Susanne
The Department of Psychology, Durham University and the South Tees NHS Trust invite
application for a PhD studentship on “Cortical Mapping of Language Functions”.
Research will be conducted within the Durham University Neuroimaging Centre (DUNIC) using
the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility, which is shared between the University and
South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, and is situated at the James Cook University Hospital (JCUH) in Middlesbrough.
The PhD will be supervised by Prof. Phil Kane (South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust) and Dr.
Susanne Weis and Dr. Markus Hausmann (Department of Psychology, Durham University).
Excellent candidates with a Master’s degree and background in neuroimaging are invited to apply
for a 3-year PhD project.
In this project, a reliable method of cortical mapping of cognitive functions within single subjects
will be developed both for clinical uses and for research purposes. One important application will
comprise pre-surgical mapping of language functions in tumour patients presenting with
disturbances of speech. Another aspect of the project relates to cortical plasticity after tumour
surgery where ideally predictive measures of clinical outcome will be developed.
While focussing on speech and language functions, the principles of cortical mapping will in the
course of the project also be applied to other cognitive functions.
This exciting PhD projects combines methodological development in functional brain imaging with basic research questions as well as clinical applications.
Applicants must have a master degree (or equivalent) in psychology, cognitive sciences,
neuroscience, or a related field. Proficiency in oral and written English is necessary. A solid
methods background (statistics / SPSS) as well as prior experience with fMRI are highly
desirable. Programming skills in Matlab, as well as in Presentation, E-prime or similar software
packages are a plus.
The studentship will pay fees and a £12,600 p.a. stipend. The post starts on Tuesday, 1 October
2013. The deadline for applications is on Wednesday, 10 July 2013.
Informal inquiries can be addressed to Dr. Susanne Weis (susanne.weis@durham.ac.uk mailto:susanne.weis@durham.ac.uk) or Dr. Markus Hausmann (markus.hausmann@durham.ac.uk mailto:markus.hausmann@durham.ac.uk).
Applications including a CV including list of publications, a statement of research interests, and
the names and full contact details of two referees should be sent to:
susanne.weis@durham.ac.uk mailto:susanne.weis@durham.ac.uk
__________________________________ Dr. Susanne Weis
Senior Lecturer Department of Psychology Durham University South Road Durham DH1 3LE United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 191 3343238 tel:%2B44%C2%A0%280%29%C2%A0191%C2%A03343238 Fax: +44 (0) 191 3343241 tel:%2B44%C2%A0%280%29%C2%A0191%C2%A03343241 email: susanne.weis@durham.ac.uk mailto:susanne.weis@durham.ac.uk __________________________________