PhD Scholarship in High-Resolution Neuroimaging University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute

PhD Scholarship in High-Resolution Neuroimaging

Queensland Brain Institute

Established in 2003, QBI (http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au) is situated on the St Lucia campus of UQ. It is home to more than 450 staff and students, including 41 group leaders, working across a range of disciplines, who are focused on discovering the fundamental mechanisms that regulate brain development and function in health and disease.

Over the past decade QBI has become known as one of the world’s leading neuroscience research institutes. It played a key role in contributing to UQ attaining the highest possible score of 5 for neuroscience, in the 2010, 2012 and 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) reviews, one of only two universities in Australia to achieve this.

The role

The PhD project will be conducted in the Brain and Action Lab led by Professor Ross Cunnington.  To know more about the Group, please go to https://qbi.uq.edu.au/cunningtongroup  

The Cunnington laboratory studies how the brain processes sensory information, how attention and predictions influence our perception of this sensory information, how we make decisions based on this information and our previous states to prepare for our own actions, and how we carry out these actions. The group not only strives to make contributions to basic science research, but to also translate these findings into real-world settings such as the clinic and the classroom. 

The successful student will work with Researcher Fellow Dr Alexander Puckett as part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) project entitled “Cortical-layer-specific functional imaging of the human brain.” The project aims to develop and apply high-resolution (sub-millimetre) imaging techniques to non-invasively examine brain function at the level of cortical layers, thereby bridging the significant gap that exists between the fields of neuroimaging and neurophysiology. This gap is, in large part, a result of the two fields working on different spatial scales with neurophysiology typically being performed at a much smaller spatial scale than neuroimaging. The proposed project is not, however, limited to the development of neuroimaging tools and techniques. It also aims to couch these developments in the pursuit of knowledge central to the field of cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, this cortical-layer-specific functional imaging will, for the first time, allow us to examine models of predictive coding for perception in the human brain.

The person

Applications are invited from outstanding and enthusiastic domestic students (Australian and Permanent Residents or New Zeland citizens), ideally with a background in neuroscience, neuroimaging, or biomedical engineering.       

Candidates will have a First Class Honours degree or equivalent and must fulfil the PhD admission criteria for the University of Queensland. Applicants should have the ability to think critically, rationally and independently and should be strongly motivated to pursue cross-disciplinary research in the field of neuroscience. Excellent verbal and written English skills are essential. Previous experience in image processing, programming, and computational modelling would be helpful.

For information on PhD entry requirements, please visit http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/our-research-degrees.

Ideally, the successful candidate would commence PhD candidature within the first two weeks of Research Quarter 2 (April) or Research Quarter 3 (July) 2018.

Remuneration

The successful domestic student will receive a living allowance scholarship equivalent to the base 2018 Research Training Program (RTP) stipend rate of AUD$27,082 (indexed annually), which is tax-free for three and a half years with a possible extension of up to 6 months in approved circumstances (conditions apply).  The student will also receive assistance to apply for a UQ tuition fee scholarship.

Enquiries

To discuss this role and for further information, please contact Dr Alexander Puckett (a.puckett@uq.edu.au).

For further detailed information about this PhD position including eligibility, scholarships, terms and conditions, and how to apply, please visit UQ PhD scholarships to support Category 1 project grants.

Important:  please do not send your application directly to the contact person listed in this section of the advertisement.  Applications not received via the UQ Online Application Form (OLA) will not be considered.