For 3.5 years, you will receive a tax-free stipend at a standard rate of £18,622 per year, and a full fee waiver (at the UK, EU, or international rate). In addition, to a one-off Research and Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £2,000.

Additional pay available for teaching duties.This award is open to UK and International students. 

We are inviting applications for a fully-funded PhD studentship at the University of Sussex in the field Photonics and Optoelectronics for applications in surgical robotics. 

Robotic assisted technologies have allowed surgeons performing minimally invasive surgeries enhancing the patient’s recovery and prognosis. The need of in situ non-invasive screening and less invasive procedures represents the future of medical robotics. This however requires implementing cutting-edge photonic technologies to develop the next generation surgical tools in robotic systems to offer superior capabilities in terms of accuracy, surgical outcomes, and integration. This PhD project will focus on studying the light tissue interaction using novel laser technologies.  

Through the implementation of photonic technologies the candidate will develop medical tools capable of being integrated into robotic systems for performing minimally invasive surgery using phantom models. (https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/robotics-and-mechatronic-systems/research/rodrigo)

Suitable candidates should have a minimum of a 2:1 at ungergraduate level and preferably a postgraduate master/ MSc degree qualification in one of the following areas: Photonics, Optoelectronics, Physics, Optics, Biomedical or Electronic engineering. Due to the interdisciplinarity of the research topics, candidates should be keen to learn related concepts from key areas within this project such as robotics, kinematics, surgical techniques etc.       

Open to candidates from UK/EU countries and from non-EU countries.

Complete requirements and the procedure for formal application process can be found at: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply. 

Apply online for a full time PhD in Engineering and Robotics using our step by step guide (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply). Here you will also find details of our entry requirements. 

Please clearly state on your application form that you are applying for the “Engineering the properties of coherent light sources for in situ diagnostic and intervention in surgical robotics”studentship. Please mention that the research project is under the supervisor of Dr. Rodrigo Aviles-Espinosa (https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p439645-rodrigo-aviles-espinosa).