Project Description
PhD applications are invited to develop advanced neuroimaging biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in mid-life, asymptomatic individuals.
The Problem
Dementia is a growing pandemic that presents profound challenges to health care systems, families and societies throughout the world. By 2050, the number of people living with dementia worldwide could triple from 47 to 132 million, and the associated costs triple to $3 trillion. To reduce the future incidence of dementia, there is an immediate need for public health interventions that target modifiable risk factors. As exposure to these risk factors begins 20-40 years before dementia onset, interventions must be implemented in mid-life. However, the indicators of the disease process in mid-life are poorly understood, and the identification of targets of early intervention presents a great challenge. To address this critical knowledge gap, PREVENT, a large-scale population study carried out by Trinity College Dublin, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Oxford universities, and Imperial College London, aims to establish sensitive biomarkers of very early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) process.
Professors Lorina Naci co-leads the PREVENT study at the Global Brain Health Institute, at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). At TCD, we will conduct the 3rd wave of longitudinal testing (year 8), in a cohort of mid-life individuals at high- and low-risk for late-life Alzheimer’s disease with an extensive array of assessments, previously taken at baseline and year 2 follow-up. The medical tests, including neuropsychological, neurological, lifestyle questionnaires, and bio sample analyses (e.g., plasma, saliva, CSF), will be performed by a clinical team at the Memory Clinic, St James’s Hospital, and the neuroimaging tests will be performed at the Siemens 3T scanner at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, in Dublin, Ireland.
The PhD Project
The PhD student’s first objective will be to help conduct the 3rd testing wave of the PREVENT Dublin cohort. The second objective will be to help design and perform all relevant analyses to assess (a) the performance of established and novel pre-clinical neuroimaging markers of AD in mid-life in persons at high- relative to low-risk, and (b) the interaction between changes in neuroimaging biomarkers with clinical features, as well as the prediction of clinical decline from the baseline measures.
Training Environment, Lifestyle
The successful applicant will be part of an interdisciplinary team supervised by Dr. Lorina Naci, and based at the Global Brain Health Institute, at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), in the heart of Dublin. [S]he will receive top-tier training at the School of Psychology and TCIN, in cutting-edge translational neuroscience tools/methods (3T, 7T MRI) and research, and have international training and networking opportunities, including labs visits in other world-leading universities (Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge (UK), UCSF (USA), INSERM (France)], access to unique aging/dementia large datasets, and shared resources.
Standard Duties and Responsibilities of the Post
The PhD student will carry out an original body of research as part of the requirements for the PhD in Psychology at Trinity College. They will participate fully in lab life, attending regular meetings and collaborating with other lab members. They are expected to be a self-starter, eager to learn and enthusiastic about their area of study.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Applicants will hold a BA/BSc degree (or equivalent) in Psychology, Computer science, Neuroscience, or a related field.
Knowledge & Experience (Essential & Desirable)
* Experience in quantitative data analysis (essential)
* Experience conducting research with human subjects (desired)
* Excellent English writing skills (essential)
* MA/MSc in Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science or a related field (desired)
Skills & Competencies
* MATLAB, (essential) Python, R (desired)
* Experimental Design (essential)
* MRI analysis (desired)
* Experience with aging research (desired)
Application Procedure
To apply, please send before November 10th, 2024, the following items by email to PREVENTDEMENTIA@TCD.IE with the subject line PREVENT PHD2024:
* A cover letter explaining how you are the right person to satisfy the job description
* Your curriculum vitae
* Your transcript or grades
* The names of three referees with email addresses and phone numbers
* A sample of your writing – Previous publication is preferred
Further Information for Applicants
Dr. Lorina Naci’s laboratory: http://www.lorinanaci.org
* https://preventdementia.co.uk/
* https://www.gbhi.org/projects/prevent-dublin
* https://www.tcd.ie/Neuroscience/Ethics/
* Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience: https://www.tcd.ie/Neuroscience/
* The Global Brain Health Institute: http://www.gbhi.org/
* Trinity School of Psychology: https://psychology.tcd.ie/
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: €25,000.00 per year
Schedule:
* Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 10/11/2024
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