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<div class="">Dear all,</div>
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<div class="">I would be grateful if you could circulate this PhD project to relevant students and programs in your institutions.</div>
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<div class=""><b class="">The Project</b></div>
<div class="">We are offering a fulltime, fully funded 3-year PhD studentship to study how retinal disorders affect the development neural structure and visual information processing. This project offers the unique combination of being clinically relevant as
well as addressing new questions about neural plasticity mechanisms in severe early onset vision loss. </div>
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<div class="">The PhD student will test a cohort of child patients with a single genetic mutation (CRB1) that can cause a range of retinal dystrophies (including Leber congenital amaurosis and retinitis pigmentosa). Working with a team of experts, the student
will develop child-friendly yet sensitive tests of visual function and structure in these children with the aims to unlock new opportunities to investigate how the genotype shapes variable neural development and visual function, improve understanding of prognosis,
and generate more reliable outcome metrics for future clinical trials. Techniques will include behavioural testing and various advanced neuroimaging methods, and computational/mathematical modelling approaches (e.g., visual psychophysics, pRF mapping, quantitative
MRI microstructural modelling). You will also gain expertise in working with patients and clinically relevant research. You will do this work as part of a larger interdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in clinical ophthalmology, vision science,
and neuroimaging.</div>
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<div class=""><b class="">The Ideal Candidate</b></div>
<div class="">We are looking for PhD candidates with a degree in cognitive neuroscience or equivalent, demonstrable good computational and programming skills (e.g. in MATLAB, R, Python), strong communication skills, and an interest in visual neuroscience and
plasticity (all essential criteria). Experience with advanced neuroimaging, psychophysics, and patient-oriented testing are a plus (desired criteria), but training will be provided in all aspects of the work.</div>
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<div class=""><b class="">The Environment</b></div>
<div class="">The PhD supervisors are Prof. Mariya Moosajee and Dr. Tessa Dekker, based across the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, and the UCL Dept of Experimental Psychology in UCL PaLS. These institutions are located in the heart
of London, UK, with vibrant and collaborative communities of faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate researchers. They offer access to high quality scientific resources, including excellent training courses, equipment, and unique patient access via Moorfields
Eye Hospital. Our labs are sociable, collaborative, and support flexible working. </div>
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<div class=""><b class="">Funding and Eligibility</b></div>
<div class="">This studentship is funded for 3 years by the Santen SenSyT scheme and includes PhD tuition fees, research costs and an annual salary stipend starting at £24,000. The full studentship (salary stipend and home or international rate tuition fees)
is eligible to all nationalities.</div>
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<div class=""><b class="">How to apply:</b></div>
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<div class="">Applicants should submit their application <b class="">by September 3rd</b> by emailing to <a href="mailto:ioo.pgr@ucl.ac.uk" class="">ioo.pgr@ucl.ac.uk</a>, cc'ing <a href="mailto:hugo.chow-wing-bom.15@ucl.ac.uk" class="">hugo.chow-wing-bom.15@ucl.ac.uk</a> with
the following: Please title your email Santen SenSyT PhD application, and attach (1) your CV, (2) a covering letter outlining motivation and suitability for this project, and (3) contact details for two academic referees who may be contacted by the interview
panel if you are shortlisted (reference letters not required at this stage).</div>
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<div class="">Informal enquiries regarding the PhD project should be made to Dr Tessa Dekker - but please email Hugo Chow-Wing-Bom <a href="mailto:hugo.chow-wing-bom.15@ucl.ac.uk" class="">hugo.chow-wing-bom.15@ucl.ac.uk</a> who will coordinate this. Enquiries
relating to the application process should be sent to Hazel Croft, Research Degrees Administrator (<a href="mailto:ioo.pgr@ucl.ac.uk" class="">ioo.pgr@ucl.ac.uk</a>). Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview. </div>
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<div class="">The successful candidate is expected to start between October 2022 and January 2023 </div>
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<div class="">All the best,</div>
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<div class=""><a href="https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=TBEKK79" class="">Tessa Dekker</a></div>
<div class="">Associate Professor</div>
<div class=""><a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioo/research/child-vision-lab/who-we-are" class="">Child Vision Lab</a></div>
<div class="">Experimental Psychology, PaLS & Institute of Ophthalmology</div>
<div class="">University College London</div>
<div class="">London, UK</div>
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