Phd In Human Neuroimaging Of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Seeking PhD Student
- Herston Location
- World class researchers

**About QIMR Berghofer**:
QIMR Berghofer is a world-leading translational medical research institute focused on improving health by developing new diagnostics, better treatments and prevention strategies, specifically in the areas of Cancer, Infection and Inflammation, Brain and Mental Health, and Population Health. Based in Herston, Brisbane and working in close collaboration with clinicians and other research institutes, QIMR Berghofer is home to more than 600 scientists, students and non-research staff.

**About Your Lab**:
Our Cerebellum & Neurodegeneration Research Group (CNRG) is at the cutting edge of these developments, employing state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and advanced blood and digital biomarkers to better understand the onset and progression of HCAs. This project aims to improve patient characterization and biomarker validation, leveraging novel data analysis approaches, including advanced statistics and machine learning to analyze complex clinical and biological data.

**Role Purpose / Responsibilities**:
This exciting PhD opportunity focuses on utilizing advanced brain imaging techniques to explore hereditary cerebellar ataxias (HCAs), an inherited group of neurodegenerative diseases that cause significant motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric impairments. HCAs led to severe disability and mortality, with no existing cures.

**Research Questions**:

- Can sophisticated neuroimaging techniques enhance our understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases?
- Can blood-based proteomics and metabolomics add additional insights into the variability in disease onset and progression?
- Can advanced statistics and machine learning models help define disease subtypes and predict clinical outcomes?

**Project Aims**:
PhD students will have the opportunity to work on one or more of the following research areas within a cohort of individuals diagnosed with hereditary cerebellar ataxias:

- Profiling disease expression and progression using blood-based biomarkers.
- Statistical Modelling & machine learning: Develop machine learning models to identify disease subgroups and predict disease progression using clinical, imaging, and biological data.

**About you**:
Essential Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree with Honors, or Master's degree in neuroscience, biomedical science, data science, computer science, or a related STEM field.
- Excellent academic performance (e.g., High Distinction / First class Honours / 80%+ or equivalent).
- At least one semester (6-months) of research experience as part of Honors or Master's research training, leading to a minor thesis with formal evaluation for University credit.
- Strong interest in neuroimaging, neurodegenerative diseases, or biomedical research.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in working with clinical or biological data.
- Basic programming experience (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R, bash).
- International applicants must have one or more academic papers published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Desirable Qualifications:

- Experience with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or neuroimaging data analysis.
- Experience working with biological markers or neurodegenerative disease models.
- Familiarity with statistical analysis or data visualization tools.
- Experience with medical image processing software such as FSL, FreeSurfer, MRtrix, ANTs.
- Experience with GPU and CPU-based high-performance computing (HPC) environments for data processing.
- Experience in publishing scientific research in peer-reviewed journals or full-length conference papers is highly desirable.
- Experience with public neuroimaging datasets such as HCP, ADNI, or UK Biobank is an extra advantage

**Remuneration**:The successful applicant will receive a living stipend of $36,400AUD per annum for 3.5 years.

All research will take place on-site at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (Brisbane, Australia).

**Closing Date**:19 March 2025

Please provide your resume, academic transcripts of all degrees and Cover letter addressing the 'Essential Qualifications' section.

**What we offer**:

- State of the art facilities
- Stimulating work setting focussed on cutting edge medical research
- Supportive and collaborative team environment