Fully Funded PhD in Neuroscience (How Sights Become Signals for Learning) - University of Exeter - GW4 BioMed MRC DTP - UK & International

📢 Fully Funded PhD Opportunity in Neuroscience at the University of Exeter

I am delighted to share a fully funded PhD opportunity in my lab through the GW4 BioMed MRC Doctoral Training Partnership:

How sights become signals for learning

How does the brain learn that a previously meaningless sight predicts something important?
This project builds directly on our recent findings published in Nature Communications, showing that activity in the superior colliculus is required for dopamine responses to learned visual cues. The student will take the next step by investigating how visual information gains access to dopamine learning systems and how these signals emerge during learning.

The project brings together behavioural experiments and modern systems neuroscience approaches, including:
• in vivo electrophysiology
• fibre photometry and genetically encoded neurotransmitter sensors
• fast-scan cyclic voltammetry
• optogenetics
• computational modelling

Highlights:
✅ Fully Funded via GW4 BioMed MRC DTP
✅ Open to both UK and international applicants
✅ Can be undertaken full-time or part-time
✅ Applicants from neuroscience, biomedical sciences and quantitative disciplines welcome

Application Deadline: 21 October 2026
Project Code: NMH27Ex YZhang

Full project details and application: https://gw4biomed.ac.uk/how-sights-become-signals-for-learning/

I would be very happy to answer informal enquiries. Please share!

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