PhD Studentship - The Investigation of Neuromodulatory Approaches for Pain Relief in Models of Headache

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

King's College London

To start: 1st October 2016
Award
The Migraine Trust Studentship
Project
Primary headache disorders are common neurological disorders of episodic attacks, characterised by head pain and often accompanied by associate symptoms. In particular, migraine and cluster headache are extremely disabling neurological conditions, affecting both adults and children.
Although some aspects of the pathophysiology of migraine and cluster headache remain unknown, it is now accepted that the pain is due to activation of the ascending trigeminothalamic pathway. Cortical spreading depression on the other hand, appears to be the biological correlate for the migraine aura. Activation of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex may explain the associated facial symptoms present during cluster headache attacks. The brain area that is suspected to be involved in the triggering of the attacks is the hypothalamus, potentially its dopaminergic related nuclei.
Neuromodulation approaches for the treatment of intractable migraine, cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, have gained a lot of interest in the past decade. The biological rationale for the use of some of the neuromodulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, cervical spinal cord stimulation and occipital nerve stimulation, and their mechanism of action have not been previously investigated. These techniques involve stimulation of different systems (e,g, cortical, peripheral nerve, peripheral and/or central), however, their actual action on the pain pathways of migraine and cluster headache have not been investigated in detail.
In his/her thesis, the PhD student will investigate the actions and mechanism of action of these three neuromodulation techniques in the animal models of headaches. In particular, the PhD student will mostly employ in vivo electrophysiology, including extracellular recordings, DC-shift recordings and microiontophoresis, to investigate the objectives of this thesis. He/She will also use in vitro calcium imaging, hence acquiring skills in cell culture as well. Additionally, he/she will develop expertise in the three neuromodulation techniques, ie. transcranial magnetic stimulation, spinal cord stimulation and occipital nerve stimulation, using state-of-the-art techniques.
The student will enter a vibrant environment at the Wolfson CARD, where he/she will have the opportunity to observe and collaborate with other colleagues in different aspects of the neuroscience of pain.
Entry requirements
Applicants should have (or be expected to obtain) a 2:1 or 1st class honours degree in a subject relevant to the proposed project. If applicants already possess (or expect to obtain) a research-based MSc degree, a merit or distinction level is required.
Award type and eligibility
The award is for a three year PhD which will cover College fees, a stipend of £17K (+5% inflation/annum), bench fees and travel expenses to congresses. Applicants should have (or be expected to obtain) a 2:1 or 1st class honours degree in a subject relevant to the proposed project.
For more details please see here.

Funding information

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Contacts and how to apply

Administrative contact and how to apply:

Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the admissions portal by midnight (12:00 GMT), Sunday 14th August 2016.
On the ‘Choosing a programme’ page, please select ‘Research degrees’ and enter the keywords “Wolfson CARD MPhil / PhD”
In your application, you will be asked to include:
•Academic Transcripts – where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application
•Details of your qualifications (you will need to attach copies)
•Details of previous employment
•A personal statement describing your interests and why you wish to apply for this project. Please include this as an attachment rather than using the text box.
•Academic References – all admissions applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on his/her referees to submit references directly to the College after he/she has submitted his/her admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that their chosen referees are made aware of the funding deadline.
In the Funding section, please tick box 5 and include the following reference: APANMOD2016
Please note there is no need to complete the Research Proposal section in your application as the project has already been set.
You are welcome to email Dr Anna Andreou (supervisor) (anna.andreou@kcl.ac.uk), with an email title: PhD in Headaches, for more information regarding the project and studentship.
If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Research Administrator karine.gay@kcl.ac.uk.
References must be received by the deadline for the applicant to be eligible.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Closing Date: Sunday 14th August 2016
Interviews: w/c 5th September 2016
Further Information
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/depts/wolfson/index.aspx
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/depts/wolfson/about/people/staff/Dr-Anna-Andreou.aspx

Application deadline:

14 August 2016

16 PhD (Doctoral Candidate) positions in Physics and Materials Science

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)

University of Luxembourg

The University of Luxembourg (UL) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) invite applications for up to 16 PhD (Doctoral Candidate) positions (m/f) within the newly established Doctoral Training Unit on “Materials for Sensing and Energy Harvesting” in the research fields of Physics and Materials Science. The doctoral programme MASSENA is funded under the framework of the PRIDE scheme of the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR).
The objectives of the research programme are to improve the understanding and the performance of materials used in sensing and energy harvesting. The medium to long-term research objective is to enable new applications and improved performance.
The Doctoral Training Unit is organised in four thematic clusters: three application oriented clusters - (A) strain sensors and energy harvesters, (B) electronic sensors and energy harvesters, and (C) bio-sensing - are supported by a transversal cluster on (D) electronic structure theory.
Your profile:
• Master's degree in Physics, Chemistry, or Materials Science
• Strong background in at least one of the fields of the clusters
• Good English language skills
• Willingness to work in an inter-cultural and international environment
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Curiosity and self-motivation
We offer:
• A dynamic and well-equipped research environment
• Intensive training in scientific and transferable skills, participation in schools, conferences and workshops
• Three-year (fixed term) employee contract at UL or LIST, extensible to four years
• Enrollment as a PhD student in the Doctoral School of Science and Engineering at UL
• Personal work space at UL or LIST (depending on project)
Gender policy:
UL and LIST strive to increase the share of female PhD students. Therefore, we explicitly encourage women to apply.

Funding information

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Contacts and how to apply

Administrative contact and how to apply:

Application submission:
Before proceeding with the submission of your application, please prepare the following documents in English.
• Curriculum vitae
• Motivation letter detailing how you meet the selection criteria. The motivation letter must clearly highlight your choice of research project (listed at http://pride-massena.lu). You can list up to three projects with priorities or you can apply for a cluster. Explain your choice.
• Publication list (if applicable)
• Coordinates of two persons willing to send a letter of recommendation
• Copies of diplomas, transcripts with grades, with English translation
All documents should be uploaded in pdf format. Please note that incomplete applications or applications without project or cluster priorities will not be considered.
Selection process:
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview or interviewed by phone. The positions will be offered to candidates following approval by the steering committee of the Doctoral Training Unit.
Applications submitted by 30.09.2016 will receive full consideration. Please submit your application online at http://pride-massena.lu. For further questions, please contact info@pride-massena.lu.

Application deadline:

30 September 2016

Exciting Funded PhD Opportunities, School of Chemistry at Bangor University, UK

Life Sciences Research Network Wales (LSRNW) PhD Studentship:

The Life Sciences Research Network Wales, an initiative funded through the Welsh Government’s Ser Cymru program, supports world-class science within Wales and develops new therapeutic treatments in areas of unmet medical and veterinary need. The School of Chemistry at Bangor University (BU) is proud to be awarded the funding to support a three-year PhD studentship, in collaboration with the School of Medical Sciences. This scholarship will offer the student a monthly stipend in line with RCUK rates, and the tuition fees at the rate for an EU and home student are waived by Bangor University. The successful candidate will be expected to start from 1st Oct 2016.
The successful candidate should have gained a Master degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Polymer Chemistry or a related subject, or hold a first or upper second-class honours degree in one of these disciplines. She/he should be self-motivated and have good communication skills both in verbal and written English. Applicants should be resident in
the convergence area of Wales on appointment, and should have the right to work in the region on qualification.
This LSRNW PhD research project will develop Smart Multifunctional Nanocarriers with Biodegradable and Dual Responsive (pH and temperature) Properties from Hyperbranched Polymers for Targeted Cancer Drug Delivery. To date, many cancer drugs (including small bioactive molecules and therapeutic biopolymers or their combinations) have been discovered and shown promising bioactivity towards killing cancer cells. However, the challenge lies in the pharmacokinetics of these cancer drugs (such as absorption, biodistribution, chemical stability in-vivo, and short half-life), severe side-effects, potential toxicity and immunogenicity. This LSRNW PhD project will tackle this challenge by developing a targeted cancer drug delivery system using smart polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based multifunctional polymeric drug nanocarriers. These polymeric nanomedicines will carry high drug load due to its unique hyperbranched topology and multifunctionality, protect the active principles contained (e.g. doxorubicin, aminoglutethimide or gemcitabine), target specific motifs of cancer cells by using targeting group (e.g. folic acid) and release drugs after internalisation into cancer cells. The impact of this project could be significant due to the anticipated low cost, high efficacy and low side effects of the smart polymeric nanomedicines being developed.
By successfully completing this project, the PhD student will be trained with multidisciplinary research and development skills in the field of developing polymeric biomaterials for targeted drug delivery. The student will be supervised by Dr Hongyun Tai (School of Chemistry, BU) and co-supervised by Dr Edgar Hartsuiker(School of Medical Sciences, BU). This multidisciplinary supervision team and the national and international collaborations will provide an excellent PhD training opportunity.
For further information about Dr Tai’s research group at the School of Chemistry and Life Science Research Network Wales, please following the links below: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/chemistry/ht/index.php#overview
http://www.lsrnw.ac.uk/
Informal enquiry, please email Dr Hongyun Tai at h.tai@bangor.ac.uk.
Please submit a CV, a covering letter and two names of referees to Dr Hongyun Tai by 8th of July 2016 at h.tai@bangor.ac.uk. The interview date is to be confirmed.
This project is partially funded by the Life Sciences Research Network Wales, an initiative funded through the Welsh Government’s Ser Cymru program, and Bangor University.

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