Ref: 2014_2

Experimental or human neuroscience and the ageing brain

Are you interested in the mechanisms of cognitive ageing in humans or in model systems? Are you interested in how stress affects brain ageing? Do you want to study delirium as a risk factor for cognitive ageing? Are you interested in how cerebral small vessel disease affects cognitive ageing? Do you want to use neuroimaging to investigate age-related changes in the brain, study the genetics of cognitive ageing, or translate between experimental mechanisms and human ageing diseases? These are a few examples of topics available for PhD study in CCACE. Applications are invited from well-qualified candidates for two 1+3 PhD studentships within the

Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE; www.ccace.ed.ac.uk), focussed on experimental or human neuroscience and the ageing brain. The studentship will begin in September 2014 and will be based in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (CMVM). Applicants should have a good undergraduate and/or masters degree, as appropriate to the chosen research topic; for example, in neuroscience, biomedical sciences, genetics, molecular biology/medicine, neuroimaging, statistics, or another cognate discipline.

The successful candidate will generally first complete a relevant taught MSc and then complete a PhD project of their choice based on the research aims of the Centre, with supervisors spanning at least two of the Centre’s research groupings as noted below. Applicants may go straight to the PhD if they already have an MSc. The successful applicant will join a vibrant, successful, highly-collaborative community of researchers across the University in the areas of cognitive ageing and cognitive epidemiology, and will participate in the Centre’s events.

Eligibility and Funding

This is a University of Edinburgh-, ESRC- and MRC-funded Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative award. It will provide an annual stipend for four years (1st year MSc, years 2-4 PhD) of around £13,726 per year (subject to confirmation) plus University fees for home (UK) students, or fees only for EU students. Applicants who are not citizens of the EU are not eligible to apply for the funded studentship. However, non-EU applicants are welcome to apply to undertake a PhD within CCACE if they can secure their own funding from other sources.

Application Procedure

Complete the Centre studentship application form available online at www.ccace.ed.ac.uk. Please note the successful applicant will also have to complete a standard University of Edinburgh postgraduate application form. Candidates will be expected to contact a member of the Centre currently working in their area of interest in advance of submitting the application and should describe why they chose this topic on their application form.

Deadline

All application forms plus supporting documentation should be sent in electronic format to Katie Keltie in the PPLS* Postgraduate Office by clicking on the Apply button below.

Closing date is Friday 31st January 2014. Interviews will be held in late February. The studentship will begin in September 2014.

Informal enquiries regarding the Centre or any scientific queries may be directed to Dr Beverly Roberts, CCACE Scientific Administrator (email: beverly.roberts@ed.ac.uk Tel +44 (0) 131 650 3368)