PhD Studentships at the MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics

The overall goal of this PhD studentship project is to generate new mechanistic insights into how latent dynamics in the basal ganglia and their partner brain circuits encode and shape purposeful movement in health as well as impaired movement in Parkinson’s. To achieve this, the project will couple experimental interventions with advanced data analyses to capture and interrogate neural circuit dynamics in the living brain at high spatiotemporal resolution. The project will focus on the use of mouse models with intact or comprised midbrain dopamine systems, the readouts from which straddle multiple levels of neural function.

The project will take place in the Brain Network Dynamics Unit of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and in the Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Restorative Neural Dynamics (MRC CoRE RND). Students will benefit from the extensive interdisciplinary skills training and personalised career development opportunities available within the Unit and the MRC CoRE RND. Students will receive specialised training in their areas of project research (see below) as well as, for example, in the translation and commercialisation of research, best practice in Open Science, and how to effectively involve and engage patients and the public with research.

Focusing on basal ganglia circuits, studentship holders will use cutting-edge research approaches for monitoring and manipulating neurons in the living brain. As an integral part of this project, you will receive advanced training in the following research techniques; electrophysiology, fibre photometry, neuroanatomy, and mouse behavioural assays, together with advanced data analysis. You will also be trained to use and characterise mouse models that have phenotypes of relevance to human Parkinson’s.

This four-year Ph.D. (D.Phil.) studentship offers three years of full-time tuition fees at the Home rate, and four years of non-taxable stipend at the full-time UKRI rate (including any uplifts announced). Both Home students and International students are eligible to receive this funding package. Please see further details about MRC/UKRI studentships and UKRI guidance regarding Home and International eligibility. Successful offer-holders who have applied by the December deadline may also be considered for other University of Oxford scholarships.

Interested candidates should hold, or expect to receive, a 1st class or upper 2nd class degree (or equivalent) in a related scientific discipline, e.g. biological or physical sciences, medicine, mathematics. Previous experience in neuroscience research is highly desirable.

Candidates must contact the lead project supervisor before submitting an application. To find out more about this studentship, the research project, and the application process, please contact Professor Peter Magill by email on peter.magill@ndcn.ox.ac.uk.

To be considered for this studentship, please submit an application for admission to the D.Phil. in Clinical Neurosciences at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (course code RD_CU1), following the guidance for applications to this course. On the application form, in the section headed ‘Departmental Studentship Applications’, please indicate that you are applying for a studentship and enter the reference code “27NDCN01MRC” into the funding tab.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday UK time on Tuesday 1st December 2026.

The overall goal of this PhD studentship is to develop and test a novel, home-based system for precise closed-loop auditory stimulation during sleep, and assess the feasibility of use for stroke survivors. 

To achieve this, we will test the capability of our novel device to automatically track sleep in real time and test the effects on sleep-related oscillations and motor learning in stroke survivors. Alongside this, we will work together with stroke survivors, and other relevant stakeholders, to refine the design of the home-based system before testing the potential to deliver multi-night stimulation in a home setting. 

The project will take place in the Brain Network Dynamics Unit and Oxford Centre for Integrative Neuroscience within the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and in the Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Restorative Neural Dynamics (MRC CoRE RND). Students will benefit from the extensive interdisciplinary skills training and personalised career development opportunities available within the Unit and the MRC CoRE RND. Students will receive specialised training in their areas of project research (see below) as well as, for example, in the translation and commercialisation of research, best practice in Open Science, and how to effectively involve and engage patients and the public with research.

Studentship holders will harness cutting-edge methods for real-time monitoring of sleep EEG and closed-loop stimulation in a clinical population (stroke). As an integral part of these projects, you will receive advanced training in a variety of research techniques including polysomnography, behavioural/motor learning data collection, sleep scoring, advanced analysis of sleep microarchitecture, and co-design.

This four-year Ph.D. (D.Phil.) studentship offers three years of full-time tuition fees at the Home rate, and four years of non-taxable stipend at the full-time UKRI rate (including any uplifts announced). Both Home students and International students are eligible to receive this funding package. Please see further details about MRC/UKRI studentships and UKRI guidance regarding Home and International eligibility. Successful offer-holders who have applied by the December deadline may also be considered for other University of Oxford scholarships.

Interested candidates should possess, or expect to receive, a 1st class or upper 2nd class degree (or equivalent) in a related scientific discipline, e.g. biomedical sciences, neuroscience, psychology, medicine, bioengineering. Previous experience in human neuroscience research with clinical populations is highly desirable.

Candidates must contact the lead project supervisor before submitting an application. To find out more about this studentship, the research project, and the application process, please contact Associate Professor Melanie Fleming by email on melanie.fleming@ndcn.ox.ac.uk. 

To be considered for this studentship, please submit an application for admission to the D.Phil. in Clinical Neurosciences at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (course code RD_CU1), following the guidance for applications to this course. On the application form, in the section headed ‘Departmental Studentship Applications’, please indicate that you are applying for a studentship and enter the reference code “27NDCN01MRC” into the funding tab.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday UK time on Tuesday 1st December 2026.

This PhD project aims to explore how precisely timed, phase-locked deep brain stimulation (DBS) can improve movement and sleep symptoms in people with Parkinson’s (PwP) by modulating abnormal brain rhythms. It combines real-time brain signal processing with closed-loop stimulation to target beta activity during wakefulness and slow-wave activity during sleep. Students will work with PwP who have already received DBS, develop stimulation protocols using a computer-in-the-loop system, and help build software interfaces for implantable devices. Through collaboration with clinical and engineering teams, the project seeks to uncover how brain rhythms relate to behaviour and advance personalised neuromodulation therapies.

The project will take place in the Brain Network Dynamics Unit of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and in the Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Restorative Neural Dynamics (MRC CoRE RND). Students will benefit from the extensive interdisciplinary skills training and personalised career development opportunities available within the Unit and the MRC CoRE RND. Students will receive specialised training in their areas of project research (see below) as well as, for example, in the translation and commercialisation of research, best practice in Open Science, and how to effectively involve and engage patients and the public with research.

Students will receive advanced training in human neurophysiology, including recording and real-time processing of intracranial and scalp brain signals. They will gain hands-on experience with closed-loop brain stimulation systems and work directly with people with Parkinson’s, learning clinical research methods, behavioural testing, and sleep analysis. The project also builds skills in time-series analysis, machine learning, and software development for neurotechnology, including designing software interfaces for implantable devices. Collaboration across the MRC CoRE RND will support training in translational neuroscience and adaptive stimulation strategies.

This four-year Ph.D. (D.Phil.) studentship offers three years of full-time tuition fees at the Home rate, and four years of non-taxable stipend at the full-time UKRI rate (including any uplifts announced). Both Home students and International students are eligible to receive this funding package. Please see further details about MRC/UKRI studentships and UKRI guidance regarding Home and International eligibility. Successful offer-holders who have applied by the December deadline may also be considered for other University of Oxford scholarships.

Interested candidates should possess, or expect to receive, a 1st class or upper 2nd class degree (or equivalent) in a related scientific discipline, e.g. physical sciences, medicine, computer science, engineering, or mathematics. Previous experience in neuroscience research is highly desirable.

Candidates must contact the lead project supervisor before submitting an application. To find out more about this studentship, the research project, and the application process, please contact Prof Huiling Tan by email on huiling.tan@ndcn.ox.ac.uk. 

To be considered for this studentship, please submit an application for admission to the D.Phil. in Clinical Neurosciences at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (course code RD_CU1), following the guidance for applications to this course. On the application form, in the section headed ‘Departmental Studentship Applications’, please indicate that you are applying for a studentship and enter the reference code “27NDCN01MRC” into the funding tab.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday UK time on Tuesday 1st December 2026.

The overall goal of this PhD studentship is to develop new patterns of brain stimulation that promote gamma activity through half-harmonic entrainment, and to investigate whether doing so can improve movement in Parkinson’s disease. To achieve this, the project will combine mathematical modelling, experiments in healthy participants using non-invasive brain stimulation and electroencephalography, and a proof-of-concept study in people with Parkinson’s disease.

The project will take place in the Brain Network Dynamics Unit of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and in the Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Restorative Neural Dynamics (MRC CoRE RND). Students will benefit from the extensive interdisciplinary skills training and personalised career development opportunities available within the Unit and the MRC CoRE RND. Students will receive specialised training in their areas of project research (see below) as well as, for example, in the translation and commercialisation of research, best practice in Open Science, and how to effectively involve and engage patients and the public with research.

Spanning computational, experimental and clinical neuroscience, the studentship will provide advanced training in mathematical modelling of brain dynamics, the design and optimisation of brain stimulation, human electrophysiology and rigorous data analysis. You will gain hands-on experience with EEG and non-invasive brain stimulation in healthy participants. You will also have the opportunity to work with brain activity recordings and behavioural measurements from people with Parkinson’s disease undergoing deep brain stimulation. The project will additionally provide training in translating theoretical predictions into experiments in healthy participants and people with Parkinson’s disease.

This four-year Ph.D. (D.Phil.) studentship offers three years of full-time tuition fees at the Home rate, and four years of non-taxable stipend at the full-time UKRI rate (including any uplifts announced). Both Home students and International students are eligible to receive this funding package. Please see further details about MRC/UKRI studentships and UKRI guidance regarding Home and International eligibility. Successful offer-holders who have applied by the December deadline may also be considered for other University of Oxford scholarships.

Applications are invited from candidates who possess, or expect to receive a 1st class or upper 2nd class degree (or equivalent) in a related quantitative discipline, e.g. mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering. We also encourage applications from candidates with a degree in biological sciences or medicine who have experience with computational methods.

Previous experience in neuroscience research is highly desirable.

Candidates must contact the lead project supervisor before submitting an application. To find out more about this studentship, the research project, and the application process, please contact Dr Benoit Duchet by email on benoit.duchet@ndcn.ox.ac.uk. 

To be considered for this studentship, please submit an application for admission to the D.Phil. in Clinical Neurosciences at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (course code RD_CU1), following the guidance for applications to this course. On the application form, in the section headed ‘Departmental Studentship Applications’, please indicate that you are applying for a studentship and enter the reference code “27NDCN01MRC” into the funding tab.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday UK time on Tuesday 1st December 2026.

The overall goal of this PhD studentship is to determine how neural and behavioural signals can be used to guide more personalised adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. The project will combine brain recordings with measures of movement and behaviour across rest, movement, and sleep in people implanted with sensing-enabled DBS devices. Advanced analytical approaches will be used to identify biomarkers of clinically relevant states and to investigate how these biomarkers can inform new stimulation strategies. In doing so, the project aims to generate new mechanistic understanding of Parkinson’s disease while helping develop more responsive and personalised neurostimulation therapies.

The project will take place in the Brain Network Dynamics Unit of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and in the Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Restorative Neural Dynamics (MRC CoRE RND). Students will benefit from the extensive interdisciplinary skills training and personalised career development opportunities available within the Unit and the MRC CoRE RND. Students will receive specialised training in their areas of project research (see below) as well as, for example, in the translation and commercialisation of research, best practice in Open Science, and how to effectively involve and engage patients and the public with research.

Focusing on translational human neurotechnology, this studentship offers the opportunity to work with cutting-edge techniques including wireless neural activity streaming from implanted DBS devices, high density EEG, EMG, and wearable sensor recordings. You will develop advanced skills in signal processing, multimodal data integration, machine learning, patient-facing research, and the design and testing of adaptive stimulation paradigms. The project offers close collaboration with the functional neurosurgery service at Oxford University Hospitals, North Bristol NHS Trust, industrial partners Amber Therapeutics, and people affected by Parkinson’s. There will also be opportunities to collaborate through the Parkinson’s UK Deep Brain Stimulation Network and contribute to shared translational datasets.

This four-year Ph.D. (D.Phil.) studentship offers three years of full-time tuition fees at the Home rate, and four years of non-taxable stipend at the full-time UKRI rate (including any uplifts announced). Both Home students and International students are eligible to receive this funding package. Please see further details about MRC/UKRI studentships and UKRI guidance regarding Home and International eligibility. Successful offer-holders who have applied by the December deadline may also be considered for other University of Oxford scholarships.

Interested candidates should possess, or expect to receive, a 1st class or upper 2nd class degree (or equivalent) in a related scientific discipline, e.g. biological or physical sciences, medicine, computer science, engineering, mathematics. Applicants from experimental, clinical, engineering and computational backgrounds are encouraged.

Relevant experience in one or more of the following areas is desirable:

• Research experience in neuroscience, neurophysiology or a related field
• Signal processing or analysis of neural, physiological, movement or other biological data
• Programming for data analysis, for example in Python, MATLAB or R

Experience of human or patient-facing data collection, wearable or movement-sensor analysis, machine learning, or brain stimulation would be advantageous but is not essential.

Candidates must contact the lead project supervisor before submitting an application. To find out more about this studentship, the research project, and the application process, please contact Dr Ashwini Oswal by email on ashwini.oswal@ndcn.ox.ac.uk.

To be considered for this studentship, please submit an application for admission to the D.Phil. in Clinical Neurosciences at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (course code RD_CU1), following the guidance for applications to this course. On the application form, in the section headed ‘Departmental Studentship Applications’, please indicate that you are applying for a studentship and enter the reference code “27NDCN01MRC” into the funding tab.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday UK time on Tuesday 1st December 2026.