PhD Studentship

Post Status: 3 years fully funded PhD Studentship 

Research Group / Department / School: Lab for Clinical & Integrative Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin 

Location: Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Building, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland 

Reports to: Professor Sven Vanneste 

Salary: €25000 annual stipend 

Hours of Work: Full time

Post Summary 

The Lab for Clinical & Integrative Neuroscience (Lab CLINT) aims to advance fundamental knowledge of human brain function and to use this knowledge to help people with psychiatric and neurological disorders. Our research integrates multimodal brain imaging techniques with novel neuromodulation. More specifically, we work to understand the mechanisms of (mal)adaptive plasticity and develop new treatment approaches for different neurological conditions (pain, tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, cognitive impairment) and psychiatric diseases (addiction, OCD, depression). 

Lab CLINT of Prof Sven Vanneste at Trinity College Dublin is searching for 2 PhD students to join the team to work on a clinical trial funded by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, UK, and in collaboration with universities and institutions globally like the Tinnitus Research Initiative, Brai3n neuromodulation clinic, Tinnitus Detect (TIDE) consortium etc. 

The project is designed to test a novel bimodal electrical-sound stimulation treatment for tinnitus. Tinnitus is usually characterised by the loudness of the sound and the amount of distress caused by it. Previous bimodal stimulation treatments have been successful in either changing the distress component or the loudness component for a subsection of the tinnitus population. This may be attributed to the fact that people are passively listening to the sounds, and not actively engaging with it. This treatment trial is designed to comprehensively test if active listening combined with non-invasive electrical stimulation of the greater occipital nerve can serve as a more effective treatment for chronic tinnitus compared to other treatments.

Person Specification 

The PhD Studentship would be ideally suited to someone who is highly motivated and considering a future in academic or industry research. The successful PhD applicants will be expected to be both proactive in managing their responsibilities and work well as part of a team.

They will join an enthusiastic team of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in the lab. They will attend regular lab meetings, learn in depth about tinnitus and other disorders the lab is 3 involved with, and gain knowledge in experimental design, data analysis, and scientific communication. 

As the successful PhD applicants will be working with clinical and non-clinical groups, excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential. Given that this is clinical trial with a long-term follow up involving substantial data collection efforts, strong organisational and project management skills are critical. Attention to detail will be a benefit to any successful applicant. 

Qualifications 

• A bachelor’s degree in psychology, neuroscience or a related field (Essential). 

• A master’s degree in psychology, neuroscience or a related field (desirable).