Many congratulations to MRC CoRE postdoctoral researcher Dr. Joram van Rheede on being awarded an Open Fellowship by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

EPSRC Open Fellowships are a prestigious individual award aimed at ambitious and talented researchers who wish to develop, expand or establish a programme of research.

Joram will use his 5-year Fellowship to establish an independent research programme that is focused on the development of ‘smart’ device-based stimulation approaches that can optimally interact with the human brain across the entire sleep-wake cycle. Joram will take up his Fellowship at the University of Oxford in April 2026.

Joram commented: “Sleep is crucial for our brain health, yet current brain stimulation therapies are mainly tested during waking hours. My new research team and I aim to develop better devices for 24/7 preclinical research, with a view to enabling sleep-stage dependent brain stimulation therapy for people living with neurological conditions. I am very grateful for the support leading up to this programme, particularly that from my mentors Professor Andrew Sharott and Professor Timothy Denison. I am excited to start work on this programme and increase the speed at which new insights into brain stimulation can be developed into better therapies for patients.”

MRC CoRE Director Professor Peter Magill commented: “We are thrilled for Joram. He is an outstanding researcher, and his Fellowship is thoroughly deserved. Joram’s research vision is in excellent alignment with the MRC CoRE’s discovery and translational research portfolios, and we look forward to collaborating with Joram during his Fellowship.”

We are pleased to announce that MRC CoRE Director Professor Peter Magill will join the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) Parkinson’s Research Centre as one of its foundational Group Leaders.

In 2025, the UK DRI partnered with the charity Parkinson’s UK to launch a new £10 million research centre dedicated to better understanding the causes of Parkinson’s and to accelerating new and improved treatments for the condition. The UK DRI confirmed today the first three Group Leader appointments to the Parkinson’s Research Centre.

Peter commented “I am thrilled to be joining the Parkinson’s Research Centre and to have the opportunity to contribute to the delivery of its distinctive vision. I look forward to collaborating with new colleagues at the Centre and across the UK DRI as we work together with our charity and public partners to fully realise the benefits of transformative research and make a difference to the lives of people affected by Parkinson’s.”

Peter will hold his UK DRI Parkinson’s Research Centre position at the University of Oxford.

Many congratulations to MRC CoRE Leadership Team member Associate Professor Melanie Fleming on being awarded a prestigious Senior Non-Clinical Lectureship by the Stroke Association.

The Stroke Association Lectureship programme aims to address succession and sustainability in the careers of stroke researchers. Senior Lectureship awards provide secure and stable long-term funding for researchers to lead their own research programmes and establish their independent careers.

Melanie will start her 5-year Senior Lectureship in January 2026.

Melanie commented: “I am very grateful for this opportunity to build my research group, and to be able to work together with people with lived experience of stroke to develop a tailored sleep intervention for this condition.”

MRC CoRE Director Professor Peter Magill commented: “We are thrilled for Melanie. This award is richly deserved. Melanie is an outstanding researcher, and a valued colleague and collaborator. Her scientific vision brilliantly complements the MRC CoRE’s discovery and translational research portfolios.”

The MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics welcomes applications to join its new cohort of Ph.D. students, for a start in October 2026.

We are offering 4-year PhD studentships with research projects aligned to empirical neuroscience, computational neuroscience, experimental medicine, and biomedical engineering.

We provide outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary training and personalised career development within a supportive research culture.

For more information about the research projects on offer, as well as the application process, please see our Studentships page.

Closing date for applications is 12.00 midday UK time on Tuesday 2nd December 2025.