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Predicting Myelin by Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Neurodevelopment and Neurodegenerative Disorders

To start: 1 June 2018

Award: 1 fully funded BBSRC CASE 4-year PhD studentship with industrial collaboration (Pulseteq Ltd)

Project:

Applicants are sought to join Dr Po-Wah So's laboratory, focused on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the mind-body interface in ageing and disease. A fundamental research question is, ‘how various MRI signals relate to tissue biology and microstructure?’ This is crucial in applying MRI to disease diagnosis and monitoring.

In this studentship, multimodal MRI, corroborative histology and metal mapping data will be interrogated by state-of-the-art machine learning methods to ‘learn’ the combination of quantitative MRI methods that best estimates myelin for translation in vivo. Uniquely, the Student will have the opportunity to help development MRI sensors with our industrial partner, PulseTeq Ltd, to image brain tissue at near microscopic resolutions at 9.4 Tesla.

Myelin is the ‘insulator’ to our nerve fibres, not only protecting nerve fibres but also enabling nerve impulses to travel rapidly. Not much myelin is present at birth, but myelination progresses rapidly during childhood. Myelination is essential for normal neurodevelopment and myelin is damaged in diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Thus, it is vital to visualize myelin in the body, and this Studentship seeks to determine a panel of MRI techniques that best images myelin.

The project is very much multidisciplinary in nature, requiring a highly motivated and enthusiastic graduate with experience in physics, maths, engineering, computer-science, neuroscience and/or related disciplines. The student will be expected to build on their existing experience, develop their potential and acquire new skills. The studentship is in partnership with PulseTeq Ltd (a manufacturer of MRI coils), and will provide opportunities to gain wider business-related as well as scientific training.

The studentship will be based in the Department of Neuroimaging, Denmark Hill Campus, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. It will be a collaboration with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, St Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London. 

Supervisors:

Dr Po-Wah So, Dr Maria Deprez

Entry requirements:

Applicants should have a 2:1 or 1st class honours degree in a subject relevant to the proposed project. If applicants already possess a research-based MSc degree, a merit or distinction level is required.

Award type and eligibility:

A 4-year full-time PhD studentship with industrial collaboration funded by the BBSRC, with a full stipend including funding for tuition fees (at ‘home rates’ only), laboratory expenses and conference attendance.  Please note the studentship is for Home students only, full details are on  http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/documents/studentship-eligibility-pdf/

How to apply:

Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the admissions portal, by midnight (23:59 GMT), 19 March 2018. 

On the ‘Choosing a programme’ page, please select ‘Research degrees’ and enter the keyword Neuroimaging and select mode of attendance, i.e. Neuroimaging Research MPhil/PhD (Full time).

In your application, you will be asked to include:

  • Academic Transcripts – where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application
  • Details of your qualifications (you will need to attach copies)
  • Details of previous employment
  • A personal statement describing your interests and why you wish to apply for this project. Please include this as an attachment rather than using the text box.
  • Academic References – all admissions applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on his/her referees to submit references directly to the College after he/she has submitted his/her admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that their chosen referees are made aware of the funding deadline.

 

In the Funding section, please tick box 5 and include the following reference: PWS-BBSRC-PT-2018

Please note there is no need to complete the Research Proposal section in your application as the project has already been set.

You are welcome to email Dr Po-Wah So (primary supervisor) for more information regarding the project and studentship.

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Research Administrator

References must be received by the deadline for the applicant to be eligible.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

 

Closing Date13 April 2018 (23:59 GMT).

InterviewsTBC

 

 

Further Information

About the IoPPN 

Studying at the IoPPN 

Research degrees at the IoPPN

KCL Researcher Development Programme 

About the Research Group

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