PhD Scholarship in Controlling Hybrid Systems at The University of Queensland

As a part of Professor Alan Rowan's ARC Laureate fellowship, the main objective of this project will be to understand how the material properties of biopolymers (collagen, fibrin, etc.) are modified by the presence of synthetic hydrogels with the aim of providing strain-stiffening, tuneable, hybrid biomaterials for controlled cell growth.

For this project, the candidate will examine the properties of these interpenetrating networks as a function of synthetic/biopolymer binding density and investigate the changes in stiffness and strain-stiffening as a function of crosslinking density, interpenetration and altered pore size. The project will also study how these hybrid extracellular matrix materials interact with the cell cytoskeleton, and study these interactions from a mechanistic perspective employing high resolution spectroscopy.

The interdisciplinary nature of the project, and diverse background of researchers within the Rowan group, will provide the candidate with access to cutting edge equipment and training in new research areas such as high-resolution microscopy, tissue culture, cellular mechanics and bioengineering.

The outcomes of this project will be applied in tissue engineering and wound healing research.