Degree type
PhD
Closing date
1 April 2025
Campus
Hobart
Citizenship requirement
Domestic / International
Scholarship
$33,511pa for 3.5 years
About the research project
Accurate non-invasive monitoring of respiratory activity including detection of dangerous cardiorespiratory events is critical to the care of preterm infants who suffer from a range of respiratory conditions affecting their ability to breathe without support. Existing technologies in current clinical use are plagued by inaccuracies and false alarms caused by signal artefacts. Detection and classification of apnoeic events is also a significant challenge for established technologies. Respiratory monitoring utilising novel methods to transduce respiratory activity may be able to overcome these shortcomings.
Multiple novel methods for respiratory monitoring in preterm infants have been proposed and have undergone initial feasibility testing by our research group, but have yet to be fully evaluated clinically. There is an opportunity to progress the development of these technologies, through optimisation of transducers and electronics hardware, and the development of signal processing, event detection and classification algorithms. These technologies have the potential to substantially modernise the clinical approach to respiratory monitoring in preterm infants and to benefit the clinical outcomes of this vulnerable patient population.
This project aims to progress the development of multiple novel technologies for respiratory monitoring in preterm infants and investigate their performance in clinical settings in comparison with the established gold standard.
The project may include:
- Optimisation of the design of sensor transducers and electronics in bench-testing and simulation.
- Development of algorithms to extract respiratory signals from the novel sensors and for the detection of clinically significant events.
- Evaluation of sensors and algorithms in clinical settings.
Primary Supervisor
Funding
The successful applicant will receive a scholarship which provides:
- a living allowance stipend funded by the Royal Hobart Hospital Foundation of $33,511 per annum (2025 rate, indexed annually) for 3.5 years
- a relocation allowance of up to $2,000
- a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)
If successful, international applicants will receive a University of Tasmania Fees Offset for up to four years.
As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.
Other funding opportunities and fees
For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees of undertaking a research degree, please visit Scholarships and fees.
Eligibility
Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.
Additional eligibility criteria specific to this project/scholarship:
- An honours or Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering or related field
- Applicants must be able to undertake the project on-campus
Selection Criteria
The project is competitively assessed and awarded. Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.
Additional essential selection criteria specific to this project:
- Ability to develop electronic printed circuits for mixed signal data acquisition and signal conditioning, and to develop signal processing algorithms for noise reduction and event detection.
Additional desirable selection criteria specific to this project:
- Experience in software development and algorithm implementation in Matlab and/or Python.
- Experience in development of electronic printed circuit boards for mixed-signal data acquisition and signal conditioning.
- Authorship of high-quality journal articles.
Application process
- Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
- Contact Prof Peter Dargaville to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
- In your application:
- Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
- Submit a signed supervisory support form, a CV including contact details of 2 referees and your project research proposal.
- Apply prior to 1 April 2025.
Full details of the application process can be found under the 'How to apply' section at Research degrees.
Following the closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.
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