Combined study

4 years

prof. Ing. Valentine Provazník, Ph.D.

Chairman :
prof. Ing. Valentine Provazník, Ph.D.
Councillor internal :
doc. Ing. Radim Kolář, Ph.D.
doc. Ing. Jana Kolářová, Ph.D.
doc. Ing. Daniel Schwarz, Ph.D.
Councillor external :
prof. Mgr. Jiří Damborský, Dr.
prof. Pharm.Dr. Petr Babula, Ph.D.
Prof. José Millet Roig
prof. Ewaryst Tkacz, Ph.D.,D.Sc.
prof. MUDr. Marie Nováková, Ph.D.
prof. Dr. Marcin Grzegorzek

The doctoral studies of a student follow the Individual Study Plan (ISP), which is defined by the supervisor and the student at the beginning of the study period. The ISP is obligatory for the student, and specifies all duties being consistent with the Study and Examination Rules of BUT, which the student must successfully fulfill by the end of the study period. The duties are distributed throughout the whole study period, scored by credits/points and checked in defined dates. The current point evaluation of all activities of the student is summarized in the “Total point rating of doctoral student” document and is part of the ISP. At the beginning of the next study year the supervisor highlights eventual changes in ISP. By October, 15 of each study year the student submits the printed and signed ISP to Science Department of the faculty to check and archive.
Within mainly the first four semesters the student passes the exams of compulsory, optional-specialized and/or optional-general courses to fulfill the score limit in Study area, and concurrently the student significantly deals with the study and analysis of the knowledge specific for the field defined by the dissertation thesis theme and also continuously deals with publishing these observations and own results. In the follow-up semesters the student focuses already more to the research and development that is linked to the dissertation thesis topic and to publishing the reached results and compilation of the dissertation thesis.
By the end of the second year of studies the student passes the Doctor State Exam, where the student proves the wide overview and deep knowledge in the field linked to the dissertation thesis topic. The student must apply for this exam by April, 30 in the second year of studies. Before the Doctor State Exam the student must successfully pass the exam from English language course.
In the third and fourth year of studies the student deals with the required research activities, publishes the reached results and compiles the dissertation thesis. As part of the study duties is also completing a study period at an abroad institution or participation on an international research project with results being published or presented in abroad or another form of direct participation of the student on an international cooperation activity, which must be proved by the date of submitting the dissertation thesis.
By the end of the winter term in the fourth year of study the full-time students submit the elaborated dissertation thesis to the supervisor, who scores this elaborate. The combined students submit the elaborated dissertation thesis by the end of winter term in the fifth year of study. The final dissertation thesis is expected to be submitted by the student by the end of the fourth or fifth year of the full-time or combined study form, respectively.
In full-time study form, during the study period the student is obliged to pass a pedagogical practice, i.e. participate in the education process. The participation of the student in the pedagogical activities is part of his/her research preparations. By the pedagogical practice the student gains experience in passing the knowledge and improves the presentation skills. The pedagogical practice load (exercises, laboratories, project supervision etc.) of the student is specified by the head of the department based on the agreement with the student’s supervisor. The duty of pedagogical practice does not apply to students-payers and combined study program students. The involvement of the student in the education process within the pedagogical practice is confirmed by the supervisor in the Information System of the university.

1. Advanced methods for analysis of pharmaceutical aerosols

   The topic focuses on the implementation of a method allowing for the analysis of pharmaceutical aerosols inhaled and exhaled by humans. Our group previously published research focusing on simulation of the human respiratory system and evaluation of aerosol particles produced by dry powder inhalers. The objective of the project will be building upon the existing solutions and to analyse pharmaceutical aerosols within selected areas of the respiratory system (e.g., segments of the upper airways, regions of the lung). Experimental datasets for such areas are scarce and facilitate the advances of regional and targeted deposition of inhaled therapeutical drugs. In this project, polymer-based breathing bags (latex, latex-free or silicon) and explanted lung tissue (porcine, rabbit or sheep) will have to be handled and used to represent the human lung. The PhD candidate will participate in interdisciplinary research covering areas of aerosol science (pharmaceutical aerosol production and measurement), lung simulation, human respiratory system modelling and therapeutical applications of medical aerosols. The PhD project will be conducted at the faculty of Life Science Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien (UASTW) in Austria and may involve additional project partners. The UASTW provides the PhD candidate with access to laboratory infrastructure. Furthermore, the candidate will be engaged in teaching and other scientific activities.

   Tutor: Kolář Radim, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

2. Numerical approaches for modelling of pharmaceutical aerosols behaviour in the respiratory tract

   The topic focuses on numerical approaches that can be used to model and analyse pharmaceutical aerosols in the human respiratory tract. The objective of the project will be to utilize computation fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation techniques to investigate aerosol particle behaviour in the human airway geometry. The realistic geometry will be obtained from CT and/or MRI examinations that are provided from a retrospective clinical trial. The trial is run in cooperation with our partner organisations Centro Hospitalar De Trás-Os-Montes E Alto Duoro (CHTMAD) and Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). The PhD student will participate in interdisciplinary research covering areas of image processing and segmentation, computational models of the human respiratory system and CFD. The results from this research project can provide the basis for in-vitro/in-silico correlation studies in the human respiratory tract. The PhD project will be conducted at the faculty of Life Science Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien (UASTW) in Austria and may involve additional project partners. The UASTW provides the PhD candidate with access to laboratory infrastructure. Furthermore, the candidate will be engaged in teaching and other scientific activities.

   Tutor: Kolář Radim, doc. Ing., Ph.D.