PhD Studentship in Translational Neuroscience: Reducing Anxiety-like Behaviour in Nonhuman Primates using Molecular Genetic Tools

Award Summary

• Stipend – living expenses (£20,780 p.a.) 
• Home tuition fees. Applications welcome from students in all countries. Students from outside the UK will pay full international fees. International students are eligible to apply for a Newcastle University Scholarship. 
• Research support allowance of £5,000 p.a. 

Overview

Background 

Mental illness represents the single largest cause of disability in the European Union. The cost to society is over €600 billion per year. There is a pressing need to develop more targeted, effective treatments for anxiety disorders and related mental illnesses. 

Research Question and Hypothesis 

Molecular genetic tools - such as ‘chemogenetics’ – have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of patients with a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. These tools can be targeted to specific brain regions, pathways, and/or cell types, providing the opportunity for precise targeting, tailored to the needs of individual patients.  

Methods 

The project will combine behavioural, electrophysiological, and chemogenetic approaches. We will use behavioural tasks designed to measure anxiety-like behaviour in nonhuman primates. Non-replicating viral vectors will be used to deliver an excitatory chemogenetic receptor to a specific interneuron type. Expression will be restricted to this cell type using an enhancer sequence recently developed by our collaborators. Multi-channel electrodes will be used to record from large populations of cells from the amygdala, while subjects perform tasks; neural activity under vehicle and treatment conditions will be contrasted, and correlated with changes in behaviour. In parallel, human epilepsy patients with electrodes inserted into the amygdala will view many of the same images presented to monkeys. This will allow us to determine the extent to which emotive images are represented similarly in the neural responses of the amygdalae of monkeys and humans. 

By identifying discrete components of the neurocircuitry that contribute to negative affect (including anxiety-like traits), this research could transform how we treat serious, chronic anxiety disorders.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 15th September 2025 

Award duration: 3 years

Sponsor: Newcastle University 

Supervisors:

Dr Mark Eldridge
Dr Luke Bashford

Eligibility criteria

You must have at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or international equivalent, in a relevant. Further research experience is advantageous.

How to apply

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

In the ‘Course choice’ tab:  

• Select ‘Postgraduate Research’ in the 'Type of Study' field
• Select ‘Full Time’ in the ‘Mode of Study’ field
• Select ‘2025’ in the ‘Year of Entry’ field
• Enter programme code 8420F in the ‘Course Title’ field
• Leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank
• Press ‘Search’
• Select ‘PhD Biosciences (FT)’
• Save selection

In the ‘Further Details’ section:

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form, quoting the studentship reference code BI097, and state the studentship title, and how your interests and experience relate to the project. 
• The studentship code BI097 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field 
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’, and type in the title of the research project from this advert (No need to upload a research proposal). 

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section: 

• Upload your CV

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

Contact details: Mark.Eldridge@newcastle.ac.uk

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