PhD Studentship: BIONIC – Biointegrated Optogenetic Neural Implant for Wireless Control

Join a world-leading, cross-continental research team

The University of Exeter and the University of Queensland are seeking exceptional students to join a world-leading, cross-continental research team tackling major challenges facing the world’s population in global sustainability and wellbeing as part of the QUEX Institute. The joint PhD programme provides a fantastic opportunity for the most talented doctoral students to work closely with world-class research groups and benefit from the combined expertise and facilities offered at the two institutions, with a lead supervisor within each university. This prestigious programme provides full tuition fees, stipend, travel funds and research training support grants to the successful applicants.  The studentship provides funding for up to 42 months (3.5 years).

Project Description

Background and context:
Optogenetics is a powerful and controlled neuromodulation technique, which mostly used to study the brain by using neural implant containing light to stimulate genetically modified neurons. Traditional brain implants are made of metals like platinum and iridium, which severely limit miniaturisation and signal resolution and, as a result, cause major adverse effects1,2. Furthermore, optogenetics methods for powering the neural implants relies on stiff and tethered (e.g. optical fibres) systems. Due to the remarkable qualities of graphene, including its light weight, biocompatibility, flexibility, and exceptional conductivity, can be used to create considerably smaller devices that are safer to implant and that can be wirelessly powered.

Aims and objectives:
This project aims to model, fabricate, and characterise a tiny, biointegrated and scalable neural implant for optogenetic modulation by combining wireless functionality.

The objectives and deliverables of the project are a) a device model containing the implant and an implantable antenna4 for wireless operation (Exeter), b) fabrication of the implant using graphene (Exeter), c) Development of scalable, programmable and controlled optogenetics(Glasgow), d) Characterisation and experimental validation (Queensland).

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