奥克兰大学、西交利物浦大学最新PhD奖学金项目信息分享！

本期坐标 | 新西兰、中外合办

本期 为大家推荐奥克兰大学、西交利物浦大学2026最新奖学金项目介绍。

1、奥克兰大学

Predicting Early Development in Moderate to Late Preterm Babies

University of Auckland | Liggins Institute

博导：Prof Jane Harding

截止时间：全年可申

资助的博士项目（全球学生）

About the Project

Over 80% of preterm babies are born between 32 and 36 weeks gestation: moderate-late preterm. These babies are 36% more likely to have disabilities, 50% more likely to have special educational needs, and six times more likely to have cerebral palsy than babies born at term, but the reasons for these adverse outcomes are not known.

Moderate-late preterm babies do not have routine brain scanning after birth, and do not usually have any follow-up once they go home. However, we have found that many have changes on brain MRI soon after birth, although these have often disappeared by term-equivalent age. The causes, incidence and significance of these changes are not known.

The aim of this project is to find out whether these changes on brain MRI may be early markers of later adverse outcomes. If so, this would represent a breakthrough in understanding the long-term problems that moderate-late preterm babies face, and provide opportunities for early intervention to reduce later disability.

This project can be undertaken as a Masters by Research or as a PhD.

What we are looking for in a successful applicant

Candidates must meet the entry criteria for a masters or doctoral degree at the University of Auckland.

Objectives

• In moderate-late preterm babies:
• Determine the incidence, size and distribution of brain changes on MRI
• Investigate possible causes before and after birth
• Assess development at 3 months of age
• Assess outcomes, including cerebral palsy, at 2 years
• Relate outcomes to MRI changes and 3 month assessments

Other information

Candidates may have an interest in and experience with MRI, mothers, babies or young children, including nurses, doctors, midwives, psychologists, physiotherapists, developmental therapists and MRI technicians. Scholarships available for suitably qualified candidates.

The Liggins Institute

The Liggins Institute is a world-leading research institute at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. We are committed to improving lifelong health through excellent research into mothers, pregnancy and early childhood. Events prior to, during and after pregnancy can influence the types of diseases an infant may develop in later life. The Liggins Institute focuses its research on understanding these mechanisms in order to reduce the risk of disease onset. Our goal is to give every baby a healthy start for a healthy life.

University of Auckland – Liggins Institute https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/liggins.html

Professor Jane Harding https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/j-harding

2、西交利物浦大学

An Accurate 3D Tracking Framework for Virtual Surgery Simulation

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University | School of Advanced Technology

博导：Dr Nan Xiang

截止日期：全年可申

资助的博士项目（全球学生）

About the Project

Virtual surgery is an important component of the international trend toward the reform of "digital medicine" education, promoting the integration of computer simulation with clinical medicine. However, 3D tracking and virtual-real mapping of surgical instruments in open surgery simulation remain challenging, with current tracking technologies facing significant bottlenecks. This project will focus on research questions and key technologies related to multimodal regionbased pose estimation and kinematic structure construction of surgical instruments, and aims to overcome critical technological challenges, greatly improving tracking accuracy and stability. The outcomes have strong potential for broad applications and will significantly advance research on virtual-real fusion interaction of complex motion structures in extended reality environments, offering both theoretical and practical significance. This project aims to establish a markerless, accurate 3D tracking framework for basic surgical instruments, eliminating the need for additional markers, and thus complement existing virtual surgery interaction and navigation methods. To achieve this, the following two specific objectives are set:

• OB1. Establish a motion model based on local kinematic structure constraints to accurately track and 3D reconstruct the complex spatial motion postures of basic surgical instruments.
• OB2. Explore the non-rigid motion mechanism of surgical instruments and expand the paradigm of instrument-tissue interaction based on the proposed algorithms and models.

For more information about doctoral scholarship and PhD programme at Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU), please visit:

https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/global/entry-requirements/

https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/global/fees-and-scholarship

Supervisors:

• Principal supervisor: Dr. Nan Xiang (XJTLU)
• Co-supervisor: Dr. Yushan Pan (XJTLU)
• Co-supervisor: Dr. Yi Dong (UoL)

Requirements:

The candidate should have a first class or upper second class honours degree, or a master's degree (or equivalent qualification) in in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, Digital Media Technology, or a related field from an accredited university. Applicants holding a degree from 985/211/Double First-Class Universities and those with publications are particularly encouraged.

Evidence of good spoken and written English is essential. The candidate should have an IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.5 or above, if the first language is not English. This position is open to all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality.

Degree:

The student will be awarded a PhD degree from the University of Liverpool (UK) upon successful completion of the program.

Funding:

The PhD studentship is available for three years subject to satisfactory progress by the student. The award covers tuition fees for three years (currently equivalent to RMB 99,000 per annum). It also provides up to RMB 16,500 to allow participation at international conferences during the period of the award. The scholarship holders are expected to conduct the majority of their research at XJTLU in Suzhou, China. However, they may apply for a short-term research visit to the University of Liverpool if the project requires it.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants are advised to email Nan.Xiang@xjtlu.edu.cn the following documents for initial review and assessment (please put the project title in the subject line).

• CV
• Two formal reference letters
• Personal statement outlining your interest in the position
• Certificates of English language qualifications (IELTS or equivalent)
• Full academic transcripts in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
• Verified certificates of education qualifications in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
• PDF copy of Master Degree dissertation (or an equivalent writing sample) and examiners reports available

Contact:

Please email Nan.Xiang@xjtlu.edu.cn with a subject line of the PhD project title.

The principal supervisor’s profile is linked here: https://scholar.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/persons/NanXiang/