PhD position Clinical Memory Research Unit - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace
The Clinical Memory Research Unit focuses on understanding biological processes in aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases and to develop and test a new generation of both diagnostic and prognostic markers asl well as of end point for clinical trials on disease-modifying therapies. The work is primarily based on the Swedish BioFINDER study, a large multimodal dataset composed of cohorts of both patients and cognitively unimpaired volunteers, who undergo extensive testing including neuroimaging, fluid biomarker measurements, neuropsychological testing. More information can be found here. The group is led by professor Oskar Hansson. This position will be placed at the Biomedical Center (BMC) in Lund.

Project description
Dementia is a major cause of disability and dependency in a growing older population, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common cause of dementia in the elderly population. Recent research has provided robust evidence that once cognitive symptoms become apparent and clearly quantifiable with traditional neuropsychological tests, AD pathology was already accumulating in the central nervous systems for years, even decades. This preclinical stage of the disease is increasingly becoming the main target of the clinical research on AD.  The PhD project focuses on gaining a better understanding of the first brain functional changes occurring during the preclinical and prodromal stage of the AD continuum. To this aim will select participants from the deeply characterized cohort of the Swedish BioFINDER study and take advantage of the ultra-high field facility present at Lund university for conducting task-based function MRI (fMRI) studies for investigating early signs of functional network disfunction and their association with hallmarks of AD pathology such as amyloid-beta and tau accumulation. Particular emphasis will be given to the integration of multiple modalities including structural and diffusion MRI, PET imaging and fluid markers with fMRI data in order to develop a more comprehensive picture of the main drivers of early brain functional changes. The PhD will also be embedded in a national and international network of researchers focusing on brain functional changes in both healthy aging and neurodegeneration including two co-supervisors, namely Prof. Lars Nyberg (Umeå University, Sweden) and Dr. David Berron (DZNE, Germany).

The project aims to extend our knowledge of disease mechanism and, potentially, to pave the way to a new generation of imaging biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of disease progression. The PhD student will conduct research under the supervision of Prof. Oskar Hansson, Dr Nicola Spotorno, Prof. Lars Nyberg and Dr. David Berron.

We are committed to creating a positive, respectful and stimulating environment. We value communication and collaboration, and we strive to create a positive environment based on mutual respect and tolerance.

Work duties and areas of responsibility
The main duties of the doctoral candidate are to conduct their research studies, which include participation in research projects and graduate courses. The doctoral candidate will develop and optimize neuroimaging processing pipelines, perform data analysis combining multiple neuroiming modalities, will write papers, and will present results locally and at national and international conferences. Other work responsibilities may include: assistance during data acquisition and piloting of new MRI sequences; informal mentorship of and skill-sharing with other members of the group; or composition of grants and/or research fellowships. Other work duties may also occur. The majority of the research work will be done in collaboration with members of the research group.

Qualifications
The following are required for the position:

• Master’s of Science within engineering, neuroscience, psychology, physics or a related discipline OR a Bachelor's of Science in the same fields AND substantial research experience in a laboratory/research institution
• Proficiency in oral and written communication in English
• Strong communication, presentation and writing skills Willingness to collaborate, but with ability to work independently Detail-oriented

The following are considered to be a merit:

• Specific interest in dementia and aging
• Significant computational programming skills (preferably python or R)
• Experience in statistical modeling and/or machine learning
• Experience with curation, preprocessing and/or analysis of neuroimaging neuroimaging data with emphasis on fMRI Familiarity with best practices in reproducibility and open science Individuals from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged 

Eligibility
Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§. Start date is June 15, 2023 or according to agreement.

How to apply
Applications must include a personal motivation letter, a CV, contact information of two references, a diploma (including a grade transcript) and other documents you wish to be considered (e.g. letters of recommendation). Those applicants who will be called for interview, will likely be asked to perform a small test to demonstrate basic competence.