PhD Studentship: Towards a Personalised Approach in Monitoring People with Parkinson’s Disease

About the Project

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex and heterogeneous progressive neurodegenerative condition. People with PD are affected by a broad range symptoms and the motor ones have been identified as the most concerning. Solutions to mitigate related mobility loss are therefore under investigation. Being resource intensive, lacking of sensitivity and not able in capturing the PD-fluctuating nature during a one-off assessment, existing clinical tools are not the ideal candidates in quantifying mobility changes.

In this scenario, wearable devices and dedicated algorithms allow to measure mobility through digital mobility outcomes (DMOs), even continuously, and, as such, are the ideal technology to enrich the information usually obtained from routine clinical assessments.

The PhD student will undertake a programme of study to combine DMOs with existing clinical scores and new biomarkers (e.g., predictive score, 31P-MRS), facilitating the identification a subgroup of PD with a higher risk of more rapid disease progression, and, in general, the stratification of people with PD for a more patient-specific approach. To this aim, they will use data collected using wearable devices in laboratory and real-world acquisitions.

The student will obtain extensive experience in state-of-art algorithms to quantify DMOs, using wearable devices and other technologies adopted in human movement biomechanics, and in neurodegenerative conditions. Additionally, they will build a strong foundation of transferable skills essential for a wide variety of future careers.

The applicant:

Applications are welcome from graduates with a biomechanics, mechanical engineering, or computer science background. Other relevant STEM or engineering background or relevant industrial experience will be considered.

Candidates should have a first or upper second-class honours degree in a related subject or significant research experience. They also be able to demonstrate good interpersonal and organisational skills. The project is available for an immediate start, with a latest start date in April 2025.

The successful candidate will work in a supportive and collaborative environment under the supervision of Dr Tecla Bonci, Prof Oliver Bandmann, and Prof Claire Brockett, and will be part of the vibrant the multi-disciplinary Integrative Musculoskeletal Biomechanics (IMSB) team, which includes RAs and PhD students, and the Insigneo institute. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Sheffield Teaching hospital and the Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), providing access to clinical datasets and expertise in neurodegenerative conditions.

Funding Notes

The funding for this opportunity includes fees set for UK (Home) applicants and a tax-free stipend at the standard EPSRC rate (£19,237 in 2024/25) per year, up to 3.5 years

Contact:

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the project supervisor, Dr Tecla Bonci (t.bonci@sheffield.ac.uk), to discuss their interest and suitability for the project prior to submitting their application.

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