University of Cambridge
Job title:
PhD Studentship – Developing a Novel Cotside Functional Brain Imaging System for Newborn Infants at high risk of Brain Injury
Company
University of Cambridge
Job description
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 Topun Austin starting October 2025.Project descriptionAcute brain injury in the newborn is a major cause of death and lifelong disability, including cerebral palsy, intellectual deficits, epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders with significant physical, psychological and economic burden on individuals, their families and society.Globally 15 million newborn infants are born preterm, and it is the largest cause of death in children under 5 years. Preterm infants are at risk of acute brain injury at birth and are also at risk of neurodevelopmental problems as a consequence of being born too soon. In infants born at term, global hypoxia-ischaemia, perinatal stroke and traumatic brain injury result in an annual rate of acute brain injury of 3.5/1000 live births. Early accurate diagnosis is essential for timely management for these infants.Structural brain imaging with cranial ultrasound (CUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remain the traditional means of neurological assessment but are limited in their ability to reliably predict the extent or nature of injury and future impairment. While CUS is portable and repeated scans can be undertaken at the cotside, they lack the spatial resolution of MRI. MRI, however, requires transfer of sick and vulnerable infants to the MRI scanner and offers only a single snapshot of brain structure. The limitation of conventional imaging is due to the complex relationship between brain structure and function in the developing brain. This inability to accurately predict those infants who will go on to develop problems makes it extremely challenging to focus resources on those infants who would benefit from early intervention to improve their outcome.¿This project aims to assess the functional integrity of the brain repeatedly at the cotside in neonates with acute brain injury by developing a novel portable dual-modality functional brain imaging system. The system combines the complimentary technologies of functional diffuse optical tomography (fDOT) and functional ultrasound (fUS). fDOT uses multi-channel near infrared light to produce high spatial and temporal resolution images of regional changes in cortical blood flow and oxygenation, reflecting brain activity throughout the cerebral cortex. fUS ultrasound waves are similar to CUS but using novel image reconstruction techniques and parallel computing technologies reaching 10,000 frames per second, enables very sensitive mapping of regional cerebral blood volume changes in deep cerebral structures. Combining these modalities will enable the first ever functional whole-brain imaging (cerebral cortex and deeper structures) at the cotside from newborn infants with acute brain injury.The project will involve working with scientists and clinicians to obtain data from the cotside of both healthy and preterm infants as well as infants at risk of acute brain injury, from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Cambridge. Working in collaboration with scientists and engineers both in Cambridge, but also University College London and INSERM, Paris, novel image reconstruction techniques will be developed to enable simultaneous optical and ultrasound data to be displayed.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.FundingThe studentship will cover the student’s fees and stipend for three years at the current UOC rate for October 2025, £19,000.00 and Home fees of £10,356.00. The studentship is are open to students who are eligible for UK Home fees, however, if you are an international student, you can still apply and be considered, but you will need provide fees to cover the shortfall between Home and International fees.Please check for Home Fees 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 30 April 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.Any queries about the project, please contact Mita Brahmbhatt (NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury) onAny questions regarding application processes please contact the Education team on .Please quote reference ZE45486 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.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.
Expected salary
Location
Cambridge
Job date
Thu, 27 Mar 2025 01:46:30 GMT
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