Improving Sleep and Cognition in Epilepsy through Pharmacological, Neuromodulatory, and Closed Loop Auditory Interventions

About the Project

Project Summary

Sleep problems are common in epilepsy and affect thinking and quality of life. This PhD will use sleep recordings (EEG, MEG) and cognitive tests to understand how epilepsy treatments (medication, VNS) change sleep, and whether personalised music can further improve sleep and thinking.

Project Details

Adults with epilepsy often experience severe sleep disturbances, including difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, and central sleep apnoea. These sleep problems are associated with impaired memory, attention, and reduced quality of life. However, little is known about how epilepsy treatments affect sleep, or whether improving sleep leads to better cognitive outcomes.

This project will address these gaps. The main experimental work will be conducted at Aston University, where you will use clinical‑grade polysomnography (EEG, EOG, EMG) and OPM‑MEG to quantify sleep architecture (spindles, slow waves, sleep efficiency) and assess cognitive function.

Participants will be recruited through the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham epilepsy clinic, in collaboration with Dr Shanika Samarasekera, who will provide clinical oversight and supervision.

What you will do:

• Year 1: Recruit participants via QE Hospital and perform baseline sleep recordings and cognitive assessments at Aston University.
• Year 2: Repeat sleep and cognitive measurements following clinically indicated treatment (fenfluramine or VNS).
• Year 3: In a subset of participants, implement brain‑responsive music (Zaaimi et al., 2024) during sleep — a novel, non‑invasive approach to enhancing beneficial sleep oscillations — and test whether this further improves sleep and cognition.

Why this matters:

• First systematic study linking sleep improvement to cognitive outcomes in epilepsy.
• First test of brain‑responsive music in a sleep‑disorder population.
• A 4‑month PhD+ clinical placement at QE Hospital provides hands‑on experience in a world‑class epilepsy centre.

Training and placement: You will receive expert supervision from a multidisciplinary team spanning neuroscience, clinical epilepsy, neuroimaging, and neural engineering.

The project includes a 4‑month clinical placement at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, complementing your Aston‑based experimental research with direct clinical exposure.

Who we are looking for:

We welcome applicants with a background in neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering, physics, or a related discipline. Experience with EEG/MEG, programming (Python/MATLAB), or working with clinical populations is desirable but not essential.

International applicants: International applicants are welcome and will not need to pay any difference between Home and Overseas tuition fees.

Person Specification

Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:

a] a First or Upper Second Class award in their undergraduate degree, in a relevant subject.

OR

b] a First or Upper Second Class award in their undergraduate degree, and a Merit or Distinction in a Masters degree, both in a relevant subject.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be considered, but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Desirable / Essential Skills or Experience

Essential:

• Interest in epilepsy, sleep, or brain oscillations.
• Good communication and team‑working skills.

Desirable:

• Experience with EEG/MEG or polysomnography.
• Programming skills (Python, MATLAB, or similar).
• Experience working with clinical populations.

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Contact Information

For enquiries about this project, contact Dr Boubker Zaaimi at b.zaaimi@aston.ac.uk.

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Interviews

Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Key words

sleep, epilepsy, polysomnography, EEG, MEG, OPM-MEG, cognition,

brain oscillations, neuromodulation, clinical neuroscience

Funding Notes

This project covers all tuition fees and includes an annual stipend.

Please note that the successful candidate will be responsible for any costs relating to moving to Birmingham and/or visiting the Aston campus. International students must meet the financial requirements for the visa, flights, and NHS Surcharge. Applicants should be confident that they can meet these costs before applying.