PhD Studentship: Translational models to predict emotional susceptibility to chronic pain

Overview

This PhD project at the University of Exeter, hosted by the Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, investigates how emotions make people susceptible to the experience of pain. The project will identify and apply a translational model of emotional flexibility. The neural networks that underlie the co-occurrence of fear and anxiety disorders will then be correlated with pain phenotypes, to work out the mechanisms that predict who is susceptible to pain, including chronic pain.

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.