Prof Ruth Wilcox
Dr Hazel Fermor
Prof Paul Beales
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
About the Project
This project is related to the assessment of a minimally invasive treatment for back pain called 'nucleus augmentation'. The treatment involved the injection of a hydrogel into a damaged spinal disc to restore its biomechanics. The aim of the study is to examine how the performance of novel hydrogels developed at Leeds can be optimised for nucleus augmentation.
Specifically, the project will focus on the functional performance under adverse loading conditions causing repeated high shear loading and herniation. The three core objectives are (1) to develop a suite of in-vitro test methods to apply physiologically relevant shear loading to the disc. This will involve using our unique multi-axis spine simulator and developing protocols that generate the most adverse loading on the hydrogel-augmented tissue; (2) to evaluate how the hydrogel composition affects the performance, using the new testing methods developed; (3) to develop inclusion/exclusion criteria for the clinical use of the hydrogels. This will involve utilising advanced MRI sequences for characterising soft tissue structure/composition, and developing new methods (including AI-based approaches) to correlate tissue characteristics to the functional performance following nucleus augmentation.
Funding Notes
A highly competitive EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) providing full academic fees, together with a tax-free maintenance grant at the standard UKRI rate (currently £21,805 in academic session 2026/27) for 3.5 years and rising annually, in line with standard UKRI rates. Training and support will also be provided. This opportunity is open to UK applicants only.
