Funded PhD – FRESCO4NoPAIN – Identifying neuromodulator mechanisms for analgesic effects of transcutaneous spinal stimulation (DC17)

Frontier Research Competences for Neuro-modulation and Oscillations in Pain (FRESCO4NoPAIN)

Apply for EU funded support to undertake cutting edge research within a high-level European Training Network consortium of seven research intensive institutions and universities. You will benefit from a team approach, integrated international mobility, high level subject and transferable skills development oriented to your future employment in research and the wider economy. Frontier Research Competences for Neuro-modulation and Oscillations in Pain (FRESCO4NoPain) is an EU-funded Doctoral Network (DN) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

This specific PhD/DC position is for Individual research Project (DC17): “Identifying neuromodulator mechanisms for analgesic effects of transcutaneous spinal stimulation.” The doctoral candidate will characterise the effects of transcutaneous spinal Direct Current Stimulation (tsDCS) on spinal nociceptive neurons, supraspinal modulatory regions and their descending fibres. They will identify the mechanisms for the lasting effects of tsDCS on spinal network mechanisms of inhibition and integration in rats for both acute and persistent pain models. This will involve multisite recordings of spinal electrophysiology, pharmacological dissection and chemo-genetic manipulations combined with in vivo assessment of secondary hyperalgesia after induction of an inflammatory arthritis model. The findings will be integrated with the human study of tsDCS being conducted within the FREACO4NoPAIN consortium.

Supervisory team:

Main supervisor Professor Tony Pickering, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

Co-Supervisors Dr Robert Drake and Dr Petra Fisher, University of Bristol, United Kingdom and Professor Giulia Liberati, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium.

Mentor: Klaus Schellhorn, neuroConn, Germany.

Workplace:

Main workplace will be School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Two secondments are planned at the Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium and at the company neuroConn, Germany.

Candidate eligibility :

This position is open for highly motivated candidates holding a master’s degree (or expected by Sept 1st 2025) within a relevant area (neuroscience, pharmacology, medicine, biomedical engineering, physiotherapy or equivalent).

Applicants should not be in possession of a doctoral degree at the time of the call deadline.

Furthermore, applicants must not have resided or carried out your main activity (e.g. work, studies) in the country where you have been recruited, for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.

Applicants must demonstrate that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is high for them to derive the full benefit from the network training.

How to apply

You can submit an application via the University of Bristol application portal: Start your application nearmejobs.eu Study at Bristol nearmejobs.eu University of Bristol selecting the relevant PhD programme, e.g. . “Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience (PhD)”.

Search for your programme and select it from the dropdown list. Select ‘apply’ to begin your application.

Link to prospectus pages for School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience: Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience nearmejobs.eu Study at Bristol nearmejobs.eu University of Bristol

In the research section please enter the project title of the project you are applying for along with the supervisor’s name

Please refer to the ‘Guide for Applicants’ for details on the application process what you need to provide with your application.

Selection process

Please refer to the ‘Guide for Applicants’ for details on the process and evaluation criteria for the interview.

About the workplace

The Pickering lab has outstanding facilities for basic pain neuroscience with three in vivo electrophysiology rigs, two patch clamp / imaging rigs for in vitro slice experiment. We have our own behaviour labs with wireless EEG, fibre photometry, oxygen amperometry and multisite silicon probe recordings in behaving animals. We have dedicated surgical facilities for stereotaxic brain surgery and a molecular biology lab designed for the development of viral vector mediated genetic circuit manipulations. We benefit from the state-of-the-art Wolfson bioimaging facility for whole brain imaging using confocal, multiphoton and light sheet imaging. We also have integrated translational neuroscience and clinical researchers who are working on experimental medicine studies and clinical trials in pain. We are located in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience (PPN) within a critical mass of neuroscience researchers (19 PIs) using cutting edge techniques and with a strong collaborative ethos and several weekly neuroscience seminar series. The researchers will therefore be integrated in a diverse interdisciplinary team with clinical academics, psychologists, neuroscientists, clinical trialists, industrial partners and bioengineers. You will thus be joining an inspiring, enriching, and productive cross-disciplinary research centre including staff with internationally recognized track records. You will receive access to shared office space and have access to the required laboratory facilities.

The University of Bristol is a Russell Group University. It is a thriving international community combining excellence in research and innovation with a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. Research is at the heart of the University’s mission. The 2021 UK Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) confirmed its position in the top 5 UK research universities, measured by both research output and research impact. 57% of the University’s research was judged to be ‘world leading’. The university was ranked 12th overall for research impact. The University participates in hundreds of international collaborations both within and outside of Europe. Measured by the share of funding to date it is ranked in the top 20 participating institutions within the EU under Horizon 2020.

Contact 

You may obtain further information about the school of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience at the University of Bristol at our https://www.bristol.ac.uk/phys-pharm-neuro/ and about the project from Prof Tony Pickering (Tony.Pickering@Bristol.ac.uk)