Anatomy - Research

Course overview
Modern Anatomy is about placing function in a structural context and providing adequate spatial and temporal resolution of cellular events.

Postgraduate students will be expected to complete a research project within one of our areas of interest using the extensive range of technologies available in the discipline of Anatomy.

Additionally, it is envisaged that postgraduate students will participate in scientific cross-over with intra-institutional and external laboratories. It is also expected that the PhD students would contribute to teaching activities of the discipline.

Admission to our research programmes requires prior approval of the discipline.

Please contact the discipline administrator to arrange to meet the relevant staff member for informal discussion concerning research degrees.

Anatomy is a key node within the National Biophotonics and Imaging Platform http://www.nbipireland.ieand is part of the Euro-BioImaging network.

PhD candidates should normally have a high honours standard in a relevant academic discipline at primary degree level or equivalent together with the support of an academic staff member who is approved by the College to supervise the research in terms of its nature and scope.

Additional entry requirements
Candidates may be required to submit a research proposal for consideration by the School as part of their application.

Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System.

Course Code: College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences: 1PM1; 1PM2; 1SMD1; 1SMD2 College of Science: 1PS1; 1PS2; 1MS1; 1MS2

PhD (Anatomy), full-time
PhD (Anatomy), part-time
MSc (Anatomy), full-time
MSc (Anatomy), part-time

Research Areas

Reproductive Biology
Neurobiology
Matrix Biology
Chromosome Biology
Cardiovascular Biology
Tissue Engineering
Development
Glycobiology
Medical Imaging

Specialised areas of interest

Integrative reproduction: structure/function of human endometrium, environmental endocrine disruption, fetomaternal interface

In vivo and in vitro study of human diseases

Normal and pathological development

Role of the extracellular matrix, of matrix receptors and signalling in vivo

Phenotypic analysis of models

In vitro model systems—cell micropatterning and microfluidics

Biomaterials tissue interactions

Neuroscience: spinal cord development and injury

Cellular responses to DNA damage

Specific contribution to national biophotonics and imaging platform

Education, molecular and cellular imaging, imaging technology cores

Neuroimaging: Understanding the biological basis of mood and anxiety disorders and psychosis

Technologies available

Sampling design; Stereology; Image analysis

Microscopy: confocal/ambient and low temperature Electron

Microscopy

Immunocytochemistry

In situ hybridization (at the light and electron microscopical level)

PCR

Lectin Histochemistry

Behavioural/phenotypic Characterisation (Organ/cell)
Cell culture models and/or 3D cell culture systems

In vivo and post-mortem human brain imaging using structural and diffusion MRI, advanced MR image analysis such as non-tensor based tractography