PhD Studentship: Sustainable Processes - Reducing Single Use Plastics in Healthcare

The burden of medical plastic waste has become an increasingly pressing concern in recent years. The healthcare industry relies heavily on single-use plastic items due to their convenience and hygiene factors, but this has led to a significant environmental problem. Improper disposal and inadequate recycling of medical plastics contribute to pollution, ecosystem degradation, and potential harm to human health.

This multidimensional project aims to look at the impact of sterilisation on medical plastic waste and work with a larger project team to develop technologies and processes which could eliminate single use plastics, and instead allow them to be used multiple times, not only reducing cost to the NHS but also reducing the environmental burden of plastic waste.

We are seeking a passionate PhD candidate to contribute to a highly translational project focused on assessing the impact of sterilisation on the usability of medical plastic waste and in turn looking at ways in which it could be assessed within healthcare settings. This project is part of a larger national project which aims to revolutionise the way in which medical plastic waste is handled in the future.

The ideal candidate will have an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject area (Engineering, chemistry, materials science, healthcare technologies etc) and have some experience of laboratory practices and data analysis.

If you are interested, please get in touch with Dr Anita Ghag (a.k.ghag@bham.ac.uk) to discuss further.

Funding notes:
Applicants are required to send an expression of interest to Dr Anita Ghag (a.k.ghag@bham.ac.uk). Short-listed applicants, will be invited to an interview with the supervision team.

School of Chemical Engineering funding is available, through a competitive application. This funding will cover tuition fees and provide a stipend for 3.5 years. Self-funded students are also welcome to apply.

Due to funding restraints, the position is only open to UK rate students:

UK Home studentship – To be eligible for a fully funded UK home studentship you must be a UK national resident in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar for the last three years. Candidates with settled status (having lived in the UK for five years) and pre-settled status (having lived in the UK/EEA/Gibraltar/Switzerland for a minimum of three years) are eligible for funding. Candidates with indefinite leave to remain or enter are also eligible for funding.

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