Neurology
The University of Manchester
About the Project Central nervous system (CNS) drug exposure is difficult to predict because the blood brain barrier (BBB) tightly regulates drug entry via passive permeability and active transporter‑mediated efflux and uptake. Direct measurement of human brain drug concentrations is rarely possible, so there is a need for translational BBB models that generate parameters suitable for physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) prediction of CNS exposure (1,2).
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 15 October 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD only Summary Whole-genome sequencing currently diagnoses approximately half of all children whom we clinically suspect of having a rare monogenic condition. Non-coding variants such as deep intronic splice altering variants are likely to contribute many of the undiagnosed cases. Predicting the functional consequence of non-coding variation, particularly deep intronic splice sites is challenging.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Parallel transmission uses multiple independently controlled radiofrequency transmitters to overcome image non-uniformities that historically limited clinical uses of 7T MRI. Our recent pTx-7T-MRI epilepsy study revealed abnormalities responsible for seizures in patients whose standard hospital 3T MRI and PET scans had been inconclusive.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Disease of the small blood vessels in brain, cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), causes a quarter of all strokes and is the major cause of vascular dementia. Despite its importance we have few effective treatments. One factors contributing to this is a lack of suitable biomarkers for the disease.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD only Summary Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are associated with profound changes in vulnerable cell populations in the human brain. However, we still understand relatively little about how disease alters RNA processing within specific cell types, or how these changes contribute to neuronal dysfunction, disease progression and therapeutic vulnerability.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD Only Summary Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential for preventing harmful immune responses and maintaining healthy tissues. While CD4⁺ Tregs are well understood and are already being developed as therapies for autoimmune disease and transplantation, CD8+Tregs have received very little attention. These cells are extremely rare in human blood, which has limited previous research.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD or MPhil Summary Our aim is to develop novel Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiotracers for imaging the brain. PET is a non-invasive molecular imaging technique which enables visualization and quantification of various biological targets in vivo (e.g., receptor, enzyme). It is typically the change in either the number or the function of biological targets or biomarkers which is measurable by PET.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD only Summary Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) produces complex and rapidly evolving disturbances in cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. Modern intensive care monitoring provides continuous measurements of many of these processes, but translating these data into a coherent picture of the underlying physiological state of the patient remains a major challenge.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional organelle, shaped as a contiguous network of membranous pipes extending throughout the cell periphery. Its morphology benefits intercellular communication, allowing controlled distribution of ER luminal solutes (e.g. Ca2+ in muscular/neuronal signalling) and membrane-bound components to distant sites and adjoining organelles.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Neuroinflammation is an important driving mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases, and accelerated clinical progression in people with dementia. Our research programme uses advanced blood-based biomarkers, combined with neuroimaging and clinical data, to quantify and characterise neuroinflammation and pathological changes in people with frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a major cause of stroke and vascular cognitive impairment, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying disease remain poorly understood. This project will use patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models to investigate whether different genetic and sporadic forms of cSVD converge on common vascular mechanisms.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD or MPhil Summary Inherited neuromuscular disorders are disabling, progressive, often fatal conditions, representing an enormous unmet medical need with devastating impacts on affected families, the healthcare system, and the economy. There are no cures and the limited therapies available treat symptoms without addressing the underlying disease.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project I am an academic neuro-ophthalmologist with a major research interest in mitochondrial genetics and inherited eye diseases. I coordinate a specialist clinical service for patients with mitochondrial eye diseases in Cambridge and London.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary This project will build on work within the lab developing in silico mathematical models of neurodegenerative disorders associated with the tau protein. The model is validated against real-world data from our cohort of people with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Corticobasal Syndrome, and Frontotemporal Dementia using neuroimaging and neuropathology data.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary This project is focused on establishing the role of mitochondrial genetic variants in determining the outcome of MS.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Mitochondrial diseases are caused by defects in genes required for energy production and oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). We find it intriguing that some patients with mitochondrial disease present late in life, with very tissue-specific phenotypes. It seems that not all cells and tissues are equally susceptible to mitochondrial disease.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary How does subjective experience emerge from the activity of billions of neurons? Why does consciousness disappear during anaesthesia, become profoundly altered by psychedelic drugs, and sometimes endure despite severe brain injury? These questions lie at the heart of one of the greatest unsolved problems in science. Our research combines neuroimaging and computational neuroscience to uncover the principles that make conscious experience possible.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary: TBI is a complex disease with a number of underlying pathophysiological processes driven by mal-adaptive inflammation. Our group has related several pathological processes to specific inflammatory pathways, with a focus on identifying potential therapeutic targets.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Human neural organoids grown from patient-specific iPSCs have emerged as a promising preclinical model that can reproduce important details of human CNS development, tissue architecture and pathology. However, we need precision tools to explore which aspects of complex physiological and pathophysiological cellular behaviour these models can recapitulate, increasing confidence in their value as discovery and drug-testing systems.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project PhD or MPhil Summary Stroke is the largest cause of complex adult disability and a leading cause of death worldwide. Treatments to open up blocked arteries in the brain including clot-busting with thrombolysis and mechanical clot retrieval with thrombectomy have transformed patient outcomes.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a major cause of neurological disability in young adults, and emerging evidence suggests that intervening before clinical onset may prevent or delay disease. This project will use OpenSAFELY, containing longitudinal primary care data from approximately 58 million people in England, to identify modifiable environmental, lifestyle and therapeutic factors associated with MS risk.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Programmed axon death is an intrinsic death programme in axons, executed by the NAD degrading enzyme SARM1 and regulated by the NAD synthesising enzyme NMNAT2. The programme can be activated by axon injury, gene mutation, metabolic perturbations, toxins and viruses and is involved in many neurodegenerative diseases.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary This project will investigate the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, retrograde signalling, epigenetic modifications, and glial cell toxicity in P-MS, building upon the finding’s recent papers from the lab 1, 2, 23 .
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Many neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by the occurrence of fibrillar tau aggregates inside cells of the brain. Mounting evidence supports a model of prion-like spread in which ‘seeds’ of fibrillar tau transit between cells, templating further aggregation. Of note, it is now clear that different tauopathies are characterised by specific ‘folds’ of tau, with accumulation in disease-specific cell types.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Why do some individuals remain cognitively healthy despite accumulating brain pathology and genetic risk, while others develop cognitive impairment and dementia? Our research aims to answer this question by investigating the mechanisms of brain resilience during ageing and early neurodegeneration.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Summary Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that results in significant long-term disability. While research has historically focused on motor and sensory deficits, cognitive impairment is now recognized as a critical and debilitating aspect of the disease, affecting over half of all patients.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Neurology
University of Liverpool
About the Project Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is characterised by motor dysfunction without tissue destruction, and its causes are unknown. This project will assess the role of pathogenic IgG serum autoantibodies in causing or contributing to FND and one other symptom-based disorder. This project built on successful work in fibromyalgia syndrome (Goebel et al., 2021 https://www.jci.org/articles/view/144201 ).
- Location
- Liverpool, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Neurology
University of Reading
About the Project Virtual reality systems are fundamentally altering how we study human sensory perception. Similarly, to build good virtual reality systems we need a clear understanding of how the brain integrates sensory information into a robust and useful percept. One area where this is particularly important is in the design and use of robotic telepresence systems, which allow a user to work safely in remote or hazardous environments.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Neurology
University of Nottingham
About the Project The project will use a combination of electrophysiological techniques such as voltage-clamp and patch-clamp with molecular biology and protein expression to understand how natural neurotoxins and their synthetic analogues act on ion channels in the nervous system and other excitable tissues. This project will study the modes and sites of action of the toxins and assess their suitability for development as novel therapeutic agents or pesticides.
- Location
- Nottingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Neurology
University of Leeds
About the Project The School of Biomedical Sciences invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in neuroscience in the academic year 2025/26. This opportunity is open to candidates who have the means to self-fund their studies or who have a sponsor who will cover this cost.
- Location
- Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Neurology
Aston University
About the Project Details of the Project Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia affect over one in five people worldwide and are a leading cause of disability and early mortality. A common feature across many of these conditions is an altered response to stress, yet the developmental and genetic factors that shape this vulnerability remain poorly understood.
- Location
- Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)