WORK AND STUDY OPPORTUNITIES

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Doctoral Training Programme

The MedTech CoRE’s Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) is the only one of its kind in New Zealand. Tailor-made with our students in mind, it is an interactive programme that is constantly evolving to stay up-to-date with students’ needs.

Our aim is to produce holistic graduates who are competent and well equipped to make informed decisions for their career and research, and are able to integrate well with the industry.

Current Schedule and Enrolment

See below for modules that are currently open for enrolment. To enrol or make enquiries, contact Nina Pettersson-Fox at n.pettersson-fox@auckland.ac.nz.

Programme structure

Students funded by MedTech CoRE, will for the first six months of the PhD programme complete the modules as below. While attending the DTP, students also develop an outline of their final PhD proposal. At the end of their PhD programme there is an opportunity for a short term medtech industry internship.

The six modules are listed below:

Doctoral Skills Programme
Many problems in medicine and health need innovative actuators, together with their associated control systems. The purpose of the Actuation and Control technology platform is to develop and provide solutions that can support the goals of existing MedTech CoRE projects, but also enable new applications through the development of new actuators, methods, and control systems.

Computational Physiology
During this one-week module, students will hear from researchers who are involved in computational physiology and get a chance to be involved in practical tutorials using various organs.Students will learn to segment medical images to create patient-specific models from cellular to structural and functional levels. They then create simulations and visualisations of results.

Instrumentation and design
This one-week module involves a hands-on workshop aimed at introducing students to key concepts of mechanical design and tools, manufacturing methods, sensors and electronics, and system automation. Students will build a prototype pump based around a clinical scenario.

Experimental design and methods
This one-week module is designed to expose students to learning about clinical experimental techniques, ethics around clinical research and to increase awareness about various imaging and laboratory methodsMedical imaging modalities such as CT, ultrasound and microscopy will be covered via interactive seminars and demonstrations. Students will also observe and engage with laboratory methods such as cell culturing and gene expression techniques, protein chemistry and chromatography.

Clinical awareness
This one-week module is aimed at exposing students to a learning environment from a clinical viewpointExamples of activities include meetings with medical professionals and patients, exploring a human anatomy laboratory and observing a cardiac surgical procedure in a typical surgical environment.Students attending this module will be encouraged to apply to the Engineers in Clinical Residence programme. Successful applicants will spend a week in an Auckland hospital interacting with clinicians from various departments. The Engineers in Clinical Residence programme is a programme that is separate from the DTP. It is operated by the Faculty of Engineering in partnership with the Auckland District Health Board.

Commercialisation and entrepreneurship
This one-week module is designed to expose students to the commercial aspect of research to build awareness about the industry and how they could potentially commercialise their research. May include site inspections and interactive talks with businesses such as the MedTech CoRE’s spin out companies and large collaborating industry partners. This is a workshop-based module with group tasks and a presentation.

For further enquiries, please contact Nina Pettersson-Fox (DTP Coordinator) at n.pettersson-fox@auckland.ac.nz.