Start Date: October 2015.

Supervisor: Dr Rudy Lapeer, rjal<στο>cmp.uea.ac.uk

The Project:

The second stage of human childbirth labour involves the mechanical interaction of the fetal head with the maternal pelvic bones and muscles. It is believed that due to the compliance between these two agents, the well-known cardinal movements of the fetal head are exhibited during a vast majority of childbirth deliveries. Accurate modelling of this mechanical contact interaction lays at the foundation of a forward engineered childbirth simulator, i.e. one which does not hard-code the cardinal movements and purely works on physics principles including the uterine expulsion forces, the maternal bearing down forces and potential external help. A forward engineered simulator, contrary to reverse engineered (hard-coded) simulators, is capable of simulating any childbirth scenario, including adverse ones such as shoulder dystocia, breech presentation and other unconventional presentations. However, the mechanical contact between fetus and pelvis is complex and highly non-linear due to the presence of heterogeneous areas of friction caused by the complex geometry and diverse material properties exhibited by the two agents. The research will therefore aim to develop a numerical model which is stable and which ultimately should be capable of displaying the cardinal movements purely based on the originating forces and secondary contact forces and moments. The applicant should have a good understanding of Numerical methods, in particular, knowledge of the Finite Element Method (FEM) is a bonus, and good programming skills in a third generation language, preferably C/C++.

Entry Requirements:

Applicants should have a First Class or equivalent preferred in Computing Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics. NOTE: experience with a 3rd generation programming language, e.g. C, C++, Java, C#, is essential.

Funding:

This project is offered on a self-funding basis. It is open to applicants with funding or those applying to funding sources. Details of tuition fees can be found at http://www.uea.ac.uk/pgresearch/pgrfees.

A bench fee is also payable on top of the tuition fee to cover specialist equipment or laboratory costs required for the research. The amount charged annually will vary considerably depending on the nature of the project and applicants should contact the primary supervisor for further information about the fee associated with the project.

To discuss the application process or particular projects, please contact the: Admissions Office, email:pgr.enquiries.admiss<στο>uea.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1603 591709.