PhD project summary:
Brain tumours are among the most challenging and life-changing types of cancer. Patients suffer from difficult diagnosis while treatment remain ineffective in the long-term. Significant research is focused on the development of new interventions to improve long-term patient outcomes. One promising avenue is the development of implantable medical devices, to provide personalised tumour monitoring long-term treatment directly to the cancer. Unfortunately, there is the development process for medical devices is largely devoid of patient input. Too often, devices are created in a laboratory and informed only be results of animal studies to then not receive the expected uptake by patients. Lack of patient input in the development process means missing vital opportunities to address unmet needs through understanding patients’ perspectives. This can result in production of medical devices which are poorly understood, underused, or rejected by patients.
This project seeks to address these challenges by studying how to best embed patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) across all aspects of medical device innovation. Rather than treating patients as device recipients, this project will actively involve them in the device design and development process. Through interdisciplinary research which combines aspects from social science, engineering, and clinical practice the outputs of this project will help shape the development of new medical devices for brain tumour care and management. In collaboration with Brainstrust (the largest brain tumour charity in the U.K.), engineers and device developers, and clinicians this project combines co-design workshops, interviews, and group sessions to explore how patients can most effectively contribute to the design of innovative and effective interventions.
The project begins with a scoping review and semi-structured interviews to understand current progress with implantable devices and identify areas where input is lacking. The project will then transition into participatory research, where diverse stakeholders will work together to develop and test early device prototypes. Importantly, research questions will focus on exploring what meaningful PPIE looks like, which barriers are limiting research, and how to truly embed patient voices into the innovation pipeline. Social science methods including focus groups and ethnographic observation alongside implementation science will enhance our ability to create devices which are accepted by patients and permit easy healthcare integration. Engineering approaches will complement social science dimensions, by providing technical knowledge to coincide with insight gained through lived experience. In addition to medical devices, this project will also explore how PPIE could improve clinical trials. Often, trials focus more on technical success rather than what matters to patients, such as quality-of-life measures, wellbeing or side effects. Discussions between patients and trial experts will help formulate policies which keep patients central to research.
Overall, this project will provide an effective foundation towards establishing clear frameworks for medical device development and clinical trial design so they can be inclusive, representative, and impactful. By offering this unique opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research which connects oncology, innovation and healthcare practice, the findings will provide empirical evidence which supports patient-centric innovation and inspires the future of medical technology.
Supervisor(s):
Christopher Chapman: christopher.chapman@qmul.ac.uk
Giorgia Michelini: g.michelini@qmul.ac.uk
CASE non-academic partner: Brainstrust: https://brainstrust.org.uk/
LISS Institution: Queen Mary University of London, Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Materials Science
PhD Programme: PhD FT Medical Engineering full-time programme (Semester 1 / September start)
Full-time / Part-time: Full-time
1+3.5 or +3.5 studentship: +3.5
Fee Eligibility: Home‑eligible applicants only (UKRI eligibility guidance)
How to apply:
To apply, please complete and return the documents below to the project supervisor(s) directly:
- LISS DTP CASE application form
- Academic transcripts
- References
- Additional information as stipulated in the CASE project listing
Additionally, all applicants must complete:
- LISS DTP Diversity Monitoring Form (online)
- QMUL PhD admissions application: PhD FT Medical Engineering – Semester 1 start
Closing date for applications: 6th February 2026
Interviews date: week commencing 23rd February 2026