PhD Studentship - Development of a 3D Aging Soft Tissue Model for Biocompatibility Testing of Additively Manufactured Facial Prosthetic Materials

Open to UK students

This 3.5-year PhD project is fully funded for home students or EU students with settled status. Tuition fees will be paid and the successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend based on the UKVI amount (£20,780 for 2025-26). We expect the stipend to increase each year.

This studentship is related to a multi-institutional EPSRC Programme Grant “AMFaces: Advanced Additive Manufacturing of User-Focused Facial Prostheses with Real-Life Colour Appearance”. The aim of the programme is to produce high-fidelity silicone-based facial prostheses by modern additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques. The purpose of the studentship is to develop a next-generation in vitro model of aged human skin to evaluate the cytocompatibility of materials used in maxillofacial prosthetics. The project will be supervised by Prof. Sarah Cartmell, Prof. Julian Yates, and Dr. Jose R. Aguilar Cosme at the University of Manchester.

While prosthetic materials continue to evolve, current biocompatibility testing methods often overlook the biological complexity of aged soft tissue. Changes in extracellular matrix composition, immune responsiveness, and cellular senescence can significantly alter how materials interact with the body. This project addresses that gap by engineering a 3D-printed full-thickness skin model that mimics the aging microenvironment, enabling more predictive evaluation of novel pigmented and non-pigmented silicone elastomers developed within AMFaces.

The successful candidate will simulate aging through cellular senescence and ECM modifications, incorporate immune cells to reflect the chronic low-grade inflammation seen in aged tissue (inflammaging), and evaluate biological responses using histology, cytokine profiling, and molecular assays. Beyond maxillofacial prosthetics, this platform has potential applications in broader tissue engineering contexts, including implantable biomaterials, wound healing, and regenerative therapies for age-related conditions.

This 3.5 year PhD project is fully funded for home students or EU students with settled status. We are seeking a motivated and independent researcher with a background in biomedical engineering, biomaterials, tissue engineering, or a related discipline. Candidates should hold, or be on track to obtain, a first or upper second-class degree from a UK university (or equivalent international qualification).

To apply, please contact Dr. Aguilar Cosme (jose.aguilarcosme@manchester.ac.uk). Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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