A four-year PhD programme funded by the British Heart Foundation and the UK Dementia Research Institute Applications open 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 first intake in September 2026. 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 To apply, please send a CV and a statement (maximum 2 pages) outlining your interest in the programme, and arrange for two referees to submit references to: neurophd@ucl.ac.uk. 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.Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview shortly after the deadline. The PhD programme will commence in September 2026.Deadline for applications: Tuesday 14 April 2026 Contacts 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.uk List of available projects UCLProjectSupervisorCerebral 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 HallControl of cerebral blood flow, circulation and breathingProf Alexander GourineMRI of Cerebral PhysiologyProf Jack WellsOculomics - using the eye as a window to systemic health (with a particular focus on cardiovascular disease)Prof Pearse A KeaneSynapse degeneration in Alzheimer's diseaseProf Patricia C. SalinasPersonalised 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 FMedSciWhite matter blood flow and neurodegenerationProf Ken Smith, PhD University of EdinburghProjectPrimary SupervisorBlood-brain barrier, vascular contribution to dementiaDr Axel Montagne, Co-directorLarge scale epidemiologyProf. William WhiteleyThe role of astrocyte subtypes in bain function and dysfunctionDr. Philip HaselMy lab investigates how 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 WilliamsInvesitgating why ischaemic stroke causes cognitive decline and dementia using human tissue (CogFAST) and mouse models with variety of approaches ie MRI, behaviour in mouse to assess cognition, sn/scRNA seq, spatial transcriptomics; with a focus on glial cell and white matter changesDr. Jill FowlerVascular-immune interactions and link to VCIDProf. Karen HorsburghNeuroimmune mechanisms in cerebrovascular disease and dementiaDr. Barry McCollThe neuropathology of human cerebrovascular disease and neurodegenerative dsiordersProf. Colin SmithUniversity of LeicesterProject SupervisorCerebrovascular haemodynamics, cerebrovascular reactivity in acute intracerebral haemorrhage, lacunar stroke syndromes and cerebral small vessel disease.Dr. Jatinder Minhas,Co-directorNon-invasive imaging techniques to study vascular pathophysiology and the development of Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, vascular and post-stroke cognitive impairment, and related disorders of ageing such as delirium and depression.Dr. Lucy BeishonNon-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 ThomasUniversity of OxfordProjectSupervisorImaging 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 Post-stroke vascular dysfunctionProf Yvonne CouchGenetic Epidemiology of Alzheimer's diseaseProf Dr Cornelia Van Duijn This article was published on 2025-11-26
