Study level

PhD

Master of Philosophy

Honours

Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty/School

Science and Engineering Faculty

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Supervisors

Associate Professor Travis Klein
Position
Associate Professor
Division / Faculty
Science and Engineering Faculty

Overview

Hydrogels provide a hydrated, extracellular, matrix-like environment that allow for the culturing and study of cells. However, hydrogels are typically soft and fragile, which limits their potential for load-bearing applications such as cartilage tissue engineering.

This project aims to improve the mechanical properties of hydrogels for tissue engineering using a range of experimental and theoretical approaches.

Research activities

The project will involve laboratory work, including:

  • synthesising and characterising hydrogel materials
  • crosslinking hydrogels
  • mechanical testing
  • 3D-cell culture
  • molecular analyses
  • histology and immunohistochemistry.
Additionally, there will be opportunities for advanced computational modelling of the hydrogels.

Outcomes

Ultimately, this project aims to deliver hydrogels with better mechanical properties that are suitable for load-bearing tissue engineering applications.

Skills and experience

We're looking for enthusiastic students with a background in any of the following disciplines:

  • mechanical engineering
  • biomedical engineering
  • materials science.

Familiarity with biomaterials, computational modeling techniques, and polymer chemistry will be helpful for this project.

Scholarships

You may be able to apply for a research scholarship in our annual scholarship round.

Annual scholarship round

Keywords

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.