The 4-year PhD Programme in Neurodevelopmental Disorders has a 1+3 structure, where the pivotal first year of lab rotations allows for a fully informed choice of a doctoral project, as well as developing breadth and depth of knowledge in developmental neuroscience, and acquiring the general skills required for a successful PhD.
The first year of the 4-year PhD programme comprises the MRes in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Its major focus is three laboratory rotations, chosen by students and designed to provide a broad experience of research opportunities across King’s, with training in laboratory techniques and scientific communication to a range of audiences. An incredible range of techniques are carried out in the Centre, some examples are here. In addition, students will benefit from a taught Neurodevelopmental Disorders module covering topics from basic principles to the latest research in autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia, as well as small group workshops, interdisciplinary and transferable skills training, all delivered by the Group Leaders in the Centre.
Based on their experience in the three different laboratory rotations, students then choose their PhD supervisors (to include a basic scientist and a clinician) and project at the end of the first year. For information about potential supervisors please have a look at our 'Group Leaders'. During years 2-4 students will work full-time towards the completion of a research thesis in neurodevelopmental disorders. To complement their research training, students also have access to a wide variety of transferable skills and networking opportunities across the wider neuroscience community. During the PhD, we provide the opportunity to undertake short-term placements (often 6-12 weeks) elsewhere in the UK or abroad. For example, our network of collaborator laboratories includes David Amaral (UC Davis), Mark Cunningham (Newcastle University), Daniel Geschwind (UC Los Angeles), Paul Harrison (Oxford University), David Lewis (University of Pittsburgh), and Nenad Sestan (Yale University), among others.
There is a dedicated PhD committee, with members drawn from across the different research topics within the Centre that will monitor the training of students. In addition, each student will have an individual Thesis Committee that will provide tailored scientific input and support. Students will be integrated into the large and thriving PhD community at King’s with the opportunity to participate in an immense variety of scientific and social events.
Links to participating King's departments:
Centre for Developmental Neurobiology
Perinatal Imaging & Health
Psychosis Studies
Neuroimaging
Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine
Basic & Clinical Neuroscience
Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences
Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology
Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre
Testimonials:
“The course is a truly unique opportunity to enjoy a year of research and learning with complete freedom. One can spend time in world class labs specialising in the full spectrum of science from sub-cellular to clinical trial, and it is possible to work on an equally wide spectrum of projects, including large scale multinational endeavours and preliminary exploratory studies.” - Oliver Gale-Grant
“I found the rotations extremely helpful in aiding the selection of a PhD project that I would find challenging and enjoyable, they allowed me to expand my skillset and experience a clinical environment. The CDN is a very friendly and inclusive place to be doing a PhD; there is very much a community attitude to science and everyone is more than happy to help each other.” - Hannah Bruce.
“Doing at least one clinical rotation and one basic rotation is very helpful, and gives you an opportunity to examine translational neurodevelopment from different perspectives. Very supportive environment, especially from the course coordinators!” - Daphna Fenchel
"I used the short-term placement grant to visit collaborators at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto for one month where I was able to learn the methodological processes involved in Genome-Wide Association studies and their importance in uncovering genetic associations in neurodevelopmental conditions such as Epilepsy. It was a great opportunity to gain connections and develop skills from experts outside of my lab and the CNDD as well as visit an amazing city!" - Amy Shakeshaft
PhD projects will be supervised by two Group Leaders in the Centre, to include one basic neuroscientist and one clinician, chosen by the student. The project will be developed by the student with their supervisors. These are just some examples of current PhD projects:
| Supervisors | Title |
|---|
| Deb Pal, Mark Richardson | Biomarkers and Endophenotypes in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy |
| Corinne Houart, Deepak Srivastava | Cellular and molecular understanding of Foxg1 syndrome pathologies in animal and cellular models |
| Anthony Vernon, Katie Long, Grainne McAlonan | Developing human cell and tissue models to dissect the consequences of maternal immune activation on fetal brain development |
| Laura Andreae, Tomoki Arichi | Investigating molecular mechanisms and the therapeutic potential of genetic rescue in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder |
| Robert Hindges, Beatriz Rico | Investigation of phenotypic alterations following introduction of schizophrenia-associated SNPs in zebrafish |
| Nick Puts, Tomoki Arichi | Metabolomics and genomics of sensory differences in autism spectrum disorder |
| Laura Andreae, Adil Khan | Neural Network Dynamics In Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| Grainne McAlonan, Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh | The association between environmental risk factors, polygenic risk scores and MRI findings in the developing brain |
These fully-funded studentships cover tuition fees, stipends and bench fees.
Stipend: Students will receive an enhanced stipend for each year of study (approx. £24,872).
Bench fees: An allowance will be provided for research consumables, training, and conference attendance.
Eligibility: Based on the information included in your application, the Admissions Portal will assign you a provisional fee status (Home, EU or Overseas) but this will be reviewed by the Admissions Team when they process your application. Following Brexit, all students will be categorised by Admissions as either Home or Overseas. We are only accepting Home applications this year.
We are keen to attract individuals from a variety of backgrounds, and encourage applications from biological, medical and physical sciences, including clinicians, mathematicians and computer scientists.
Candidates should have or expect an upper second-class degree (2:1) in a STEM subject. If applicants possess a lower second class (2:2), a research-based MSc at merit or distinction level is required.
If English is not your first language you will be required to provide evidence that you meet the minimum English requirements, Band D, as prescribed by the university’s English Language requirements.
At King’s, we are deeply committed to making the university an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study. We encourage and welcome applications from across the community and all appointments are made solely on merit.
Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application via the admissions portal.
On the ‘Choosing a programme’ page, please select ‘Taught programmes’, search for ‘Neurodevelopmental Disorders’, then select ‘Neurodevelopmental Disorders MRes / PhD 1+3 (Full-Time).
In your application, you will be asked to include:
- Academic Transcripts - where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application
- Details of your qualifications - you will need to attach copies
- Details of previous employment - please include your CV
- A personal statement describing your interests, why you wish to apply for this programme and if applicable, any specific challenges faced. Please include this as an attachment rather than using the text box (1 page maximum).
- Academic References – all applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on their referees to submit a reference directly to the College after they have submitted their admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that
- their chosen referee is made aware of the document submission deadline (i.e. 3rd January) and
- that the reference needs to be sent from an institutional email address. NB: References will not be requested by King’s until you have actually submitted your application, so you will need to submit your application well in advance of the deadline in order to ensure that references have been received by the stated deadline.
- English language test result if applicable. These are not required at the point of applying if you have not yet taken a test, however if you are assessed as requiring this, any offer would be conditional on the provision of a test that meets the B and D requirement.
In the Funding section, please tick box 5 and include the following reference: SP-IOP-MRCS-24
Please note there is no need to complete the Research Proposal section in your application. For specific queries, you are welcome to email Leanne Lu (leanne.lu@kcl.ac.uk) for administrative matters and Laura Andreae (laura.andreae@kcl.ac.uk) and / or Anthony Vernon (anthony.vernon@kcl.ac.uk) for more information regarding the projects and studentship.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Please make sure you are available on the interview dates listed below
- Closing Date:
- Monday 1st January 2024 (23:59 GMT)
- Interviews:
- Monday 22nd January 2024
- Tuesday 23rd January 2024
- Wednesday 24th January 2024
As part of the 4 year PhD Programme in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, during the course of their PhD project, students will be able to undertake short-term placements. Examples of collaborator laboratories are listed below.
Students wishing to complete a placement are asked to submit an application form to the MRC CNDD Post Graduate Administrator, Catherine Chow. Your application will be assessed by a committee and you can expect to hear the outcome of your application within 4-6 weeks from submission. Applications may be made at any time.
