About the Project
One of the most fascinating features of the brain is its ability to constantly predict what will happen next. For instance, when we move, our brains expect certain sights and sounds that indicate what we are doing. Learning happens when reality differs from those expectations: the brain notices the mismatch and updates its predictions, allowing us to adapt to changing circumstances.
We see that neurons in the inferior olive change their activity with experience, but we do not yet know where those learning-related changes occur. Do they happen at the inputs to olive neurons, inside the olive cells themselves, or at the synapses those cells make onto the cerebellum? This project aims to find out.
The student will use larval zebrafish because their brains are small, transparent and genetically accessible. We will first map the pathways that bring sensory and motor information into the olive and onwards towards the cerebellum. Then we will use an array of techniques to watch what happens at both sides of a synapse during learning. We will test different rules for plasticity as the fish experience controlled prediction errors in a closed-loop virtual reality setup, so we can tie synaptic changes directly to behaviour. The project will reveal which synapses change during learning, how those changes are induced, and how they shape the teaching signals the olive sends to the cerebellum.
This work will move us from descriptive observations to a mechanistic account of learning in a vertebrate neural circuit. It will produce clear, testable rules that can be used in computational models and may generalise to other brain systems. The student will gain hands-on training in in vivo electrophysiology, circuit mapping, optogenetic stimulation, pharmacology, and integrative data analysis, preparing them for careers in neuroscience research or related fields.
HOW TO APPLY
Application instructions can be found on the EASTBIO website- How to Apply | EastBio Doctoral Training Partnership | Biology
- Download and complete the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey.
- Download and complete the EASTBIO Application Form.
- Please complete an application on our online portal: How to apply - Study at St Andrews - University of St Andrews
- Select the course 'PhD with internship'
- Your online application must include the following documents:
- Completed EASTBIO application form
- Academic Qualifications
- English Language Qualification (if applicable)
- 2 References: this must be completed on the EASTBIO Reference Form, also found on the EASTBIO website.
Please download the EASTBIO reference form and send it to your referees. They can either upload it directly to the portal using the automated email they will receive, or they can email it to Rachel at pgrecbiology@st-andrews.ac.uk
CONTACT
Queries on the project can be directed to the project supervisor.
Queries on the application process can be directed to Rachel Horn at pgrecbiology@st-andrews.ac.uk
UKRI eligibility guidance: Terms and Conditions: View Website International/EU: View Website
Funding Notes
This 4 year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership.
This opportunity is open to UK and International students and provides funding to cover stipend at UKRI standard rate and UK level tuition fees. The University of St Andrews will cover the Home-International fee difference.