| |
Notice Board Topics
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
| 4-year PhD Programme in Pain Research: from Molecules to Perception |
The London Pain Consortium runs a PhD Programme in Pain Research, supported by the Wellcome Trust. The next intake of students will be in September 2010.
We are not accpeting any further applications for the 2010 intake.
Students will spend the first year taking neurobiology and bioinformatics courses and learning a wide range of neuroscience techniques by doing three-month projects. At the end of the first year, students choose a full research project in pain and a supervisor for the subsequent three years from Consortium and associated laboratories based at Kings College London, University College London, Imperial College London and University of Oxford.
All PhD projects will involve collaborations between at least two internationally competitive and well-funded laboratories and the topics cover the whole range of neuroscience related to pain mechanisms and their control: molecular biology, cellular mechanisms, integrated systems neuroscience and human neurophysiology. The emphasis of the programme is to integrate these four approaches so that students are equipped to undertake cutting edge research that can be translated into a better understanding and treatment of acute and chronic pain. The programme has been running for 7 years and the applicants will join a vibrant community of over 20 postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists who share resources and expertise and benefit from the wide range of opportunities within the Consortium.
There are 2 studentships available with a starting stipend at £20,897. In addition we also have University funded studentships available. All applications will be considered for both schemes.
Non-UK, Non-EU applicants can apply, but will only be funded at the UK/EU rate and will need to find the difference in fees.
Why do a PhD in pain research
Outstanding PhD research opportunities in the Pain Consortium
Structure of the 4 year PhD programme in pain research
FAQs
How to apply?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Outstanding PhD research opportunities in the London Pain Consortium |
The London Pain Consortium offers unrivalled opportunities for PhD research in all aspects of pain. Specimen PhD projects range from the molecular biology of neuronal proteins, through cellular and systems neuroscience, to the behaviour of sensory and pain systems and brain imaging. The supervisors are among the leaders of their fields, using the most modern techniques to address important problems of basic and clinical pain neuroscience. Research labs are well funded, so that PhD students have the best chance of getting off to a productive start in their research.
PhD students joining the consortium will work in a lively and productive research setting and learn the importance of studying the integrated neural function as well as relevant methods of molecular and cell biology. They will develop both practical and theoretical skills within integrated neuroscience in the pursuit of better understanding pain, and also be equipped to exploit future advances in other areas of neurobiological research.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| 3-year MB/PhD studentships |
Join the London Pain Consortium’s vibrant community of over 20 postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists on their well established PhD Programme in Pain Research.
The LPC is offering up to two PhD studentships for undergraduate medical students to be taken up in 2010. These would be particularly suited to medical students contemplating a career in academic medicine related to relevant specialties – e.g. Pain Medicine, Anaesthetics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Palliative Medicine or Rheumatology.
• Post one is funded by the Wellcome Trust and may be undertaken under the primary supervision of any of the LPC Principal Investigators based at: Imperial College London (Prof Andrew Rice or Dr Kenji Okuse); University College London (Prof John Wood, Prof Tony Dickenson or Prof Christine Orengo); Kings College London (Prof Steve McMahon or Dr David Bennett) or Oxford University (Prof Irene Tracey).
• Post 2 is funded by University College London and can only be held under the primary supervision of one of the LPC principal Investigators based at UCL (Prof John Wood, Prof Tony Dickenson or Prof Christine Orengo). Please note however that medical students do not have to be studying at UCL to apply for this post.
The funding includes a stipend for the student and the home/EU fees levied by the relevant university. Non-UK /EU applicants will only have their fees funded at the UK/EU rate and will need to identify funding for the remaining fees.
PhD projects involve collaborations between at least two of the internationally competitive and well-funded LPC laboratories, with topics covering the whole range of neurosciences related to pain mechanisms and their control: molecular biology, cellular mechanisms, integrated systems neuroscience and human neurophysiology.
Interested students should first discuss their interest with the LPC Principal Investigator with whom they would like to undertake the studentship. Prof Andrew Rice may be informally approach for advice if potential applicants are not sure of which Principal Investigator they might approach in the first instance.
To apply send a CV, a statement of why you are interested in the PhD programme, plus two references to: vivien.cheah@kcl.ac.uk We are currently not accepting any applications
Contact Details:
Prof Andrew Rice – a.rice@imperial.ac.uk
Prof Tony Dickenson - anthony.dickenson@ucl.ac.uk
Prof Steve McMahon - stephen.mcmahon@kcl.ac.uk
Prof John Wood - j.wood@ucl.ac.uk
Prof Christine Orengo - orengo@biochemistry.ucl.ac.uk
Prof Irene Tracey - irene@fmrib.ox.ac.uk
Dr David Bennett - david.bennett@kcl.ac.uk
Dr Kenji Okuse - k.okuse@imperial.ac.uk
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Why do a PhD in pain research? |
In the past two decades pain has become one of the most exciting fields of nervous system research. Pain is required for maintaining the integrity and survival of the organism but sustained or chronic pain can result in secondary symptoms such as anxiety and depression and can dramatically decrease quality of life. CNS areas that are activated by pain-producing stimuli show remarkable plasticity. Noxious stimulation always results in changes in gene expression within the central nervous system and different chronic pain states generate unique neurochemical and pharmacological signatures in the brain. New insights into how sensory information is centrally processed in the face of a constantly changing molecular architecture will fundamentally change the way we approach pain control and develop new analgesics. Pain is also a model system for many fundamental questions in neurobiology, such as specification of cellular phenotype, formation of appropriate connections, maintenance of stability in normal function, mechanisms underlying plasticity, and the processes leading to disintegration of normal function during aging and disease.
The recent rapid progress in pain research has been driven by molecular and cell biology. These techniques continue to identify genes potentially important in pain processing, and have stimulated the search for novel analgesic drugs as well as promoting understanding of a number of general neurobiological phenomena, such as activity-dependent plasticity. Yet the function of these genes often remains poorly understood, even though there is now a wide range of transgenic mice which allow examination of particular gene function in the whole animals. The challenge for the future is to combine cellular and molecular advances with physiological and pharmacological techniques to understand the integrated functioning of the nervous system related to the clinical problem of pain.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
