A wave of new Medical Research Council (MRC) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) – funded PhD studentships are available at the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, working with world-leading teams tackling some of the most pressing challenges in neuroscience and neurovascular health.

Join us in transforming brain research through cutting-edge science, advanced imaging, AI, and translational medicine.

Stroke and Dementia 

Alzheimer’s risk in women: The interaction between menopause, APOE status and exercise. Work with scientists at Microvascular @ Manchester studying how menopause and genetic risk (specifically the APOE4 gene) interact to influence Alzheimer’s disease risk in women, and whether exercise can mitigate these effects by improving vascular and cognitive health 

(MRC DTP) Alzheimer’s risk in women: The interaction between menopause, APOE status and exercise at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Early Stage Detection of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease using Advanced Retinal Imaging Technology investigating how cutting-edge retinal imaging and machine learning can be combined to develop a highly sensitive diagnostic test for early detection of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

(MRC DTP) Early Stage Detection of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease using Advanced Retinal Imaging Technology at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Uncover neuroinflammation in genetic vascular dementia using iPSC organoid and organ-on-chip models investigating how microglial activation drives neuroinflammation and disrupts the neurovascular unit in cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), using advanced stem cell-derived organoid and organ-on-chip technologies to model genetic vascular dementia 

(MRC DTP) Uncover neuroinflammation in genetic vascular dementia using iPSC organoid and organ-on-chip models at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Breaking barriers: Investigating extracellular matrix dynamics and vascular plasticity using optical imaging of the live mammalian brain with researchers like Professors Craig Smith and Stuart Allan and Dr Katie Murray and Douglas Dyer. This project offers an exciting opportunity to explore extracellular matrix dynamics and vascular plasticity in the live mammalian brain using cutting-edge optical imaging, with the aim of uncovering mechanisms critical to cerebral blood flow and cognitive health.  

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/mrc-dtp-breaking-barriers-investigating-extracellular-matrix-dynamics-and-vascular-plasticity-using-optical-imaging-of-the-live-mammalian-brain/?p187185  

Infection, inflammation and risk of haemorrhagic stroke: investigating the role of cholesterol. This project is studying how infection-driven inflammation and reduced cholesterol levels may destabilise the brain’s blood vessels, increasing the risk of haemorrhagic stroke, using zebrafish and mouse models alongside electronic health record analysis. 

(MRC DTP) Infection, inflammation and risk of haemorrhagic stroke: investigating the role of cholesterol. at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com 

Brain inflammation 

Understanding How Immune Dysregulation Promotes Neurodegeneration This PhD project investigates how IL-1-driven immune responses contribute to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in lysosomal storage disorders, using murine models and patient samples to identify therapeutic targets and biomarkers. 

(MRC DTP) Understanding how immune dysregulation promotes neurodegeneration in lysosomal disorders at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Targeting Inflammasomes to Reduce Inflammatory Damage in Brain Disease This PhD project aims to map the spatial and temporal activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1 cytokines in brain disease models to identify optimal intervention windows for anti-inflammatory therapies 

(MRC DTP) Targeting inflammasomes to reduce inflammatory damage in brain disease at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Mapping CD4+ T cell fate decisions and functional coordination within tissues during infection with Kevin Couper, Doug Dyer and Nick Lockyer, using advanced imaging techniques and malaria as a model system to uncover the spatial and molecular cues that shape immune responses and long-term memory formation.  

(MRC DTP) Mapping CD4+ T cell fate decisions and functional coordination within tissues during infection at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Parkinson’s 

Discovery and translation of accessible activity and lifestyle interventions to improve brain health.  Focusing on identifying and developing practical lifestyle strategies – such as physical activity and behavioural interventions – that can be widely adopted to enhance brain health and reduce dementia risk, particularly among underserved populations. 

(MRC DTP) Discovery and Translation of accessible activity and metabolite markers of Parkinsons Disease and of cardio Vascular Disease at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Imaging 

Developing and validating novel MRI measurements of brain clearance aims to create and test a non-invasive MRI-based method to measure how the brain clears metabolic waste—an essential process that deteriorates with age and contributes to diseases like Alzheimer’s – by refining dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) techniques to track both blood-brain barrier and glymphatic system clearance routes. 

(MRC DTP) Developing and validating novel MRI measurements of brain clearance at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

(Bicentenary) Non-invasive deep brain stimulation for treatment of morbidities associated with neurological conditions. This PhD project will optimise the use of non-invasive deep brain stimulation technique Temporal Interference, demonstrate its feasibility, and explore its application initially focusing on a clinical population of adults with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). With Shruti Garg, Alex Casson and Caroline Lea Carnall. 

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/bicentenary-non-invasive-deep-brain-stimulation-for-treatment-of-morbidities-associated-with-neurological-conditions/?p187494  

Nanotechnology for brain disease 

Nanobioelectronics to Overcome Hypoxia: On-Demand Generation and Enhanced Diffusion of Oxygen for Glioblastoma is developing a novel nanotechnology-based method using carbon nanotube porins and bioelectronics to deliver oxygen directly into glioblastoma cells, aiming to overcome tumour hypoxia and improve the effectiveness of chemo- and radiotherapy. 

(MCR DTP) Nanobioelectronics to Overcome Hypoxia: On-Demand Generation and Enhanced Diffusion of Oxygen for Glioblastoma at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Epilepsy & Neurodevelopment 

Prenatal exposure to anti-seizure medications: Investigating how in utero exposure affects circadian system development and long-term brain function. 

(MRC DTP) Investigating the effects of prenatal exposure to anti-seizure medications on circadian system development and function later in life. at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

Epilepsy from non-coding genome variants: Exploring how RNU2-2 and RNU5B-1 variants drive epilepsy using CRISPR-edited neuronal models and transcriptomics. 

(MRC DTP) Understanding the mechanisms of highly frequent epilepsies cause by variants in the dark matter of the genome at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com

📅 Start Date: September 2026 
🌍 Open to students worldwide 
💰 Fully funded (tuition + stipend) 

🔗 Explore all projects and apply via: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/funding-fees/funded-programmes/mrc-dtp/  

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