PhD Studentship: Biocomputation by Neuronal Networks (BYRON)

3 Year, full-time PhD studentship

Eligibility: Open to home, EU and international students

Bursary p.a.: £20,780

University fees and bench fees: This studentship will cover university fees at the home rate. Visas and associated costs are not covered.

Closing date: 20th February 2026

Interviews: TBC (online)

Start date:  September 2026 

Project Title: Biocomputation by Neuronal Networks (BYRON)

Director of Studies: Dr Tjeerd olde Scheper

Supervisors: Dr Alex Rast 

Contact: Dr Tjeerd V. olde Scheper, tvolde-scheper@brookes.ac.uk

Requirements:

Entry requirements: 

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. 

English language requirements:

International/EU applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.0 and no score below 5.5 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre.

Project Description:

We’re looking for an exceptional candidate interested in researching the mechanisms and algorithms for encoding information within a neurosphere. This involves exploring the capacity and capabilities of a third-party provided setup of living neurones on a multi-electrode array. The goal is to reliably and robustly encode arbitrary information for computation inside the neurosphere.

The ideal candidate possesses a very solid understanding of mathematics particularly dynamic systems and information theory. Strong programming experience in various programming languages and numerical analysis is also essential. An interest in neuroscience and computational modelling would be advantageous.

The candidate will remotely control and run experiments using the FinalSpark platform (www.finalspark.com). This project will switch the experiments phase with data analysis and software development for both experiments and analysis. The development will create publicly available code and algorithms to control the neuronal network. 

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs of teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.

Application process

Apply directly via the university portal (via the above 'Apply' button). Please include the following in your application:

• A cover letter
• A CV
• Details of two referees, at least one from an academic background
• A research proposal
• Copies of your previous degree certificates and transcripts
• A scan of your passport
• Evidence of a valid IELTS or other valid English language qualification, in line with Oxford Brookes’ requirements (international and EU candidates only)

For any queries, please contact tde-tdestudentships@brookes.ac.uk

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