Please note that this does not represent an exhaustive list and students are advised to contact the UCD School in which they are interested in studying to ask about current funding possibilities. You can also find helpful guidance on PhD applications in the 'Planning' phase of the UCD PhD lifecycle.

Rehabilitative Needs and Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a fully funded (fees and stipend), 4-year full-time PhD position at the UCD Clinical Research Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, commencing January 2025.

This project seeks to identify the rehabilitative needs of patients with cancer of the pancreas and pilot a rehabilitative programme to address those needs. Major surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment option for cancer of the pancreas. However, pancreatic resection is associated with significant morbidity rates. Furthermore, a multimodality approach to treatment (neoadjuvant chemo/chemoradiotherapy +/- adjuvant chemotherapy) is increasingly favoured due to significant survival benefits. Notwithstanding these benefits, these potentially curative treatments in combination with the effects of the cancer itself can lead to a sequalae of side effects which may impair physical and nutritional status and health related quality of life (HRQOL). Accordingly there is considerable rationale to quantify these deficits across the pancreatic cancer treatment trajectory to facilitate the development of rehabilitative measures to optimise HRQOL in survivorship.

The PhD candidate will use mixed methods to explore the physical, nutritional, and psychosocial well-being of patients with pancreatic cancer across the treatment trajectory. The candidate will utilise the findings from this exploratory work to co-develop a rehabilitative intervention in conjunction with key stakeholders (patients, their family members, health care professionals) and test the initial feasibility of the developed intervention.

Qualifications / Expertise

Applicants should have a 1^st or 2:1 Level 8 degree in Medicine/ Nursing/ Physiotherapy/ Occupational Therapy/ Other Allied Health Discipline or a related field. The ideal candidate should have experience of working clinically with patients with cancer. The candidate should have excellent communication and organisational skills; be highly motivated and have strong written, oral, and interpersonal skills. The candidate should be able to work independently and as a part of team.

Funding

The PhD studentship covers tuition fees and a tax-free stipend of €22,000 per year. An annual allowance is provided for conference attendance.

How to apply

Please send a cover letter (1 page max), curriculum vitae, and academic transcript to Assistant Professor Linda O’Neill (linda.oneill1@ucd.ie) by 20^th September 2024.