My PhD aimed to explore how the appearance of prosthetic limbs could affect users’ lives and society’s attitudes towards prosthetic users with respect to users’ culture.
My PhD topic was a continuity of my master’s major project. After my master’s I wanted to continue the research in the area of expressive prostheses, as I was fascinated by that, and therefore, I decided to undertake a PhD.
One of the main issues around prostheses is the importance of aesthetics versus functionality and comfort, and the extent to which aesthetics do affect users’ well-being. However, I believe that aesthetics, functionality, and comfort should coexist and not being investigated individually.
My ambition throughout this project was to help people understand the importance of diversity in the society, to alter how people with disabilities are confronted. To do so, it is of high importance that prosthetics and other assistive technologies are not considered as medical devices, but as products.
![Anna Vlachaki](/media/media/schoolanddepartments/design-and-creative-arts/photos/student-profiles/th (1).jpg)
I chose Loughborough University as the ranking is very high and it is considered as one of the best Universities in the UK. Additionally, the location of Loughborough is very good as it is close to many big cities.
Studying at Loughborough was a unique experience which helped me not only expand my professional skills, but also develop my personality. Holding a PhD offers you a wide variety of opportunities since the analytical and research skills learnt can be applied in both the academia and industry.