Alzheimer's Society DTC
Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centre PhD Studentship: Knowing where: spatial processing in young and old ApoE4 carriers (2019)
What you get
The Scholarship is for 3.5 years and provides a stipend of £15,000 p.a in year one. rising to £16,000 p.a. for the following 2.5 years, PhD fees at the Home/EU rate and an annual Research and Training Grant allowance .
Type of award
Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centre PhD Studentship
PhD project
The ApoE4 genotype is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, early in life, human ApoE4 carriers perform well on some tests of attention and memory – even outperforming non-ApoE4 carriers on some tasks. A contrast to this pattern is the case of spatial memory where both memory performance and fMRI markers of neuronal function indicate abnormalities in ApoE4 versus non-ApoE4 carriers.
The aim of this studentship is to investigate these findings further. Do young ApoE4 carriers have difficulty on all spatial memory tasks? Can the regions of neuronal dysfunction be localised to specific structures within the medial temporal lobes? Does spatial memory continue to be sensitive to the effects of the ApoE4 gene later in life and can spatial memory tasks be used to identify individuals most at risk of developing AD?
Further reading:
Kunz, L. et al. (2015). Reduced grid-cell–like representations in adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Science, 350(6259), 430-433.
Eligibility
Funding Notes
This Alzheimer's Society Doctoral Training Centre PhD Studentship offers a stipend of £15,000 p.a. and rising to £16,000 p.a. for the following 2.5 years. UK/EU PhD fees and research and training costs are also covered.
Eligibility requirements for potential candidates:
• This award will only pay fees at the Home/EU rate.
• Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a First or a high Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and/or a Master's degree in Psychology or a related discipline.
• Only full time students will be accepted.
Eligibility requirements for potential candidates:
• This award will only pay fees at the Home/EU rate.
• Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a First or a high Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and/or a Master's degree in Psychology or a related discipline.
• Only full time students will be accepted.
Number of scholarships available
.
Deadline
8 February 2019 0:00How to apply
Guidance for applicants: Application procedures can be found here:
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/degrees/psychology/psychology-phd
Please submit your application online for the 'PhD in Psychology' programme for September 2019 through this link: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply In the 'Supervisor suggested by applicant' section of your application form, please put Chris Bird. In the 'Proposed source of funding' as Alzheimer's Society DTC.
Candidates should provide:
• A research proposal that outlines your knowledge of the research area, hypotheses that could be addressed in your PhD, and an outline of potential methods. Your answer should not exceed 2 pages including references, be set at minimum 10-font type with margins a minimum of 1cm.
• Current degree transcript(s) with full details of performance on all completed courses.
• Two academic references.
• An up-to-date CV.
Contact us
For queries with respect to the application process please send an email for the attention of 'Postgraduate Coordinator' to: psychologyphdadmin@sussex.ac.uk .
To discuss the details of this PhD project further, please contact Dr Chris Bird: Chris.Bird@sussex.ac.uk or Dr Mara Cercignani M.Cercignani@bsms.ac.uk
Timetable
Application deadline: 8th February 2019
Shortlisting: 15th February 2019
Interviews: 6th-7th March 2019
Availability
At level(s):
PG (research)
Application deadline:
8 February 2019 0:00 (GMT)
the deadline has now expired
Countries
The award is available to people from these specific countries: