Join us

About the Project
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.

Programme:
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.

How to apply:
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.
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.

For further information:
Please contact one of the following university leads:
David Attwell, UCL, d.attwell@ucl.ac.uk
Jatinder Minhas, Leicester, jm591@leicester.ac.uk
Axel Montagne, Edinburgh, axel.montagne@ed.ac.uk
Sana Suri, Oxford, sana.suri@psych.ox.ac.uk

About us

The UCL Dementia Research Centre (DRC), based in the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and led by Professor Nick Fox, is a hub for clinical research into various forms of dementia. Our work focuses on identifying and understanding the disease processes that cause dementia, the factors that influence these disease processes, and how best to support people with dementia and their families. In addition to our research, we also provide a cognitive disorders clinic within the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

About the role

We are seeking an outstanding and highly motivated Clinical Research Fellow to join the internationally recognised UCL Dementia Research Centre (DRC). The post will involve cross-cutting work at the UK DRI at UCL and clinical contributions at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), Queen Square, London. The post is strongly translational, bridging population science, biomarkers, imaging, and clinical neurology. This post would particularly suit clinicians planning a career in academic neurology, old age psychiatry, or clinical neuroscience.

You will be involved in assessing research participants as part of a new project with participants recruited from the 1958 British birth cohort. Responsibilities will include clinical assessment of study members, obtaining PET/CT imaging, and blood sampling for genetics and biobanking. Contributing to data cleaning and curation, and to data analysis, you will work closely and collaboratively with the study coordinators, other researchers in the DRC clinical and imaging team, the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, and Institute of Nuclear Medicine, all at UCL. The working environment is collective and multidisciplinary.

There may be the option to register for a part-time PhD for a research project within the department.

An honorary contract will be sought from UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, for which a DBS check will be required.

The post is available from August 2026 and funded by the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL for one year in the first instance.

About you

You will be a registered medical practitioner with a licence to practise in the UK and have completed MRCP (or hold an equivalent qualification from an international institution).

You will have experience in lumbar puncture and in neurology, or a relevant medical speciality, to a minimum of SHO/ST2 or equivalent level and be able to demonstrate a record of academic excellence.

Excellent oral and written communication skills and strong problem-solving abilities are essential, as is the ability to work cooperatively in a team environment with the ability to be self-organised and work efficiently. A very high level of consideration and care for patients and research subjects is also a requirement.

This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.