PhD Studentship - Can we use EEG to Identify and Understand Delirium in Inpatients with Lewy Body Dementia?

Award summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) of £20,500. Additional funding given to cover research costs and local, national and international travel.

Overview

This PhD will be the first prospective study to investigate delirium in inpatients with Lewy body disease (LBD) using electroencephalograms (EEG). You will determine the feasibility of collecting EEG in LBD inpatients with delirium, evaluate its use as a potential biomarker and explore its potential mechanisms in LBD. 

Delirium is a distressing acute neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. We have shown that delirium is common in LBD inpatients (66%), but delirium is often missed in LBD due to overlapping symptoms, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Abnormal EEG scans, a widely available, non-invasive clinical test, may be a useful biomarker of delirium.  

This novel translational project includes collecting mobile-EEG data in inpatients with LBD. You will be supported and trained to complete delirium assessments, collect clinical data and mobile-EEG scans with participants in hospital. You will learn to apply advanced EEG analytic approaches to compare EEG data on participants with delirium and after recovery. This will enable precision monitoring and timely diagnoses of delirium in LBD. 

You will benefit from cross-disciplinary expert training in the fields of psychology, clinical care, neurophysiology and advanced analytic approaches in people with LBD and delirium. You will be integrated within a large multidisciplinary research group providing a supportive environment with researchers spanning all career levels from both Newcastle and Exeter. In addition, you will benefit from support from the Alzheimer’s Society LBD Doctoral Training Network and visits to Exeter, as well as support and training in scientific communication, patient and public involvement and engagement and conference travel. 

Number of awards: 1

Start date: October 2025

Award duration: Four years

Sponsor

Alzheimer’s Society Lewy Body Dementia Doctoral Training Network     

Supervisors

Dr Rachael Lawson, Newcastle University 

Professor Louise Allan, University of Exeter 

Professor Mark Baker, Newcastle University 

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, in a subject relating to biomedical sciences, including psychology, neuroscience, medicine or bioinformatics. Further qualification such as an MRes is advantageous. Successful international candidates will be required to fund the difference between the home fees and international fees.

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

In ‘Course choice’ tab, put ‘Postgraduate Research’ in 'Type of Study', ‘Full Time’ in ‘Mode of Study’, ‘2025’ in ‘Year of Entry’, code ‘8440F’ in ‘Course Title’, blank in ‘Research Area’. Press ‘Search’, select ‘PhD Translational and Clinical Research (FT)’, and save selection. 

Either upload a document or write into ‘Personal Statement’. Put code ‘TC106’ in ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’. When prompted for research proposal, select ‘Write Proposal’ and type in the title of the research project from this advert. A research proposal is not required. You can also upload a covering letter and CV, please state how your interests and experience relate to the project. 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details

Dr Rachael Lawson 

E-mail: rachael.lawson@ncl.ac.uk 

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 1277 

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