PHD- Exploring the effects of healthy aging on the processing of nociceptive signals and cognitive function in vivo. (MED1506)

Award

1 fully-funded BBSRC CASE award. 

Project

As part of a BBSRC-funded Collaborative Training Partnership (CTP) between the Eli Lilly and Company Ltd and the Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/paincentre/index.aspx, University of Nottingham, we have a 4-year fully-funded PhD position available. The project will explore the impact of healthy aging on the processing of nociceptive inputs by the spinal cord and brain in rodent models. Experimental approaches will include the use of multi electrode array electrophysiology in vivo, transcriptomic analysis of gene expression in discrete spinal cord and brain regions using deepSeq and analysis of functional connectivity data in the rodent. Students will learn the core experimental methods and statistical methods for analysing the complex datasets generated. 

Supervisors

Professor Victoria Chapman, Dr Gareth Hathway (Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham) and Dr Gary Gilmour (Translational Neuroscience, Eli Lilly & Co. Ltd.). 

The successful student will develop skills in vivo methods, transcriptomic approaches and analysis of complex datasets. An academic background in Neuroscience, Physiology or related subject will be an asset, with an interest in bioinformatics and statistics. The student will be based in the School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham. The supervisors’ research groups are dynamic interdisciplinary teams that explore different aspects of the mechanisms of acute and chronic pain processing over development. 

The studentship will be part of the wider GERAS Collaborative Training Partnership, a BBSRC-funded Collaborative Training Partnership (CTP) between the Eli Lilly and Company Ltd and the University of Nottingham. Between 2017 and 2023, the CTP will deliver 11 four-year studentships in priority areas of Bioscience for health, World class underpinning bioscience, and Exploiting new ways of working. The research area of GERAS is focused on the biological basis of lifespan and healthy ageing, particularly ageing and the brain. The primary objective is the data-driven generation of new knowledge on the development and maintenance of health across the life course with the long-term objective of promoting health in later life. The training focus of the CTP is on the skills needed to understand complex biological systems from data generation, with core training in Bioinformatics, Programming and Coding, Statistics, and Data Science alongside professional skills training. The CTP will provide PhD students with a first-rate, challenging research training experience within the context of mutually beneficial research collaborations. 

Entry requirements 

Applicants should have (or be expected to obtain) a 2:1 or 1st class honours degree in a relevant scientific discipline 

Award type and eligibility 

Full studentship (UK/EU) tuition fees and an enhanced stipend of £16,777 (2018/19 level) [tax-free] for 4 years for UK/EU students subject to eligibility criteria (below) https://mrc.ukri.org/skills-careers/studentships/studentship-guidance/minimum-stipend-and-allowances/. 

Studentship Criteria - This BBSRC award is available to UK/EU applicants, only. EU students are only eligible for a full studentship if they have lived, worked or studied within the UK for three years prior to the funding commencing. More information can be found on the BBSRC website. 

How to apply 

Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the University of Nottingham postgraduate online application system. Informal enquiries to Victoria.chapman@nottingham.ac.uk 

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 

? Details of previous employment 

? A personal statement describing your interests and why you wish to apply for this project. 

? Academic References 

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact jane.healy@nottingham.ac.uk

Interviews: To be confirmed

To start: 1st October 2018

Closing Date: 18 Sep 2018
Category: Studentships