PhD Opportunities
In CHMR we are seeking PhD applicants with a minimum of a 2.1 degree. We encourage candidates from various backgrounds to apply, including, physiotherapists, podiatrists, prosthetists, orthotists, engineers, physicists, computer scientists, sports scientists, occupational therapists, exercise and health scientists, psychologists, data scientists, rheumatologists, epidemiologists and health economists.
A list of suggested PhD projects is available below. This isn’t an exhaustive list, so also please feel free to contact theme leads to explore other ideas. For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Carina Price (C.L.Price@salford.ac.uk)
Knee biomechanics and injury
Project title: Combined treatments in knee osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a huge burden around the world and unfortunately has no cure. Therefore, conservative treatments are the primary first stage response to the condition. Guideline recommend multi-modal approaches to the management but there are very limited evidence of studies evaluating the clinical and biomechanical effects of treatments. We are looking for a candidate to develop a body of evidence around the management of knee and hip osteoarthritis from a multi-modal perspective.
Contact: r.k.jones@salford.ac.uk
Project title: Meniscal injury and subsequent mechanical and clinical changes
Meniscal injuries are common in sporting individuals and many return to sport following these injuries. Unfortunately, meniscal injuries have a high chance of developing into knee osteoarthritis without the optimum rehabilitation and aftercare. Meniscal repair is a relatively new procedure which aims to preserve the meniscus and potentially reduce the onset of osteoarthritis. We are looking for a candidate to develop a body of work around meniscal repairs from a clinical, biomechanical and health related aspect.
Contact: r.k.jones@salford.ac.uk
Foot health and footwear
Project title: Footwear self-management in patients with Diabetes
Footwear management is complex for wearers with Diabetes, with challenging foot morphologies, sites of previous ulceration and risk due to sensory neuropathy. Lower-risk patients have the challenge of self-managing footwear purchases in a retail market that is not aligned to their requirements. Higher-risk patients may have been prescribed a footwear intervention which off-loads areas of pre-ulcered tissue. These contrasts and challenges differ culturally and across service provision and we are looking for a candidate with a mixed-methods background and clinical experience to explore these themes.
Contact: c.l.price@salford.ac.uk
Project title: Plantar tissue and activity in diabetes
Current methods for prevention of ulceration focus on offloading of the at-risk foot, and guidance to patients about which activities are safe or tolerable by at risk tissue are limited. To better inform this guidance we must understand the properties of the underlying tissue and how this tissue changes during exercise or rehabilitation. Plantar tissue mechanical properties are different in people who have diabetes compared to healthy control groups, due to structural changes, which can reduce tissue tolerance of harmful stresses. Assessment of biomechanical load or exposure to these harmful stresses in the real world currently uses models which combine simple measures such as step counts with an average walking pressure to achieve a cumulative load. While this gives an indication of exposure it lacks detail of how activity frequency or intensity may influence tissue response. We are looking for a candidate to investigate the interaction between physical activity and tissue tolerance to load.
Contact d.j.parker1@salford.ac.uk
Measurement of free-living physical behaviour
Project title: Improving Access to Prosthetic Devices: Challenges and Opportunities for Monitoring Physical Behaviour of Prosthesis Users
Globally, up to 80-90% of the need for prosthetic devices is not met, and this issue is more prominent in low and middle-income countries. Matching the correct prosthetic device to a user’s needs is crucial, but there is limited data on how these devices are used in the real-world and how they support functional ability. Body-worn sensors have become a commonly used tool for objectively measuring physical behaviour in free-living environments, but there are limited data on how prosthetic devices impact users’ lives. We are looking for a candidate who will be able to develop models that would accurately classify lower-limb amputee postures using data from sensors embedded in the shank of the prosthesis and use this to explore prosthetic usage in the real-world.
Contact: m.h.granat@salford.ac.uk
Project title: To examine how physical behaviour is associated with perceived job satisfaction, happiness, and wellbeing, in both blue- and white-collar workers
The combination of physical activity and sedentary time has an influence on our health, with recent studies showing that high levels of physical activity eliminate the risks of mortality using self-reported measures of physical behaviour. Intriguingly, occupational physical activity leads to an increased risk in long-term sickness absence in blue-collar workers, while leisure-time physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of long terms sickness – a phenomenon known as the ‘physical activity paradox’. Furthermore, research has identified associations between leisure-time sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic markers, but not for occupational sitting time and cardiometabolic markers. This distinction suggests differential effects between leisure time and occupation sedentary behaviour: the sedentary time we accrue in the workplace may not be as relevant to our health markers compared to the physical behaviours in our leisure time. Consequently, we are looking for a candidate who could investigate the public health impact of this, and model the reciprocity between sedentary behaviour and physical activity both in and outside the workplace.
Contact: a.m.clarke-cornwell@salford.ac.uk
Clinical rehabilitation
Project title: Improving access to work for people with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases
Work problems are common in people with arthritis. Up to half of people with inflammatory arthritis stop working within 10 years due to their condition and up to 67% report presenteeism (i.e., reduced work productivity), even when their disease in remission. Working people with osteoarthritis also experience difficulties at work due to pain and activity limitation, with little access to workplace accommodations or support. Employers need to be educated to support employees to create a positive work environment and promote available workplace support.
We are known for world-leading research in rheumatology rehabilitation and would welcome PhD candidates interested in identifying challenges and opportunities to improve access to work for all people with RMD, specifically those from underserved communities towards a more inclusive workforce. We are seeking for applicants from a background across allied and health professions, nursing, social sciences, medicine, health economics, and public health with interest in work and health.
Contact: Professor Yeliz Prior y.prior@salford.ac.uk
Sport and exercise
Title: Assessment of force production characteristics in sport
We are known globally for our research relating to the assessment and development of force production characteristics in a variety of sporting populations. While there are standardised guidelines for the correct assessment of force production characteristics during multi-joint ballistic (i.e., countermovement jump) and isometric (i.e., isometric mid-thigh pull) assessments, the standardisation of rebound jump assessments (e.g., drop jump) and single joint assessments (e.g., plantar flexion), leave a lot to be desired. These alternative assessments may provide greater insight into an individual’s overall performance characteristics, and risk of injury. The development of specific benchmarks for performance in such tasks may also aid in the development of return to sport criteria in injured athletes, and the identification of training priorities in healthy athletes and to inform long term athlete development and talent identification.
We welcome applications from outstanding candidates who are interested in the assessment and development of force production characteristics to:
- Enhance physical performance
- Identify and reduce injury risk
- Aid in the development of return to sport criteria in injured individuals
Contact Professor Paul Comfort p.comfort@salford.ac.uk or Dr John McMahon j.j.mcmahon@salford.ac.uk