Subject areas:
Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, and/or equivalent training.
Funding type:
Bench Fees / Research Training & Support Grant.
Stipend.
Tuition fee.
Awarding body:
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Fully funded EPSRC DLA PhD studentship in the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences to start 1 October 2025.
Award details
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) can transform the lives of patients with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. An implanted device is used to deliver electrical impulses to specific brain areas to treat symptoms. However, the exact mechanism by which these electrical impulses modulate abnormal brain activity remains unclear.
The project aims to improve our understanding of the brains response to DBS by using cutting edge advances in multimodal imaging. In particular, you will use and further develop our functional optical endomicroscopic imaging systems to visualise brain functional activities in situ. The imaging system exploits advanced fibre light field technology for snapshot 3D imaging of brain cells and single photon fluorescence imaging for detecting neural activity. This provides new measures of neural activity in response to the electrical stimulation in real time at both cellular level and circuit level. Using these measurements together with computational models and Artificial Intelligence (AI), this system can be a powerful tool to understand DBS mechanisms and optimise DBS therapy.
You will gain expertise in advanced optical measurements, electrophysiological techniques and learn advanced signal processing. There will also be opportunities for you to develop and learn biophysical modelling and AI techniques. This will be set within the context of a rich translational research landscape set within one of London’s largest hospitals and a unique MedTech hub.
Award value
Each studentship is fully funded for 3.5 years. This includes tuition fees, stipend and generous project consumables.
- Stipend: Students will receive a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate of £22,780 (AY 2025/26) per year as a living allowance.
- Research Training Support Grant (RTSG): A generous project allowance will be provided for research consumables and for attending UK and international conferences.
- Tuition fees: Home
Eligibility criteria
School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences
Postgraduate research
Bachelor's degree with 2:1 honours in Applied Mathematics / Mathematics, Optical engineering, Biomedical Engineering or another engineering-related discipline, Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Optics, Medical Physics, Computer Science, Optics, Physics, Neuroscience, Neurophotonics, Neuroengineering.
A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a Master's degree with Merit or above.
Preference will be given to candidates with a background conducive to multidisciplinary research and preferably programming skills and lab experience.
We welcome eligible applicants from any personal background, who are pleased to join diverse and friendly research groups.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
Award conditions
Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements for Home Fee status will be eligible to apply for this project. To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
- have settled status, or
- have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
- have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
For exceptionally strong and competitive applications there is a possibility of support for international tuition fees.
Students must submit within the funding period (3.5 years) and must participate in training and cohort activities relevant to their PhD.
Application process
Please submit an application for the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Science Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time) programme using the King’s Apply system. Please include the following with your application:
- A PDF copy of your CV should be uploaded to the Employment History section.
- A 500-word personal statement outlining your motivation for undertaking postgraduate research should be uploaded to the Supporting statement section.
- Funding information: Please choose Option 5 “I am applying for a funding award or scholarship administered by King’s College London” and under “Award Scheme Code or Name” enter DLA-YX. Failing to include this code might result in you not being considered for this funding.
Selection process
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a formal interview.
Contact:
Please email: yijing.xie@kcl.ac.uk.