PhD candidate/UK/MSCA-DN- RENOVATE-DC01/ Understand the subchondral bone remodelling in osteoar[...]

university college london; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in the UK seeks a PhD student for a research project on subchondral bone remodelling in osteoarthritic joints. This position offers world-class training and collaboration opportunities with top medical institutions. The ideal candidate should have a 1st-class degree in Biomedical Engineering or a related field, strong analytical and research skills, and the ability to communicate effectively in both written and spoken English. A competitive salary package and various allowances are provided.

Benefits

Mobility allowance

Family allowance

Access to high-quality training programs

Qualifications

• Must not have resided in the UK for more than 12 months in the last 3 years.
• Good knowledge of statistics required.
• Experience in medical image processing is essential.

Responsibilities

• Study subchondral bone remodelling in osteoarthritic joints.
• Collaborate with hospital partners for examining subchondral bone changes.
• Attend training and skills programs provided by UCL.

Skills

Research experience in tissue engineering

Analytical skills

Knowledge of in vitro evaluation

Good verbal and written English

Knowledge of mechanical testing

Education

1st-class honours degree in Biomedical Engineering or equivalent

Job description

UCL Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science

Organisation/Company university college london Department UCL Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science Research Field Medical sciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 31 Dec 2025 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 36.5 Offer Starting Date 1 May 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number 101227121/ DC 01 Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101227121 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The RENOVATE Consortium has been awarded a Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie scheme (grant no: 101227121). The RENOVATE programme is to recruit the best candidates, to provide them with world class supervision, support, and training opportunities, to support their career development, opportunities to generate impact from their work, and create a challenging and stimulating environment which fully exposes them to the world of research and collaboration opportunities.

As part of this RENOVATE programme, University College London is seeking to appoint a PhD student to study on “Understand the subchondral bone remodelling in osteoarthritic joints”. The project will involve 1) examining the subchondral bone remodelling with respect to microstructure and bone mineral density and composition changes in the osteoarthritic joints; 2) correlating subchondral bone remodelling to the overlying cartilage degeneration.

This project will, in collaboration with the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Royal Free Hospital, as well as other partners within the RENOVATE Consortium, examine the subchondral bone explants in order to understand the changes in subchondral bone during OA progression. It is expected that this project will lead to tangible and clinically relevant results for the early diagnosis and intervention of OA, thus improving the quality of life of OA patients through early diagnosis and early intervention.

All our doctoral students are members of the UCL Doctoral School, which provides high-quality training and resources. The Doctoral Skills programme provides the students with a comprehensive range of transferable skills training, including research ethics, public engagement, outreach, and impact, in addition to opportunities to attend master's level modules, CPD training and external courses.

£30,805 per year plus UK tuition fees (dependent on the fellow type and registration date of the student).

Mobility allowance and family allowance are available to comply with EU according to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network rules.

Requirements

• At least a 1st -class honours (UK, or equivalent) degree in Biomedical Engineering, tissue engineering, biomaterials or tissue biology.
• Research experience in tissue engineering and Biomedical Engineering, or medical imaging. Knowledge of in vitro and in vivo evaluation of biomaterials and medical devices.
• Analytical skills: ability to think independently, interpret data, and knowledge of statistics.
• Knowledge and skills in medical image processing.

Good verbal and written skills in plain English for dialogue and scientific language for communication with team members and academic staff, publication in relevant journals and presentation to conferences.

• Knowledge/experience working with cell or tissue biology.
• Knowledge of mechanical testing and microstructure examinations, and materials chemistry analysis.
• Knowledge and experience in additive manufacturing.

Specific Requirements

Mobility eligibility criterion: Candidates can be of any nationality, but they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in UK for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.

They must also have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Internal Application form(s) needed

Selection Process

The project manager of RENOVATE will check that the information of each candidate is complete and complies with the rules of the eligibility criteria. All the candidates must submit their information in English.

Information from eligible candidates directly applying to each position or giving their permission to be considered for others, will be distributed among the host institutions.

Assessment

Assessment comprises a two-stage process: a) scientific merit assessed by the application files and b) in person or online interview (only for the short-listed candidates). In each stage, the following items will be addressed: (i) academic profile, (ii) personal motivation, (iii) relevant background, (iv) professional experience, (v) scientific knowledge, (vi) transversal skills, and (vii) soft skills and English proficiency.

Decision

The project manager will elaborate the final ranked list of the selected candidates and communicate the decision to the candidates by email, tentatively by University College London.

Additional comments

How to Apply

To apply for the studentship, please email your CV (in Europass Format, ( https://europass.europa.eu/en ) that must highlight activities and place where the activities have been carried out in order to give evidence of fulfilling the mobility eligibility criterion), full transcript, two academic references and a covering letter to Prof Chaozong Liu ( [e-mail] ), CC ( [e-mail] ). Covering letter should explain your interest in the project, previous research experience (including examples of previous project work) and why you would be a suitable candidate for this post, and proof of language proficiency if any.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute D16 - D16 Div of Surgery & Interventional Sci Country United Kingdom City London Postal Code HA7 4LP Street Brockley Hill, Stanmore Geofield