Doctoral training programme studentship – Advanced robotics for fracture management
Friday 18 June 2021
Project type: Doctoral Training Programme Studentship
Project title: Advanced Robotics for Fracture Management
Supervisors: Prof. Sanja Dogramadzi, Mr Sanjeev Madan
Proposed start date: October 2021
Application deadline (if applicable): Wednesday 30th July 2021
Online interviews: 15th August – please hold this date in your diaries
This three and a half (3.5) year studentship is part of the Sheffield Medical Robotics Doctoral Training Programme at The University of Sheffield. We aim to train the next generation of researchers to advance the understanding of robotics and AI in surgical and assistive care scenarios, and to find new effective ways to improve the lives of people as well as empower their clinicians and carers.
Great progress has been made in medical robot research in recent years, but research into robots for fracture management has been comparatively slow. This project will focus on robotics and navigation system that not only allows management of rigid, bony geometry but can support the actual clinical situation where the surgeon’s main objective is to preserve the functionality of the anatomy, using skills based not just on visual but also tactile and non-visual cues that interpret all relevant factors during surgery and are generally difficult to capture. Appropriate functional control will be developed based on a sensor suite and real-time functional surgical assessment and decision-making using optimisation and machine learning. This project will be suitable for a motivated researcher seeking to apply mechatronics and machine learning knowledge to a creative and highly challenging area of surgical robotics. Applicants should have experience in robotics, machine learning and control. Experience in hardware design is desirable.
Entry requirements:
The supervisory team recognises that the proposed research requires a mix of skills drawn from different disciplines, as reflected by the multidisciplinary nature of the supervisory team. We anticipate that the primary disciplinary orientation will be robotics, control and systems engineering, but the phd student will also gain training in relevant clinical knowledge and research methods. The student will have access to the Doctoral Development Programme run by the University of Sheffield, allowing access to modules and training from a range of disciplines as needed.
Candidates must have:
- Upper second class honours degree (minimum 2.1) and MSc in Engineering or Computer Science or a related discipline.
- Candidates will be expected to provide a convincing justification as to why they would like to undertake the project in their application statement, demonstrating any research knowledge and, if applicable, any experience relevant to the project.
- Candidates must be home based/EU students
To apply:
Complete a Postgraduate Research application form here. Please state the title of the studentship, the main supervisor and select the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering.
Applicants are encouraged to make informal enquiries to Prof. Dogramadzi at the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering.
Funding details and salary/stipend rate:
Each studentship will be supported for 3.5 years with the student expected to submit their thesis by the end of this funding period, receiving:
- Full maintenance stipend funded at UKRI levels for 3.5 years (in 2021/2022 this is £15,609).
- Full UK tuition fees for up to 3 years (paid directly to the department)
- Research training and travel budget
