School of Clinical Sciences

£15,000 per annum – Stipend

Applications are invited for a full-time bursary available in the School of Clinical Sciences, for a 3 year fully funded PhD studentship, open to both Home, EU and International students.  The PhD studentship will cover the cost of tuition fees at the Home/EU rate.  International students will be required to fund the difference between the Home/EU and International fee rate.  The successful student will commence on 1 April 2013. 

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an increasing burden as our population is becoming older, more sedentary and increasingly obese. Exercise is essential for mitigating the impact of OA, and participation in sporting activities is a key target for improving the general health of the nation. However joint injury, an adverse consequence of exercise, contributes to the development of OA. A better understanding of the mechanisms linking sport, exercise, injury and OA is essential in order to develop strategies that will enable the whole community to safely and effectively exercise and participate in sport.

Arthritis Research UK (ARUK) have launched a five year research programme to further the understanding of the relationship between exercise, sport, injury and osteoarthritis (OA).  This world leading centre comprises 7 partners: Oxford; Leeds; Southampton; Loughborough; UCL; Bath, and the University of Nottingham. 

The injury/illness performance project (IIPP) is a longitudinal study in the area of injury and illness epidemiology (based at the University of Nottingham) in high performance sport; combining medical and exposure data collection, and forms one of the cohorts under investigation within the ARUK sport injury and OA centre. 

The current PhD studentship aims to (1) examine the frequency and nature of injuries in elite athlete populations (2) compare and contrast injury history with retired elite athletes, and (3) explore the prevalence and nature of osteoarthritis in retired Olympic athlete populations.   

This is an excellent opportunity to work in an emerging area of multidisciplinary research, gain a PhD and develop leadership skills in preparation for a high-impact research career. Students should have, or expect to receive a minimum of UK 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject area.  

A covering letter, CV and named referees should be sent to Dr Debbie Palmer-Green debbie.palmer-green@nottingham.ac.uk  Please quote ref: MED/1149

Closing date for applications: 6 February 2013

Interview date: Friday 22 February 2013