PhD Studentship: Investigating molecular mechanisms underlying resilience to dementia and age-related disorders: A multi-omic analysis of large human biobanks

Overview

This PhD project at the University of Exeter, based in the Psychology department, asks why some people stay cognitively healthy despite a high genetic risk of dementia. The student will use genetic and molecular data from large human biobanks to identify molecular factors that help protect against dementia and co-occurring age-related conditions.

The work sits at the intersection of dementia research, genetics, epidemiology and data science, and gives experience in analysing large population datasets and molecular biomarkers. The findings could point to new targets for dementia prevention and shed light on the biology of healthy ageing.

What you get

The project is one of up to 18 MRC-funded studentships offered through the GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme, with a start date of October 2027. The studentships last four years. Funding covers UK tuition fees and a doctoral stipend matching the UK Research Council national minimum, which is 21,805 pounds per year for 2026/27 and is updated annually. Up to 5,000 pounds per year is also available for research training and support costs.

Who can apply

The studentships are open to UK and international students. This project competes for a place with projects across the whole MRC GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Award, in which 18 studentships are available across the partnership.

Key dates

The closing date is 21 October 2026, and the studentship begins in October 2027.