Connectionists: PostDoc position studying connectome changes in dementia

[Marcus Kaiser]

Dear all,



An 8-month research associate 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 Prof. 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 data.

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.

*Research Environment*
Nottingham “the home of MRI” offers an excellent environment for imaging (
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/beacons-of-excellence/precision-imaging/
  and https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/spmic/index.aspx ), is
pioneering the use of neurotechnology for brain disorders (
http://mindtech.org.uk/ ), hosts the Institute of Mental Health (
https://www.institutemh.org.uk ), and has a large group of faculty members
including four full professors (Stephen Coombes, Mark van Rossum, Mark
Humphries, Marcus Kaiser) in the area of computational/mathematical
neuroscience.

*How to Apply*
Apply before 15 March 2022 at
https://jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?id=37834&forced=2



For informal queries, please contact Dr Marcus Kaiser,
Marcus.kaiser at nottingham.ac.uk



Best,

  Marcus



--


*Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. FRSB*  @ConnectomeLab
<https://twitter.com/ConnectomeLab>

*Professor of Neuroinformatics*

*Precision Imaging Beacon, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham*



Guanci Visiting Professor

Rui Jin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China



Book: Changing Connectomes

https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/changing-connectomes



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



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