RVC Ageing Cat Clinic

RVC Ageing Cat Clinic is a research group currently comprising 5 PhD students, 1 post-doctoral fellow, RVN Clinic Manager and 5 faculty members (including 3 DipACVNU, 2 ACVNU founding members, 3 IRIS board members, and 1 biological sciences (renal) scientist). 

This clinic has been running for over 30 years, providing free health care to cats > 9 years who are either healthy or have conditions including chronic kidney disease, hypertension and hyperthyroidism. 

The clinic forms the basis for first-opinion clinical research whilst providing standard of care to ageing cats and their owners. 

We are supported by research grants from a wide range of industrial sponsors.

We are a close-knit team who work together to provide feline-friendly veterinary care to older cats whilst at the same time supporting research of common issues that are seen in this demographic of cats. 

We are particularly interested in renal ageing, hyperthyroidism and systemic hypertension given the clinical impact of these conditions. 

As a team, we host regular research group meetings, have a strong support system for our PhD students, and actively encourage presentation and dissemination of data at national and international meetings. 

We hope to impact veterinary care for ageing cats internationally to improve quality of life and welfare.

The clients and the cats that we work with! The team that we build and the impact we have on feline quality of life and clinical management of conditions that affect cats as they age.

PhD studentships:

Essential:

• Qualified veterinary surgeon or degree graduate registered veterinary nurse who is MRCVS-eligible at the start of the studentship

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

• Ability to manage multiple ongoing projects independently

• Ability to work as part of a team including working within clinical environments

• Drive to understand pathophysiology of disease

Desirable:

• Experience of retrospective epidemiological research

• Experience of prospective clinical study design

• Experience of laboratory-based research methodology

• Familiarity with statistical packages for data analysis

• Experience of scientific writing

• Experience of working in small animal clinical practice

You can find out more here. 

A PhD can be a springboard to so many career opportunities!