A four-year PhD programme funded by the British Heart Foundation and the UK Dementia Research Institute PhD programme details The British Heart Foundation and UK Dementia Research Institute are funding a 4-year PhD programme across the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Leicester and University College London, focused on Vascular Contributions to Dementia and Neurodegeneration. The programme will recruit 5 students per year, with the next intake in September 2027. Stipends and fees will be paid at the BHF rate, and additional research funds and travel costs will be available to host laboratories. Strtucture Students will spend the first year rotating across laboratories to gain training in a broad range of research techniques, before selecting a full research project and supervisor for the subsequent three years. Available projects span the full spectrum of research into vascular dementia and neurodegeneration. Potential supervisors and projects are listed below. Eligibility Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, at least an upper second-class degree in any area of Biological or Physical Sciences. Non-UK applicants may apply and, if successful, will receive the normal BHF stipend, but may be required to cover the international fees. Application process Applications can be emailed to neurophd@ucl.ac.uk between 1st November - 15th December 2026. Interviews will be online in January. The PhD programme will start in September 2027. To apply, please send a CV (maximum 2 pages) including research experience and the mean percentage grade obtained in your degree(s), and a statement (maximum 1 page) outlining how your research interest matches the programme and stating your goals for the PhD. Then arrange for two referees to send references to: neurophd@ucl.ac.uk by 20th December 2026. Please note that applicants are responsible for ensuring referees submit their references.Please also specify in your application which university you would prefer to attend. Contacts and links for further information For further information, please contact one of the following university leads:David Attwell, UCL, d.attwell@ucl.ac.ukJatinder Minhas, Leicester, jm591@leicester.ac.ukAxel Montagne, Edinburgh, axel.montagne@ed.ac.ukSana Suri, Oxford, sana.suri@psych.ox.ac.ukFurther information on the PhD Programme will appear on the the programme's UCL website. Vascular Contributions to Dementia and Neurodegeneration PhD programme website Participating supervisors and their research areas UCLResearch areaSupervisorCerebral blood flow and dementiaProf David Attwell, Director of PhD ProgrammeCNS vascular pathology and regeneration, micoglia-blood vessel cross-talkProf Christiana RuhrbergBrain energy supply and demand in health and diseaseProf Catherine HallAIS and node of Ranvier disruption in Alzheimer’s diseaseDr Jonathan LezmyOculomics - using the eye as a window to systemic health (with a particular focus on cardiovascular disease)Prof Pearse A KeanePersonalised patient derived models of dementiaProfessor Selina WrayNeuro-glia-immune interactions in neurodegenerationDr. Soyon HongMitochondrial dynamics in CNS health and diseaseProf Josef KittlerNeuroimaging to understand Parkinson's dementiaProf Rimona WeilCerebral small vessel disease, intracerebral haemorrhage, stroke, dementiaProf David Werring FMedSciThe vascular, immune and myelin systems in human longevity, neurodegeneration and inflammatory diseaseDr Dervis Salih University of EdinburghResearch areaPrimary SupervisorBlood-brain barrier, vascular contribution to dementiaDr Axel Montagne, Co-directorLarge scale epidemiologyProf. William WhiteleyThe role of astrocyte subtypes in brain function and dysfunctionDr. Philip HaselHow astrocytes interact with the brain vasculature to understand how they contribute to healthy brain function and to the development of diseases that lead to dementia.Dr. Blanca Díaz CastroClinical epidemiology of stroke due to intracerebral haemorrhageProf. Rustam Al-Shahi SalmanUnraveling pathophysiological mechanisms of microvascular injury in cerebral amyloid angiopathyProf Susanne van VeluwOligo-vascular interactions and neuronal activity in small vessel disease and dementia.Dr. Rikesh Rajani1. Understanding mechanisms of remyelination in Central Nervous System (CNS) repair. 2. Manipulating remyelination to generate target compounds to promote CNS repair.3. Understanding mechanisms of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).Prof. Anna WilliamsInvestigating why ischaemic stroke causes cognitive decline and dementia using human tissue (CogFAST) and mouse models with variety of approaches i.e. MRI, behaviour in mouse to assess cognition, sn/scRNA seq, spatial transcriptomics; with a focus on glial cell and white matter changesDr. Jill FowlerNeural circuit dysfunction, synaptic transmission, and cognitive processesDr Jian Gan Neuroimmune mechanisms in cerebrovascular disease and dementiaDr. Barry McCollThe neuropathology of human cerebrovascular disease and neurodegenerative disordersProf. Colin Smith University of LeicesterResearch area SupervisorCerebrovascular haemodynamics, cerebrovascular reactivity in acute intracerebral haemorrhage, lacunar stroke syndromes and cerebral small vessel disease.Dr. Jatinder Minhas, Co-directorCerebral haemodynamics in strokeProf Ronney PaneraiNon-invasive retinal imaging to gain insights into retinal and systemic diseases at the individual and population level. Eye tracking in retinal and vascular neurological disorders. Dr. Mervyn ThomasHaemodynamic responses during visual tasks Dr David Souto Vascular endothelial cell ageing Prof Veryan Codd University of OxfordResearch areaSupervisorImaging vascular risk for dementiaProf Sana Suri, Co-directorNeurovascular unit and microfludic cell culture systemsDr. Paul HollowayRole of blood-brain barrier in neurodegeneration and CNS injuriesDr. Mootaz SalmanClinical stroke epidemiology in young adultsDr. Linxin LiLipid metabolism and dementiaDr. Hugo FernandesBrain imaging in dementia and neurodegenerationProf Ludovica GriffantiBrain blood flow imagingProf Thomas OkellMultiomic analysis of dementia and neurodegenerationDr. Laura WinchesterBiofluid markers of metabolic changes in Alzheimer's DiseaseDr. Becky CarlylePhysiological assessment using MRIProf. Peter JezzardSingle cell omics & stem cell models in vascular dementiaProf Zameel Cader Alcohol, white matter hyperintensities and dementia Dr Anya Topiwala Single cell omics & stem cell models in vascular dementiaProf Zameel Cader MRCP DPhilNeural networks as models for cognitive symptoms in cerebrovascular diseaseProf Sanjay Manohar This article was published on Wednesday 26 November 2025
