We are pleased to announce that the MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics has launched a new partnership with the NHS National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration in Newcastle.

The NHS National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration (NCNN) is hosted by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, in collaboration with Newcastle University. Led by Dr Luke Bashford and Mr Mohammed Akbar Hussain, it is the UK’s flagship centre dedicated to supporting clinical trials of new and emerging neurotechnologies for the treatment of brain and nervous system conditions.

MRC CoRE Director Peter Magill commented “We are delighted to be partnering with Luke, Mohammed and colleagues at the NCNN. Their complementary expertise and dedicated end-to-end infrastructure open exciting opportunities for accelerating the adoption of neurotechnologies for research and therapy. The synergy with our Challenge is clear, and we look forward to working with the NCNN to empower the clinical exploitation of neural dynamics by advanced medical devices for improved patient outcomes.”

NCNN Scientific Director Luke Bashford commented “The MRC CoRE RND is uniquely positioned within the UK to bridge discovery and translational research on neural dynamics and device-based interventions. The National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration will help ensure their groundbreaking developments are available clinically to benefit those living with neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions and further our understanding of the human brain. The partnership showcases our collective excellence in basic science and healthcare research for neuroscience and neurotechnology.” 

Congratulations to MRC CoRE Leadership Team member Dr Ashwini Oswal on being awarded the title of Associate Professor by the University of Oxford.

Associate Professor titles are conferred annually in recognition of an individual’s distinction in their field as well as their wider contributions to research, teaching and administration/citizenship.

MRC CoRE Director Professor Peter Magill commented “We are delighted for Ash. This title is richly deserved, reflecting Ash’s outstanding research contributions as a clinician-scientist as well as many other sterling achievements.”

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.