Physics and Life Sciences

This position will be held at the University of Strathclyde, the Nanoscience Division in the Department of Physics.

For more information about requirements and how to apply please see the website:

http://www.mis.strath.ac.uk/Personnel/open/272011.htm or https://kara.mis.strath.ac.uk/vacancies/control/vacancylist?vacCat=PSP

This position will be held at the University of Aberdeen, School of Natural and Computing Sciences.

For information about requirements and how to apply, please visit the website

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/ACJ205/supa-lectureship/

Informal enquiries about this position should be made to Professor Celso Grebogi grebogi@abdn.ac.uk

Graeme Houston (Ninewells Hospital, Dundee) and Galil Medical

The incidence of renal cancer is rising with greatest rise in the small renal masses (<4cm). While surgical excision is the cornerstone of the treatment (partial or complete removal of kidney), this approach is associated both with an unacceptably high rate of benign histology (20%) and a significant complication rate (20-25%). Recent in situ ablation therapies such as cryotherapy (freezing) or radiofrequency energy (heating) induce cellular necrosis without operation and have been applied to solid tumours including kidney tumours. The main challenge, however, is the accuracy and quality assessment of the image guidance technique and thermal monitoring during treatment.

This joint SUPA/ SINAPSE studentship will address three outstanding research questions: what is the optimal image guidance and thermal monitoring protocol for in situ ablation of renal tumours and bone metastases at 3T MRI? What is the optimal imaging protocol for follow-up of such lesions at 3T
MRI? And: are there any outstanding safety issues for cryotherapy at 3T MRI?

The background of the suitable student would be medical physics or engineering with clinical imaging experience.

Christine Démoré (Dundee) and Agilent Technologies

Life scientists are making significant advances in the understanding of biological systems through their increasing ability to hold and reposition cells using non-contact tweezing. A range of techniques for this manipulation already exists, including optical tweezing and dielectrophoresis. Ultrasound can also be used, but advanced devices are a much newer topic, with the University of Dundee recently pioneering research into ultrasound transducer array-based tweezers. These offer a combination of electronic programmability, integration with control electronics, and larger forces, in the multiple nanonewton range. In turn, this will allow new applications in life sciences, for example to manipulate relatively large groups of cells together.

The aim of this INSPIRE studentship is to configure and test sonotweezer devices in flexible and innovative ways to develop understanding of ultrasound interaction with cells and to demonstrate accurate control over the forces and positioning.

The student will explore how the devices can be exploited to demonstrate the fundamental physics of sonotweezing and to validate the theoretically predicted forces on particles. Relevant applications include separation and sorting of cells, investigation of cell motility, measurements of cell forces, and tissue engineering; the focus of this project will be on cell motility in particular.