Vacancies
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Key details
- Location UK DRI at Edinburgh
- Successful applicants will receive a generous stipend of £21,800 rising by £1,000 each year, and home fees will covered.
About the Project
VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to DementiA) is a multi-institutional partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and four world-leading research sites: the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Imperial, and City St George’s University of London. With projects focusing on the importance of vascular and immune mechanisms in dementia, VIDA PhD students will become the next generation of much-needed dementia researchers, contributing to breakthroughs in dementia diagnosis and treatment.
PhD studentships
VIDA students will embark upon a 4-year fully-funded PhD project at one of the four institutions above, with access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and interdisciplinary training available at all sites. Students at each site will come together as a cohort at several points during the programme, including annual conferences and residential workshop retreats which will link in with other Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres across the UK. Students will also participate in engagement schemes with the Alzheimer’s Society and beyond, sharing the impact of their research in the community. The programme also benefits from built in opportunities for placements with leading industrial partners, and bespoke training plans including schemes to develop teaching, mentoring, and grant writing skills.
How to apply
Candidates must contact the primary supervisor before applying to discuss their interest in the project and assess their suitability.
To submit the email application, you will need:
- CV and/or cover letter
- University transcripts
- Degree certificates (any certificates/transcripts you have not yet received from your current institution can be uploaded at a later date)
- English language certificates (EU/International applicants only)
- Personal statement
- Two references
- Research proposal
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at Edinburgh
- Successful applicants will receive a generous stipend of £21,800 rising by £1,000 each year, and home fees will covered*. Funding is also provided for research expenses, career development and student travel/conference attendance.
About the Project
VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to DementiA) is a multi-institutional partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and four world-leading research sites: the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Imperial, and City St George’s University of London. With projects focusing on the importance of vascular and immune mechanisms in dementia, VIDA PhD students will become the next generation of much-needed dementia researchers, contributing to breakthroughs in dementia diagnosis and treatment.
PhD studentships
VIDA students will embark upon a 4-year fully-funded PhD project at one of the four institutions above, with access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and interdisciplinary training available at all sites. Students at each site will come together as a cohort at several points during the programme, including annual conferences and residential workshop retreats which will link in with other Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres across the UK. Students will also participate in engagement schemes with the Alzheimer’s Society and beyond, sharing the impact of their research in the community. The programme also benefits from built in opportunities for placements with leading industrial partners, and bespoke training plans including schemes to develop teaching, mentoring, and grant writing skills.
Project Background
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is the leading cause of vascular dementia, and is characterised by white matter damage which correlates closely with the degree of cognitive impairment. SVD can be sporadic or inherited, and the most common inherited form of the disease is cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), which is caused by a mutation in the NOTCH3 gene. While we have previously shown some of the ways in which vascular changes can affect white matter in both sporadic and inherited SVD, we still don’t fully understand how these changes occur. Additionally, much of this previous work has relied on rodent models of disease, which do not fully recapitulate changes seen in human patients.
In this project, the student will use human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived cells to investigate interactions between vascular cells and oligodendrocytes (myelin forming cells in the brain) to better understand white matter damage in vascular dementia. We hypothesise that vascular cells derived from CADASIL patient iPSCs secrete factors which alter oligodendrocyte behaviour and function, including downstream effects of oligodendrocytes on neuronal activity and microglia. By identifying the molecules involved in these interactions, we hope to ultimately be able to disrupt these pathways to prevent disease pathology.
The aims of the project are to:
- Develop a greater understanding of vascular and endothelial dysfunction in CADASIL, including changes in secreted molecules
- Elucidate the mechanisms underlying oligodendrocyte changes in CADASIL
- Identify secreted and other factors involved in mediating vascular induced oligodendrocyte changes in CADASIL, providing possible therapeutic targets to prevent white matter damage
- Elucidate the role of oligodendrocytes in mediating neuronal and immune cell changes in CADASIL
All of these aims will have high translational relevance through use of human patient-derived cells and human post-mortem tissue
The student will be trained in iPSC cultures; differentiation of endothelial cels, mural cells, oligodendrocytes, neurons and microglia from iPSCs; functional characterisation of oligodendrocytes, neurons and microglia (including immunocytochemistry, live cell imaging and image analysis); histology, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation on human post-mortem tissue; and molecular biology techniques (including ELISAs and proteomics). The student will be based primarily in Dr Rajani’s group at the University of Edinburgh, with short amounts of time spent in Prof Wang’s group at the University of Manchester to train in iPSC-mural cell differentiation.
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Key details
- Location UK DRI at Edinburgh
- Salary: The studentship is funded through the Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) for 4 years and will cover UK university tuition fees (home fees only). The studentship will also pay an annual stipend based on the standard ARUK set stipend rate.
About the Project
VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to DementiA) is a multi-institutional partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and four world-leading research sites: the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Imperial, and City St George’s University of London. With projects focusing on the importance of vascular and immune mechanisms in dementia, VIDA PhD students will become the next generation of much-needed dementia researchers, contributing to breakthroughs in dementia diagnosis and treatment.
PhD studentships
VIDA students will embark upon a 4-year fully-funded PhD project at one of the four institutions above, with access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and interdisciplinary training available at all sites. Students at each site will come together as a cohort at several points during the programme, including annual conferences and residential workshop retreats which will link in with other Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres across the UK. Students will also participate in engagement schemes with the Alzheimer’s Society and beyond, sharing the impact of their research in the community. The programme also benefits from built in opportunities for placements with leading industrial partners, and bespoke training plans including schemes to develop teaching, mentoring, and grant writing skills.
Project Background
Stroke can double the risk for a new diagnosis of dementia and can worsen cognitive trajectories in patients with existing disease (1). Stroke risk factors, the index stroke and recurrent strokes can contribute to post-stroke dementia, however it is also thought that inflammation can contribute to worsened cognitive decline (2). Systemic infections, such as pneumonia, are also a common complication of stroke recovery, and infections that occur up to 76 days after the initial stroke event have been shown to be independently associated with worsened clinical outcomes (3, 4). Infections can also cause delirium, and recurrent or severe episodes of delirium are also strongly linked to accelerated cognitive decline and the development of dementia (5). Together, this suggests that infection following stroke may contribute to increased dementia risk in survivors, however the mechanisms that drive this are poorly understood. This project will use a mouse model of ischemic stroke and induced bacterial pneumonia to investigate the relationship between systemic infection, neuroinflammation and small vessel disease in stroke recovery.
Objectives:
1. Profile the neuroinflammatory response to bacterial pneumonia and its impact on stroke injury recovery
2. Understand the impact of infection on blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity and blood vessel remodelling after stroke
3. Investigate circulating biomarkers associated with infection and worsened cognitive outcomes
Students will be comprehensively trained in all animal work and laboratory techniques and will develop experimental skills including in vivo animal models, flow cytometry, microscopy, microbiology as well as data and image analysis. This project will be carried out at the Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR) at the University of Edinburgh where students benefit from an excellent supportive environment with access to cutting edge facilities and both social and career development events through an active postgraduate researcher community.
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at Edinburgh
- Salary: The studentship is funded through the Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) for 4 years and will cover UK university tuition fees (home fees only). The studentship will also pay an annual stipend based on the standard ARUK set stipend rate.
About the Project
VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to DementiA) is a multi-institutional partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and four world-leading research sites: the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Imperial, and City St George’s University of London. With projects focusing on the importance of vascular and immune mechanisms in dementia, VIDA PhD students will become the next generation of much-needed dementia researchers, contributing to breakthroughs in dementia diagnosis and treatment.
PhD studentships
VIDA students will embark upon a 4-year fully-funded PhD project at one of the four institutions above, with access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and interdisciplinary training available at all sites. Students at each site will come together as a cohort at several points during the programme, including annual conferences and residential workshop retreats which will link in with other Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres across the UK. Students will also participate in engagement schemes with the Alzheimer’s Society and beyond, sharing the impact of their research in the community. The programme also benefits from built in opportunities for placements with leading industrial partners, and bespoke training plans including schemes to develop teaching, mentoring, and grant writing skills.
Project Background
Neurovascular dysfunction is increasingly recognised as a key contributor to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)1, yet the sequence of vascular events and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Core abnormalities, such as cerebral hypoperfusion2, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, and impaired cerebrovascular reactivity3, exacerbate amyloid- and tau-associated neurotoxicity. Pericytes, contractile mural cells that support BBB integrity and neurovascular coupling, are particularly vulnerable to amyloid-beta (Aβ) toxicity. Soluble Aβ oligomers induce pericyte contraction and death, leading to BBB leakage and vascular dysfunction4. Plasma and microvascular proteomic studies have identified early endothelial and pericyte stress signatures, including inflammation and oxidative stress, offering mechanistic insight into vascular failure in AD5.
We hypothesise that combining in vivo imaging of pericyte dynamics with plasma and microvascular proteomic profiling in a mouse model of amyloidosis will reveal the chronology and interplay of vascular dysfunction triggered by Aβ toxicity.
The project has two objectives:
(1) to functionally and mechanistically characterise microvascular impairment using two-photon and laser-speckle imaging complemented by ex vivo confocal and light-sheet microscopy; and
(2) to develop MRI-based biomarkers of amyloid-driven vascular dysfunction. Longitudinal MRI will quantify cerebrovascular reactivity, perfusion, and BBB permeability, and these imaging readouts will be correlated with vascular and plasma proteomic molecular signatures to identify robust functional biomarkers.
By establishing the temporal sequence of pericyte degeneration, BBB breakdown, and perfusion deficits over timescales of days to weeks (up to approximately 8 weeks) and linking these to molecular changes, this multidisciplinary project will elucidate the mechanistic drivers of neurovascular dysfunction in AD. The results will provide clinically relevant imaging and molecular biomarkers for early-stage detection and guide translational strategies for diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at Edinburgh
- Successful applicants will receive a generous stipend of £21,800 rising by £1,000 each year, and home fees will covered*. Funding is also provided for research expenses, career development and student travel/conference attendance.
About the Project
VIDA (Vascular and Immune contributors to DementiA) is a multi-institutional partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and four world-leading research sites: the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Imperial, and City St George’s University of London. With projects focusing on the importance of vascular and immune mechanisms in dementia, VIDA PhD students will become the next generation of much-needed dementia researchers, contributing to breakthroughs in dementia diagnosis and treatment.
PhD studentships
VIDA students will embark upon a 4-year fully-funded PhD project at one of the four institutions above, with access to the state-of-the-art research facilities and interdisciplinary training available at all sites. Students at each site will come together as a cohort at several points during the programme, including annual conferences and residential workshop retreats which will link in with other Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centres across the UK. Students will also participate in engagement schemes with the Alzheimer’s Society and beyond, sharing the impact of their research in the community. The programme also benefits from built in opportunities for placements with leading industrial partners, and bespoke training plans including schemes to develop teaching, mentoring, and grant writing skills.
Project Background
Stroke can double the risk for a new diagnosis of dementia and can worsen cognitive trajectories in patients with existing disease (1). Stroke risk factors, the index stroke and recurrent strokes can contribute to post-stroke dementia, however it is also thought that inflammation can contribute to worsened cognitive decline (2). Systemic infections, such as pneumonia, are also a common complication of stroke recovery, and infections that occur up to 76 days after the initial stroke event have been shown to be independently associated with worsened clinical outcomes (3, 4). Infections can also cause delirium, and recurrent or severe episodes of delirium are also strongly linked to accelerated cognitive decline and the development of dementia (5). Together, this suggests that infection following stroke may contribute to increased dementia risk in survivors, however the mechanisms that drive this are poorly understood. This project will use a mouse model of ischemic stroke and induced bacterial pneumonia to investigate the relationship between systemic infection, neuroinflammation and small vessel disease in stroke recovery.
Objectives:
1. Profile the neuroinflammatory response to bacterial pneumonia and its impact on stroke injury recovery
2. Understand the impact of infection on blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity and blood vessel remodelling after stroke
3. Investigate circulating biomarkers associated with infection and worsened cognitive outcomes
Students will be comprehensively trained in all animal work and laboratory techniques and will develop experimental skills including in vivo animal models, flow cytometry, microscopy, microbiology as well as data and image analysis. This project will be carried out at the Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR) at the University of Edinburgh where students benefit from an excellent supportive environment with access to cutting edge facilities and both social and career development events through an active postgraduate researcher community.
Training and staff networks
The University of Edinburgh provides academic and technical staff with a range of professional development courses and resources. There are specific resources aimed at early career researchers, technicians, and professional services staff.
Researchers and staff can take part in a range of networks, including a Disabled Staff Network, the Edinburgh Race Equality Network (EREN), a Staff BAME Network, a Staff Pride Network, and more. Find out more on the university website.
