Defining airway dysfunction in asthma and COPD using oscillometry towards precision medicine

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects millions of people and is a major cause of ill health, hospital admission and premature death. Yet people living with COPD vary widely in their lung function, symptoms, biomarkers and risk of exacerbations. Better clinical characterisation may help us understand this variation and identify opportunities to improve care.

This PhD will combine prospective clinical research with analysis of existing datasets. The student will contribute to both strands of the work, gaining experience in clinical research, respiratory assessment, data analysis and scientific writing.

Approximately half of the project will involve inviting and assessing people with COPD. Participants will undergo lung function testing and assessment of relevant biomarkers, symptoms and demographic characteristics. The student will help coordinate recruitment and study visits, collect and manage study data, and explore how clinical features relate to one another and to patient outcomes.

The other half will use existing clinical and research databases to address complementary questions about COPD. The student will develop analyses using available datasets and lead or contribute to papers for publication. The specific research questions will be refined with the supervisory team to fit the student’s interests, the available data and the progress of the prospective study.

Together, these approaches will provide a broad view of COPD: detailed assessment of patients recruited for the study, alongside analysis of larger existing datasets. The project offers the opportunity to develop a coherent programme of research and produce work with potential relevance to clinical services and future COPD studies.

Training and supervision

The student will receive training in clinical research methods, participant recruitment and assessment, respiratory physiology, biomarker research, research ethics and governance, data management, statistical analysis and scientific writing. They will join a supportive multidisciplinary respiratory research environment and have opportunities to present their work at research meetings and conferences.

Candidate profile

We welcome applications from candidates with a relevant degree in biomedical sciences, life sciences, public health or a related subject. An interest in respiratory medicine and clinical research is essential. Experience in research, patient-facing work, lung function testing, biomarkers or quantitative data analysis would be helpful, but is not required for every applicant. The successful candidate should be organised, motivated and comfortable working both with research participants and with clinical datasets.

Start date: April 2027 (flexible)

Informal enquiries

Dr Rory Chan
Consultant Respiratory Physician & Senior Clinical Lecturer
University of Dundee / NHS Tayside
 

This is a fully funded studentship for 3 years covering tuition fees for UK students and providing a stipend of £21,805. Applicants should check the stated eligibility criteria before applying.