- Vacancy Reference Number
- Katz Studentships
- Closing Date
- 24 Nov 2024
- Salary
- £19,237 per year
- Address
- University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD
- Duration
- 3 years
We are advertising two funded 3-year PhD studentships.
These studentships will focus on addressing important research questions linked to understanding tic disorders, such as Tourette syndrome. The projects offered involve a wide range of methods and studies in human participants or rodent models.
Targeted projects currently include the following:
1. Use multimodal brain imaging or brain stimulation techniques to develop a mechanistic understanding of the role played by neural noise (trial-by-trial variability) in the generation of tics that can be used to inform the development of novel treatments.
2. Develop a Temporal Interference stimulation (TIS) approach to investigate the role(s) played by the anterior insula and mid (motor) cingulate brain areas in the experience of premonitory urge phenomena and the production of tics.
3. Use behavioural, translational neuroimaging and neurophysiology methods in a rat model to examine the effects of chronic striatal neural disinhibition, which has been implicated in Tourette syndrome.
4. Using AI/machine learning methods, develop a smartphone App for automatically quantifying and classifying tics.
These studentships would suit somebody with an undergraduate degree relevant to each individual project, e.g., Experimental Psychology, Physics/Mathematics, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related subject.
In addition, an appropriate Masters degree and/or relevant previous experience with one or more of: brain imaging (e.g., MRI, EEG, MEG); brain stimulation (e.g., TMS, tACS, TIS); mathematical modelling; in vivo neuroscience studies in rat models; or, AI/machine learning would be an advantage.
The projects would ideally start in February 2025, but later start dates are possible.
The studentships are open to applicants with Home Fee status.
The studentships are fully funded by a generous philanthropic donation made to the University of Nottingham.
Further Information
Further information, including on how to apply, can be found here:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/psychology/study-with-us/phd-by-research/school-funded-phd-studentship.aspx
For informal inquiries, please contact Stephen Jackson (stephen.jackson@nottingham.ac.uk).
For project nr. 3, involving the rat model of Tourette's Syndrome-related striatal disinhibition, you can also contact Tobias Bast (tobias.bast@nottingham.ac.uk).
Contact Details
Stephen Jackson, stephen.jackson@nottingham.ac.uk
For project nr. 3, you can also contact Tobias Bast, tobias.bast@nottingham.ac.uk
