal therapy. Hence, the project will allow the student to develop multi-disciplinary problem-solving skills. Moreover, the multi-disciplinary nature of the project will also give the students an opportunity to develop their future career path.About youApplicants should have, or expect to receive an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree (or equivalent work experience) in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.What we offerEligibilityThe student will receive a starting stipend of £21,237 per annum (including London weighting). The student will be expected to cover any relevant PhD tuition fees.NB: You will be asked about your likely fee status at the interview so we would advise you to contact the for advice should you be unsure whether or not you meet the eligibility criteria for Home fee status. Further information on Brexit and the definitions for fee status assessment can be found on the and also the (Higher Education: Definitions for fee status assessment).How to applyTo apply, send the following to Dr Andrew Melbourne ( )(i) A current CV(ii) A 1-sided A4 cover letter(iii) Names and contact details (address, email) of two professional refereesPlease do not click the ‘Apply Now’ button next to the advert.Applications that are submitted without following the correct application process will not be considered.The successful applicant will then be required to apply to and register on the to take up the studentship. Any offer to the Studentship will be subject to obtaining an offer from UCL and meeting any conditions of that offer.Closing DateDeadline: Friday, 6th September 2024Interview Date: 12th/13th September 2024 (date to be confirmed)For any enquiries about the post, you can contact Dr Andrew Melbourne ( )

Expected salary

£21237 per year

Location

North West London

Job date

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 22:58:23 GMT

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