Fully Funded SUSPRS PhD Scholarship: Experimental Characterisations and Modelling of Facial Tissues for Simulation of Facial Deformations

Funding providers: Swansea University Strategic Partnership Research Scholarships (SUSPRS) with Université Grenoble Alpes, France

Subject areas: Biomechanics, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Mechanics, Experimental Mechanics

Project start date:  

• 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Project description:  

This is a joint PhD programme between Swansea University and Université Grenoble Alpes.

Thanks to increasingly precise and sophisticated medical imaging techniques and fast-growing powerful image morphing tools, there are ways to predict the appearance of a patient's face after surgery. Despite some limitations, these methods are currently in use, particularly in the field of cosmetic surgery. Some craniofacial surgeries are not primarily aimed at improving the appearance of the face, but at reconfiguring the bone and/or muscle structure of the face to improve or restore in the case of the after-effects of a trauma, the functional capacities of the patient's orofacial area (mastication, swallowing, speech, facial expressiveness, etc.). For that, the estimation of the post-operative configuration from a morphing of the pre-operative configuration is not sufficient: it is necessary to be able to offer practitioners’ tools capable of predicting how bone and muscle modifications will influence the patient's ability to chew, swallow, speak, smile or grimace. Such tools must be therefore based on biomechanical models that simulate the physical characteristics of the face and can simulate the action of the orofacial muscles on the soft tissues of the face and on the movements of the mandible and lips.

Current research takes biomechanical modelling of the face, with or without integration of the muscle structures that mobilise the tissues during facial mimics or to produce speech. These models are intended to be tools in assisting surgery, but the lack of knowledge of mechanical properties and the non-optimal modelling of "soft parts" do not allow these models to be fully effective and used in clinic.

The objective of the project is to set up a strategy for characterising the mechanical behaviour of biological tissues to link the limited measurements that can be made in vivo with the set of measurements that can be made in post-mortem. Afterwards, the aim is to adapt the constitutive equations to each patient and to come closer to a subject-specific simulation considering the predominant physical phenomena.

Eligibility

Candidates must hold a UK bachelor’s degree with a minimum of Upper Second Class honours or overseas bachelor’s degree deemed equivalent to UK honours (by UK ECCTIS) and achieved a grade equivalent to UK Upper Second Class honours in Engineering or similar relevant science discipline. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency.

Applicants must hold a master's qualification to comply with Grenoble’s admissions requirements.

This scholarship is open to candidates of any nationality.

Please visit our website for more information on eligibility.

Funding Details

Additional Funding Information

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend of £19,237. 

Additional research expenses will also be available.

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