The School of Dentistry at the University of Manchester invites applications for a prestigious PhD studentship commencing in October 2009. Funding will provide full support for the UK/EU tuition fee and a tax-free annual stipend of £13,290.
The primary objectives of this project are to establish diagnostic accuracy of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in imaging root canal anatomy and to develop image optimisation methods. The School has a micro-CT facility to allow excellent standards of validation. The end-point of the research would be a clear understanding of the scope and limitations of CBCT in root canal visualisation and a protocol for optimal imaging. A potential spin-off would be the acquisition of data needed to develop CBCT endodontic software that could be patented and marketed.
Traditional dental imaging relies upon intraoral and panoramic radiographs. The advent of digital radiography has not altered the status quo, i.e. all images are two-dimensional. In the current decade, dental imaging has been revolutionised by the development of cone beam CT. This technology gathers volumetric data, providing the clinician with a three-dimensional dataset.
Endodontics relies heavily on intraoral radiography. In all but simple, single-rooted, teeth the need to identify and localise the root and root canal architecture means that three-dimensional imaging could be of significant value. While early CBCT machines gathered large volume data, typically the whole head or facial bones, newer machines offer small volume options suitable for single tooth imaging. No work has been published looking at visualisation of root canal anatomy using a validation reference standard so the scope and potential of this research is significant.
The successful applicant will develop skills in X-ray imaging using in vitro methods (microCT and CBCT), understanding of and skills in conducting diagnostic accuracy studies, ethical requirements of clinical studies and image analytical techniques. Upon completion of the project, dentists would be ideally placed to become clinical academics or seek research fellowships whilst scientists could develop an academic or commercial research career in bioimaging.
Applicants who are dentally qualified should have some experience of research, preferably through an MSc project, and the ambition to pursue a clinical academic career. Scientists should hold a particular interest in imaging sciences as applied to medicine.
Applications are welcomed from candidates holding, or expecting to obtain, a first or upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject such as dentistry or computer science. An MSc in Endodontics or BioHealth Informatics is desirable.
More information here.
Friday, 21 November 2008
Professor of the Day: Professor Matt Brown, Immunology
Professor Matt Brown is Professor of Immunogenetics and Director of the Immunology Program at the University of Queensland, based at the Diamantina Institute and 
Institute of Molecular Biosciences, a position he has held since September 2005. Prior to that he was Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, where he worked since 1994. He initially trained in rheumatology in Sydney, and remains clinically active, with a special interest in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Professor Brown's group researches genetics of common diseases, particularly musculoskeletal diseases. They are the central genetics research centre for the Australo-Anglo-American Spondyloarthritis Consortium, the main international AS genetics group. In addition, the group are performing genomewide association studies in multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and cervical cancer, and have genetics projects ongoing in rheumatoid arthritis and several other diseases. Professor Brown is a Principal Investigator of the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium which did much of the development work and proof of principle studies for genomewide association studies, and is now involved in developing the approaches required for downstream genetics research (resequencing, fine-mapping, copy number variation studies). Professor Brown’s group also collaborate with researchers at the MRC Mammalian Research Facility Harwell, England, in ENU-mutagenesis approaches to develop new mouse strains with bone and joint disorders.
Head to the UQ Diamantina Institute webpage.
Institute of Molecular Biosciences, a position he has held since September 2005. Prior to that he was Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, where he worked since 1994. He initially trained in rheumatology in Sydney, and remains clinically active, with a special interest in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Professor Brown's group researches genetics of common diseases, particularly musculoskeletal diseases. They are the central genetics research centre for the Australo-Anglo-American Spondyloarthritis Consortium, the main international AS genetics group. In addition, the group are performing genomewide association studies in multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and cervical cancer, and have genetics projects ongoing in rheumatoid arthritis and several other diseases. Professor Brown is a Principal Investigator of the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium which did much of the development work and proof of principle studies for genomewide association studies, and is now involved in developing the approaches required for downstream genetics research (resequencing, fine-mapping, copy number variation studies). Professor Brown’s group also collaborate with researchers at the MRC Mammalian Research Facility Harwell, England, in ENU-mutagenesis approaches to develop new mouse strains with bone and joint disorders.
Head to the UQ Diamantina Institute webpage.
International Scholarhsips: Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
Ambassadorial Scholarships, The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program, was founded in 1947. Since then, nearly 38,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. Nearly 800 scholarships were awarded for study in 2005-06. Through grants totaling approximately US$500 million, recipients from about 70 countries studied in more than 70 nations.
The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.
Generous contributions from Rotarians worldwide represent a continued faith that today’s Ambassadorial Scholars will be tomorrow's community and world leaders.
More information is here.
The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.
Generous contributions from Rotarians worldwide represent a continued faith that today’s Ambassadorial Scholars will be tomorrow's community and world leaders.
More information is here.
PhD Scholarship: Fred Hollows PhD Scholarship for Prevention of Blindness
The Fred Hollows Foundation has started an exciting new endeavour to sponsor a PhD Scholarship for the Prevention of Blindness at the International Centre for Eye Health, within the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. This scholarship aims to provide training and aid in building of skills for future leaders in the field of prevention of blindness. A further aim is to facilitate important research advances that will help facilitate the control of blindness. This will be a three year project, focusing on research issues of key importance to assess the impact of blindness and to implement programmes for the prevention of blindness in a cost-effective and equitable manner. Nationals of low and middle income countries are eligible for the scholarship, and the fieldwork should be conducted in that setting.
The Scholarship will include tuition fees plus stipend.
Eligibility criteria:
Applicants for this scholarship must:
-Hold a 1st or 2.1 university degree (or equivalent)
-Hold a Masters degree in Community Eye Health, Epidemiology, Public Health, Health Economics or a relevant field (or equivalent)
-Be a national of a low or middle income country
-Have experience in designing and conducting research in health in a low-income country
-Have experience in writing up study results and findings in reports, guidelines, standard operating procedures or papers suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
-Have experience in managing and analysing data using packages including Epi Info, Excel and common statistical programmes.
-Have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
-Be committed to long term capacity building in research in their own country
It is desirable that applicants for this scholarship should have:
-Published research articles in peer review journals
-Experience of working in eye care programmes
-Knowledge of eye diseases and their management
-Experience working with NGOs or ministry of health
-Preference will be given to candidates who are nationals of a country in Africa.
More info here.
The Scholarship will include tuition fees plus stipend.
Eligibility criteria:
Applicants for this scholarship must:
-Hold a 1st or 2.1 university degree (or equivalent)
-Hold a Masters degree in Community Eye Health, Epidemiology, Public Health, Health Economics or a relevant field (or equivalent)
-Be a national of a low or middle income country
-Have experience in designing and conducting research in health in a low-income country
-Have experience in writing up study results and findings in reports, guidelines, standard operating procedures or papers suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
-Have experience in managing and analysing data using packages including Epi Info, Excel and common statistical programmes.
-Have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
-Be committed to long term capacity building in research in their own country
It is desirable that applicants for this scholarship should have:
-Published research articles in peer review journals
-Experience of working in eye care programmes
-Knowledge of eye diseases and their management
-Experience working with NGOs or ministry of health
-Preference will be given to candidates who are nationals of a country in Africa.
More info here.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Professor of the Day:Professor Thomas MacDonald, Immunology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Professor Tom MacDonald received a PhD in immunology from Glasgow in 1976 and then did a short post-doc at the Trudeau Institute in upstate New York . In 1978 he was appointed as an assistant professor at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and received 
tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 1983. In 1984 he left Philadelphia and worked at Merck and Co for a year before returning to Bart's Medical College in 1985. In 1986 he was appointed a Wellcome Trust Senior Lecturer at Bart's (till 1994), was promoted to reader in 1989, and given a personal chair at the University of London in 1991. In 2000 he moved to Southampton medical school to head up the Division of Infection, Inflammation and Repair and then in 2005 he returned to Queen Mary as Professor of Immunology and Dean for Research in the Medical School.
He has over 300 publications, mostly on how inappropriate immune reactions cause disease in the human gut. He was awarded FRCPath in 1995 and FMedSci in 2002 on the basis of his published works. He is currently interested in how negative-regulatory signalling pathways prevent resolution of gut inflammation in human inflammatory bowle disease and how gut bacteria manipulate mucosal immunity.
Tom MacDonald's continuing research interests are in immunology and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Ongoing research projects include identifying novel pathways which can block inflammatory cytokines in IBD (supported by GSK and UCB Pharma); regulation of MMP's in inflamed bowel by TGFbeta; control of TGF beta signalling in IBD by Smad7 and p300 (supported by CICRA); and the function and modulation of Peyer's patch dendritic cells by bacterial products (pathogens and non-pathogens) from the gut (supported by BBSRC).
In more basic studies he continues to use Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice as a model to modulation of host immunity by this pathogen and the way in which the host controls the inflammatory response to this pathogen ( in collaboration with Gad Frankel). Outside Barts and the London he has a wide range of research-asociated activity. He is a member of PSCSB panel at MRC (2007-2011), INSERM GI panel, BBSRC Agri-Food panel (2002-2005), BBSRC REI panel (2003-4), BBSRC Institute Review panels (2005, 2006) and is vice-chairman of the governing body of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen. He was associate editor of Gut ( 1997-2003), on the editorial board of Gastroenterology (2001-2006) and is a section editor of Inflammatory Bowel Disease . He regularly reviews GI immunology/inflammation related work for Nature, Nature Medicine, Science and J Clin Invest.
Further information at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry website.
tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 1983. In 1984 he left Philadelphia and worked at Merck and Co for a year before returning to Bart's Medical College in 1985. In 1986 he was appointed a Wellcome Trust Senior Lecturer at Bart's (till 1994), was promoted to reader in 1989, and given a personal chair at the University of London in 1991. In 2000 he moved to Southampton medical school to head up the Division of Infection, Inflammation and Repair and then in 2005 he returned to Queen Mary as Professor of Immunology and Dean for Research in the Medical School.He has over 300 publications, mostly on how inappropriate immune reactions cause disease in the human gut. He was awarded FRCPath in 1995 and FMedSci in 2002 on the basis of his published works. He is currently interested in how negative-regulatory signalling pathways prevent resolution of gut inflammation in human inflammatory bowle disease and how gut bacteria manipulate mucosal immunity.
Tom MacDonald's continuing research interests are in immunology and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Ongoing research projects include identifying novel pathways which can block inflammatory cytokines in IBD (supported by GSK and UCB Pharma); regulation of MMP's in inflamed bowel by TGFbeta; control of TGF beta signalling in IBD by Smad7 and p300 (supported by CICRA); and the function and modulation of Peyer's patch dendritic cells by bacterial products (pathogens and non-pathogens) from the gut (supported by BBSRC).
In more basic studies he continues to use Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice as a model to modulation of host immunity by this pathogen and the way in which the host controls the inflammatory response to this pathogen ( in collaboration with Gad Frankel). Outside Barts and the London he has a wide range of research-asociated activity. He is a member of PSCSB panel at MRC (2007-2011), INSERM GI panel, BBSRC Agri-Food panel (2002-2005), BBSRC REI panel (2003-4), BBSRC Institute Review panels (2005, 2006) and is vice-chairman of the governing body of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen. He was associate editor of Gut ( 1997-2003), on the editorial board of Gastroenterology (2001-2006) and is a section editor of Inflammatory Bowel Disease . He regularly reviews GI immunology/inflammation related work for Nature, Nature Medicine, Science and J Clin Invest.
Further information at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry website.
Scholarship: The Royal Bank of Scotland International Scholarship
The Royal Bank of Scotland International Scholarship is a brand new scholarship now exclusively available to Chinese applicants wishing to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Two scholarship are available under the scheme, and each will cover all tuition fees for highly qualified professionals, entrepreneurs and business leaders from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong (SAR), and Macau (SAR), it will aim at bridging international boundaries by providing Chinese business professionals with an opportunity to study a globally recognised degree in one of the world’s financial centres.
To be considered for The Royal Bank of Scotland International Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:
-A national of the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong (SAR), Macau (SAR);
-A graduate with proven academic skills;
-Committed to contribute to the socio-economic development of the People’s Republic of China.
-Established in a career, with a track record of excellence and achievement, and the prospect of becoming a leader in his/her chosen field;
-Have good English Language skills, as most UK Higher Education Institutions require a minimum IELTS of 6.5 for admission onto Postgraduate courses.
-Have sufficient funds to meet your tuition fees and living expenses, after taking account of the possible award of the Bank of Scotland International Scholarship.
For more information please follow this link.
To be considered for The Royal Bank of Scotland International Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:
-A national of the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong (SAR), Macau (SAR);
-A graduate with proven academic skills;
-Committed to contribute to the socio-economic development of the People’s Republic of China.
-Established in a career, with a track record of excellence and achievement, and the prospect of becoming a leader in his/her chosen field;
-Have good English Language skills, as most UK Higher Education Institutions require a minimum IELTS of 6.5 for admission onto Postgraduate courses.
-Have sufficient funds to meet your tuition fees and living expenses, after taking account of the possible award of the Bank of Scotland International Scholarship.
For more information please follow this link.
Commercial Research: Whitfield Solar
Whitfield Solar was set up in 2004 as a vehicle to commercialise 30 years of research by Dr. George Whitfield from the University of Reading into low-cost solar concentrators. He was joined at the Solar Concentrator Group by fellow founders Dr Roger Bentley and Dr Clive Weatherby. A key part of this work was the optimisation of the size of optical elements and concentration ratios used to ensure the most cost-effective PV concentrator systems.
Solar concentration ratios of several thousand times are theoretically possible, but in practice, concentration levels above about 250 times raise a range of technical issues, including the need for:
-Extremely accurate and reliable tracking of the sun to maintain the focused energy on the cell
-Cell technology capable of converting the energy efficiently at this intensity
-A satisfactory means of removing the significant thermal energy absorbed.
The work at Reading looked at the relationship between concentration and cost, and paid attention to the realities and challenges of production.
Whitfield Solar’s launch product competes with flat-plate photovoltaic (PV) offerings on four levels. It is lower cost; lower weight; has lower embodied energy; and requires lower-tech manufacturing processes. Whitfield’s product takes the sun’s energy and concentrates it via an array of Fresnel lenses onto a fraction of the surface area of silicon solar cells that conventional PV panels require. As such it protects its customers from potential shortages of solar silicon and is immune to shortages of solar glass which both threaten the PV industry.
Whilst using tried and tested solar silicon for its launch product, it is set up to embrace new solar cell technology when it has demonstrated the same levels of long-term reliability and cost-efficiency that silicon can deliver.
Whitfield is well-known in the solar community and has had prototypes of its launch product running in Spain for the last 2 years.
By creating a system that relies on a range of highly efficient manufacturing technologies, Whitfield Solar can transfer the benefits of engineering excellence to a CPV product whilst opening the door to the enormous cost savings associated with these high-volume techniques. Unlike many of the alternative concentrator approaches, Whitfield’s core components will be manufactured in multi-million quantities even at quite modest overall power outputs thereby driving significant economies of scale. Perhaps not surprisingly, Whitfield’s development team are drawn from various branches of Europe’s automotive and domestic appliance industries
More information at the Whitfield Solar website.
Solar concentration ratios of several thousand times are theoretically possible, but in practice, concentration levels above about 250 times raise a range of technical issues, including the need for:
-Extremely accurate and reliable tracking of the sun to maintain the focused energy on the cell
-Cell technology capable of converting the energy efficiently at this intensity
-A satisfactory means of removing the significant thermal energy absorbed.
The work at Reading looked at the relationship between concentration and cost, and paid attention to the realities and challenges of production.
Whitfield Solar’s launch product competes with flat-plate photovoltaic (PV) offerings on four levels. It is lower cost; lower weight; has lower embodied energy; and requires lower-tech manufacturing processes. Whitfield’s product takes the sun’s energy and concentrates it via an array of Fresnel lenses onto a fraction of the surface area of silicon solar cells that conventional PV panels require. As such it protects its customers from potential shortages of solar silicon and is immune to shortages of solar glass which both threaten the PV industry.
Whilst using tried and tested solar silicon for its launch product, it is set up to embrace new solar cell technology when it has demonstrated the same levels of long-term reliability and cost-efficiency that silicon can deliver.
Whitfield is well-known in the solar community and has had prototypes of its launch product running in Spain for the last 2 years.
By creating a system that relies on a range of highly efficient manufacturing technologies, Whitfield Solar can transfer the benefits of engineering excellence to a CPV product whilst opening the door to the enormous cost savings associated with these high-volume techniques. Unlike many of the alternative concentrator approaches, Whitfield’s core components will be manufactured in multi-million quantities even at quite modest overall power outputs thereby driving significant economies of scale. Perhaps not surprisingly, Whitfield’s development team are drawn from various branches of Europe’s automotive and domestic appliance industries
More information at the Whitfield Solar website.
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