PhD Studentship – Clinically unrecognised dementia with Lewy bodies: what are the causes, consequences, and opportunities?

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) of £20,500. Additional funding will support research visits, attendance at national/international conferences, and training. 

Overview

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) comprises ~5% of clinical dementia diagnoses in UK health services. However, gold-standard autopsy and biomarker studies show that over 20% of people with dementia have underlying Lewy pathology. Most DLB cases are therefore clinically unrecognised. 

This research project will aim to understand which factors during life and at autopsy are associated, positively or negatively, with recognition of DLB, and whether unrecognised DLB has a worse prognosis than recognised DLB. The student will work with large clinical and pathological datasets from the UK and US to identify factors associated with the recognition of DLB, during life and at autopsy. They will learn to use advanced statistical methods to characterise the progression of dementia over time in people with recognised and unrecognised DLB. 

The student will receive training in management of large datasets, quantitative data analysis, and clinical informatics. As a member of the Alzheimer’s Society Lewy Body Dementia Doctoral Training Network and Newcastle University Lewy Body Lab, they will benefit from being embedded within a wider clinical research environment. 

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

September 2025

Award Duration

Funding is available for four years. 

Application Closing Date

28th February 2025

Sponsor

Alzheimer’s Society, Lewy Body Dementia Doctoral Training Network 

Supervisors

Dr Calum Hamilton, Newcastle University 

Professor Alan Thomas, Newcastle University 

Professor Robert Stewart, Kings College London

Eligibility Criteria

A 2:1 honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant subject (e.g. neuroscience, psychology, public health, biomedical science) with evidence of proficiency in statistical methods. A relevant master’s degree with a substantial quantitative research component and familiarity with a statistical programming language are desirable. 

If your first language is not English you need an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (at least 5.5 in all sub-skills) or equivalent language qualification. 

International applicants will be required to fund the difference between home and international fees for every year of the studentship. You may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

In ‘Course choice’ tab, put ‘Postgraduate Research’ in ‘Type of Study’, ‘Full Time’ in ‘Mode of Study’, ‘2025’ in ‘Year of Entry’, code ‘8440F’ in ‘Course Title’, blank in ‘Research Area’. Press ‘Search’, select ‘PhD Translational and Clinical Research (FT)’, and save selection. 

Either upload a document or write into ‘Personal Statement’. Put code ‘TC105’ in ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’. When prompted for research proposal, select ‘Write Proposal’ and type in the title of the research project from this advert. A research proposal is not required. You can also upload a covering letter and CV, please state how your interests and experience relate to the project. 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details

Dr Calum Hamilton 

Translational and Clinical Research Institute 

Email: Calum.Hamilton@Newcastle.ac.uk 

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 1125