Connectionists: PostDoc position: developing computational models of disease progression in dementia

[Marcus Kaiser]

Dear all,

a 2.5-year PostDoc position for developing computational models of disease
progression in dementia patients is available within my lab.

* About the project*
The most ideal time to intervene with disease-modifying treatment is early
on before significant neurodegenerative change and neuronal loss has
occurred. However, another highly relevant consideration is improvements in
subtype diagnosis i.e. determination of the type of neurodegenerative
process giving rise to dementia.  Differentiation is crucial as there are
different management trajectories for each disease; for example,
neuroleptic drugs which are given to AD can be fatal in the DLB group.
Promising preliminary data, using simulation of disease progression,
suggest that we may be able to make an early diagnosis even when subtle
changes cannot be detected with the current machine learning approach.
Going beyond machine learning subtype classification, our study aims to
develop a simulation-based model of disease progression that can facilitate
early treatment of the disease leading to improved outcomes for patients
and reduced overall healthcare costs.

*Available RA position*
As part of this project, the lab of Prof. Marcus Kaiser (
http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/ ), with joint supervision from the lab
of Dr John-Paul Taylor (https://www.lewybodylab.org/ ), are seeking a
talented and enthusiastic research assistant with a PhD awarded, or a PhD
thesis about to be submitted, in computational biology or related subjects;
prior experience in the neurosciences is desirable.

The aim of this joint project, between Newcastle University and Korea
University, is to developing more accurate dementia progression models that
can inform diagnosis and treatment of patients using neuroimaging (MRI and
PET) data. Objectives of this position are, first, to observe brain network
features of dementia patients and how these features are changing with
disease progression. Second, to develop computational models of how
structural and functional connectivity will change over time in these
patients. Third, testing whether the models can reproduce the actual
progression and to test different hypotheses about the underlying causes of
brain network changes.

Good communication skills, very strong dynamics modelling skills, and a
track record of previous peer-reviewed journal publications. You will have
experience with neuroimaging and/or computer simulations. The position will
include visits to our collaborators in South Korea (Profs Cheol Han and
Hyun-Ghang Jeong, Korea University).

*Research Environment*
Neuroinformatics at Newcastle University in the UK covers a range of topics
from electrophysiology to neuroimaging. We are among the pioneers in
connectome analysis and the establishment computational models to inform
interventions in patients, e.g. through the £10m Wellcome
Trust/EPSRC-funded CANDO project. Our strength is a close collaboration
between computational, experimental, and clinical researchers. We currently
have a team of 13 faculty members in the areas of Neuroinformatics and
Neurotechnology: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/



Best,
  Marcus



--



Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. FRSB    @ConnectomeLab
<https://twitter.com/ConnectomeLab>
Professor of Neuroinformatics
Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group
School of Computing
Urban Sciences Building
Newcastle University
1 Science Square
Science Central
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE5 5TG
UK

Lab website:
http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/

Neuroinformatics at Newcastle:
http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/

Neuroinformatics UK:
http://www.neuroinformatics.org.uk/
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