EU MSCA Doctoral Candidate

Salary: Fixed salary of £53,555

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract up to February 2029

Background

CUSTOM is an EU MSCA Doctoral Training Network connecting relevant academic and industrial expertise in emerging medical-device technologies across Europe and apply them to the problems of shoulder implants. Total shoulder replacements (TSRs) are now outpacing those of knees and hips, mainly due to the increasing use of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (rTSR), however roughly 10% of shoulder implants will fail within the first 10 years of service necessitating a complex revision procedure. Many of the current problems (e.g. soft-tissue failures, implant loosening, infection) derive from a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to implants; CUSTOM plans to invert this approach, based on combining computational, patient-specific design and additive manufacturing to offer complex, custom designs and structures. The project also incorporates multi-functionality as well as blended experimental and in-silico testing to accelerate the path to certification.

More details on the project can be found here: https://hecustom.eu/ 

Total shoulder replacement (TSR) is increasingly offered to younger, more active patients, yet implant loosening and migration remain leading causes of early revision. This project tackles this challenge head-on by creating the next generation of six-axis pre-clinical simulators that combine patient-specific bony anatomy with real-time micromotion and fracture sensing. The work will generate the mechanistic evidence needed to refine implant design, surgical technique and international test standards, ultimately reducing the reliance on lengthy, expensive clinical trials.

Key research questions include:

• Can we recreate the complex glenohumeral loading and motion patterns of reverse (rTSR) and anatomic (aTSR) shoulder arthroplasty in the laboratory?
• How do surgeon technique, implant design and individual patient bone quality interact to trigger early loosening or fracture?
• Which sensing technologies (eddy-current micromotion probes, acoustic emission arrays, embedded MEMS) provide the most sensitive, real-time indication of failure and can they be integrated into routine test standards?

As part of this project you will undertake secondments at KU Leuven, Rush University Medical Center and SME Simulator Solutions.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary (UK) for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding the recruitment date. 
• A MSc degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline. Applicants must not have a PhD. 
• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Ability to work independently, as well as proven ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary research team
• Ability to build rapport quickly with patients and health care professionals
• Ability to write and present clearly and concisely 

Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Rob Beadling, email: a.r.beadling@bham.ac.uk or Prof Michael Bryant, email: m.g.bryant@bham.ac.uk.

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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