PhD Studentship (Fixed Term)

Imaging-Based AI Screening for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3-year PhD studentship based in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr Alexis Joannides starting January 2026.

Background:

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a neurological condition arising from a disturbance in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, affects 3-4% of adults over 65 years, and leads to progressive gait, cognitive, and bladder impairment. Despite the existence of an effective surgical treatment, less than 20% of patients with the condition are accurately diagnosed and treated. A key barrier to improved management of NPH is poor awareness amongst healthcare professionals. The reversible dementia (REVERT) project, based in the East of England with EU funding, has established a novel, multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment of NPH which has been adopted within routine NHS practice. On this background, this project aims to improve the detection and timely diagnosis of NPH at a population level, by evaluate the feasibility of screening individuals presenting with falls who undergo cranial imaging in an acute context for further evaluation for NPH.

Project aims:

Falls have been reported to precede a diagnosis of NPH in 80-90% of cases. Given that a significant proportion of patients presenting with a fall undergo cranial imaging, and a number of imaging hallmarks have been shown to be of diagnostic value in NPH, the project will seek to implement an automated segmentation approach for evaluating CT head imaging performed after a fall for features of hydrocephalus. CT-based volumetric segmentation and falls-based screening have been separately reported in the context of hydrocephalus but not previously combined to enable automated flagging of at-risk individuals for further diagnostic evaluation.

Potential research objectives could include:

• Implementing an automated tool for volumetric segmentation of CT imaging using existing tools.
• Applying the tool retrospectively on a cohort of patients over 65 years identified from electronic health records as having a fall and undergoing a CT head in the emergency department to determine the proportion and demographics of those with NPH imaging features.
• Co-designing with appropriate PPIE, and undertaking a prospective study inviting flagged individuals to undertake diagnostic evaluation for NPH, and estimating the health economic impact of the intervention within the current gap between NPH prevalence and treatment with data obtained from ONS and the UK Shunt Registry.

This project is funded through the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury (HRC) Fellowship Programme, which has been designed to support the research needs across its 5 themes: prevention & education, acute care & monitoring, restoration & rehabilitation, diagnostics and life-course. Central to the programme are the 7 core academic projects, across 4 academic partners. In addition to the institutional training and education support, the HRC rolling educational programme will be delivered through a mixture of tutorials, workshops, web-based training resources, networking events and peer-led activities. This will equip fellows with unique considerations for developing HealthTech solutions, including modules in navigating the Regulatory and Commercial landscape, Essentials of Health Economics, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, How to Sell to the NHS, Research Inclusion, Research Design and Funding Support.

Funding:

The studentship will cover the student's fees and stipend for three years at the current UOC rate for Academic year 2025/26, £19,000.00 and Home fees of £10,356.00. The studentships are available to students who qualify for UK Home fees. Please check for Home eligibility and entry requirements.

All applications should be made online via the University's Applicant Portal for a PhD in PhD in Clinical Neurosciences. Deadline to apply is 2nd October 2025.

Please apply via the application portal here.

Applications should include academic transcripts, CV, statement of purpose and 2 references. An application is only complete when all supporting documents, including the 2 academic references, are submitted. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure their referees submit their references before the closing date. Please also explain your motivation why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the qualities and experience you will bring to the role.

Please quote reference ZE47316 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

Any queries about the project, please contact Mita Brahmbhatt (NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury) on mb994@cam.ac.uk. Any questions regarding application processes please contact the Education team on pgneurosci@medschl.cam.ac.uk.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.