Post-Doctoral Researcher in Human Physiology, Full time, Specified Purpose Contract, 4 Years, Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research, Maynooth University

The Role

Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued.

We are seeking a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Human Physiology to work on a four-year project investigating “The Role of Upper Airway Mechanoreceptors in the Regulation of Upper Airway Patency in Humans during Wakefulness and Sleep”, in the Respiratory Physiology and Sleep Laboratory, Maynooth University. The Laboratory is a newly-established facility and research programme, led by Professor Philip Nolan (https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/philip-nolan ).

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common disorder, where the collapsible part of the upper airway, the pharynx, becomes repeatedly blocked during sleep. This results in frequent short episodes where, despite continued attempts to breathe, air cannot enter the lungs (obstructive apnoea). These episodes are each ended by a brief arousal from sleep which clears the airway. The reduced blood oxygen (hypoxia), the strain on the cardiovascular system during these episodes, and the repeated awakenings, are associated with debilitating excessive daytime sleepiness and a significantly increased risk of hypertension, type II diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

The pharynx is normally held open during sleep in healthy people by the action of surrounding skeletal muscle, including muscles of the tongue, the palate and the pharyngeal wall. If the pharynx starts to collapse, the transmural pressure below the obstruction becomes more negative (relative to atmospheric pressure) and this stimulates an important reflex response. Sensory receptors concentrated in the wall of the larynx sense the change in pressure, causing a reflex activation of the pharyngeal muscles to stabilise the pharyngeal wall. While this reflex has been extensively studied in animal and human models, there remain important questions about its mechanism and significance in humans. The purpose of this research programme is to better characterise and understand the reflex responses to changes in upper airway pressure changes in humans. It is fundamental research, designed to better elucidate the underlying physiological control mechanisms which keep the pharyngeal airway open in wakefulness and sleep in healthy adults. However, it is likely that this better understanding will lead to better and more personalised treatments for people with OSA.

We are seeking a talented and inventive researcher, with doctoral training in Physiology or a cognate discipline, to work with the Principal Investigator in the design and execution of this innovative programme of fundamental research.