PhD Studentship: Microfluidic Cell Isolation Systems for Sepsis

Supervisory team: Prof. Hywel Morgan, Dr. Dan Spencer, Prof. Mark Sutton (UKHSA)

Project description

This fully funded PhD project will develop novel microfluidic technologies for early diagnosis of sepsis. There is an urgent need to develop better tools for the treatment of blood borne infections (bacterial or fungal) that can lead to sepsis. Often the organisms responsible are highly resistant to drugs, which further complicates treatments. Choosing the most appropriate for treatment is a very slow process that can take days. For example identification of the best antibiotic is done using an Antibiotic Susceptibility Test (AST), a technique that has not changed for decades. A bottle neck in the test is extracting small numbers of organism from a blood sample; the number of bacteria can be as low as 10 per mL of blood. This project will address this challenge by developing a new generation of microfluidic tools to isolate the causative organisms. Once isolated their susceptibility to antibiotics will be tested using a recently developed rapid AST. 

The PhD project is part funded through the Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (www.southamptonbrc.nihr.ac.uk), who will also supply clinical samples. It is also part of a long-term collaborative project with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Hywel Morgan, Email: hm@ecs.soton.ac.uk.

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent).

Closing date: applications should be received no later than 31 August 2023 for standard admissions, but later applications may be considered depending on the funds remaining in place.

Funding: For UK students, Tuition Fees and a stipend of £17,668 tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years.

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk). Select programme type (Research), 2022/23, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, next page select “PhD Elect & Elect Eng (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Hywel Morgan.

Applications should include:

• Research Proposal
• Curriculum Vitae
• Two reference letters
• Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk

The School of Electronics & Computer Science is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.

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