PhD Fellowship – University College Dublin
Vacancy Reference Number: PhD UCD
Closing Date: 31 Mar 2025
Salary: €22,000 per annum + registration fees
Duration: 4 years
Project Description: Applications are invited for a fully funded 4-year PhD Fellowship in the School of Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin, Ireland. This project represents an exciting opportunity to develop chronic closed-loop cortical stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in a rodent model. While deep brain stimulation is an established treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, it has several limitations, including a small eligible patient population, side effects, lengthy device programming, and regular battery replacement surgeries, which this project addresses by combining a novel stimulation target with closed-loop stimulation.
During this project, you will study an alternative location for brain stimulation in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Your work will focus on developing long-term stimulation in vivo in rats that express symptoms of Parkinson’s disease after neurotoxin injection into the dopaminergic basal ganglia circuit. Ultimately, closed-loop cortical stimulation will be implemented, where the stimulation delivered is adapted to a disease-relevant biomarker.
You will be working under the supervision of Dr. Judith Evers (profile) in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine in collaboration with the Neuromuscular Systems Lab in the UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (link) and ELAINE research group, University Rostock, Germany (link).
Qualifications/Skills Required
Candidates for this position should have a 2.1 or higher Bachelor’s degree from a relevant biological discipline such as neuroscience, physiology, medicine, veterinary medicine, or a closely related area. A Master (or equivalent) in neuroscience, physiology, or a closely related area is of advantage. The ideal candidate has experience in a selection from the following techniques: electrophysiology, animal models of Parkinson’s disease, behavioral laboratory animal tests, brain stimulation, and surgical skills. While training in all techniques will be supplied, a willingness and enthusiasm to perform complex in vivo research is required. Candidates should have excellent communication and organizational skills; be highly motivated and passionate about neuroscience and developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases; and have strong written, oral, and interpersonal skills. The candidate should be able to work independently and as part of a team.
Funding Details: €22,000 stipend per annum for 4 years with PhD fees included.
Start Date: The position is available from September 1st, 2025.
Application Process
Applicants should submit a cover letter outlining their motivation and suitability for the post, a detailed CV, and the contact details of a minimum of two academic referees. The application pack should be emailed to Dr. Judith Evers (judith.evers@ucd.ie). Closing date for receipt of applications is 17.00 on March 31st, 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview in April.
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