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Exciting opportunities have opened up for a PhD project under the prestigious Scientia scheme at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia.
The Scientia scheme will provide 125 scholarships this year for PhD students. These scholarships are unusually well remunerated: they provide a taxfree stipend of $40,000 per year for four years + up to $10,000 year to support international research collaborations per year. In addition, each awardee will be provided with a professional and career development plan. The scholarship covers tuition fees for the full four year period. The scheme is open to both Australian and international applicants.
This year our team is offering one of the approved projects tilted “Understanding the mechanisms of muscle contracture”. The project will be supervised by Prof Lynne Bilston, Prof Rob Herbert and Dr Bart Bolsterlee.
Children with cerebral palsy often develop muscle contractures (stiffening of muscles) that produce deformities and cause physical disability. The mechanisms that cause muscle contracture are poorly understood. It is not known with any certainty whether muscle contractures are primarily due to changes in the muscle cells or tendons. Recently we and others have developed MRI-based methods that utilise diffusion tensor imaging to generate exquisite three-dimensional images of muscles in living humans. We will use these methods to resolve a longstanding controversy about whether contractures in children with cerebral palsy are due primarily to changes in muscle or tendon.
Part of the project will involve development of algorithms for processing diffusion tensor images. The ideal candidate would have a background in engineering, computer science, physics, or a related discipline; experience in computer programming; and be comfortable working with children with disabilities. It is not necessary for candidates to have all of these attributes.
The allocation of scholarships is based on a combination of academic excellence and potential to contribute significantly to the global impact and social engagement goals of UNSW's 2025 strategy.
Expressions of interest close 11.59pm AEDT on 20 July 2018. EOIs can only be made through the UNSW Scientia website:
For more information about the scheme, check the UNSW Scientia website:
The Scientia scheme will provide 125 scholarships this year for PhD students. These scholarships are unusually well remunerated: they provide a taxfree stipend of $40,000 per year for four years + up to $10,000 year to support international research collaborations per year. In addition, each awardee will be provided with a professional and career development plan. The scholarship covers tuition fees for the full four year period. The scheme is open to both Australian and international applicants.
This year our team is offering one of the approved projects tilted “Understanding the mechanisms of muscle contracture”. The project will be supervised by Prof Lynne Bilston, Prof Rob Herbert and Dr Bart Bolsterlee.
Children with cerebral palsy often develop muscle contractures (stiffening of muscles) that produce deformities and cause physical disability. The mechanisms that cause muscle contracture are poorly understood. It is not known with any certainty whether muscle contractures are primarily due to changes in the muscle cells or tendons. Recently we and others have developed MRI-based methods that utilise diffusion tensor imaging to generate exquisite three-dimensional images of muscles in living humans. We will use these methods to resolve a longstanding controversy about whether contractures in children with cerebral palsy are due primarily to changes in muscle or tendon.
Part of the project will involve development of algorithms for processing diffusion tensor images. The ideal candidate would have a background in engineering, computer science, physics, or a related discipline; experience in computer programming; and be comfortable working with children with disabilities. It is not necessary for candidates to have all of these attributes.
The allocation of scholarships is based on a combination of academic excellence and potential to contribute significantly to the global impact and social engagement goals of UNSW's 2025 strategy.
Expressions of interest close 11.59pm AEDT on 20 July 2018. EOIs can only be made through the UNSW Scientia website:
For more information about the scheme, check the UNSW Scientia website: