PhD Studentship in Neurotechnology: Spatiotemporal Population Dynamics for Neural Decoding

Newcastle University

Award summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend equal to that provided by UKRI (~£19k a year). International fees are not covered (~£20k a year).

Overview

Are you interested in developing neurotechnologies for treating brain disorders? In this PhD you will work with datasets of neuronal activity in animals and humans. You will apply computational approaches to describe spatial and temporal patterns across different neurons in the neocortical circuit and use them for closed-loop brain stimulation. By examining how these spatiotemporal dynamics relate to behaviour, you will develop new brain decoding methods and test the extent to which these generalise across brain areas and species.

You will be working with an interdisciplinary team led by Prof Andrew Jackson funded by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) that is using state-of-the-art multielectrode technologies to obtain high-resolution recordings from inside the brain. You will become an expert in the latest AI approaches to interpreting these large datasets, as well as computational models that capture low-dimensional structure that reflects the architecture of the neocortex. By working with researchers developing new brain stimulation methods, you will contribute to developing closed-loop algorithms for regulating brain dynamics with clinical applications in epilepsy and psychiatric disorders.

Number of awards:

1

Start date:

2026, the exact date will be discussed during the interview

Award duration:

The funding covers a four-year PhD.

Application closing date:

1st May 2026 or earlier if position is filled. Please contact supervisors before applying

Sponsor:

Newcastle University - Faculty Medical Sciences

Supervisors

Dr. Alexander Kraskov and Dr. Luke Bashford, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University

Eligibility criteria

You must have, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, in a subject relating to neuroscience or neural engineering. Further qualifications such as an MRes is advantageous. The candidate must have or be willing to learn computational methods for data analysis. The studentship covers fees at the Home rate. International fees are not covered.

How to apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal. In the ‘Course choice’ tab: Select ‘Postgraduate Research’ in the 'Type of Study' field, Select ‘Full Time’ in the ‘Mode of Study’ field, Select ‘2025’ in the ‘Year of Entry’ field, Enter programme code 8420F in the ‘Course Title’ field, Leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank, Press ‘Search’, Select ‘PhD Biosciences (FT)’, Save selection. In the ‘Further Details’ section: A ‘Personal Statement’ - upload a document or write a statement directly into the application form, state reference code BI095, studentship title, and how your interests and experience relate to the project. Highlight your experience in modelling, signal processing and neural data analysis. The studentship code BI095 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field. When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’, and type in the title of the research project from this advert (No need to upload a research proposal). In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section: Upload your CV. You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.