Join Our Lab!
We are currently seeking one graduate student to pursue PhD research in our lab.
This three-year research studentship is funded by the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at The Open University and provides a stipend of £14,553 per year and all academic fees (at UK/EU level) are covered.
You would be required to live in the UK and within commuting distance of The Open University in Milton Keynes.
Students will work on elements of one of the two projects described below.
This three-year research studentship is funded by the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at The Open University and provides a stipend of £14,553 per year and all academic fees (at UK/EU level) are covered.
You would be required to live in the UK and within commuting distance of The Open University in Milton Keynes.
Students will work on elements of one of the two projects described below.
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Project 1
We have found that individual variation in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission contributes to the variability in the extent to which reward cues acquire motivational value. It is unknown why this occurs, and whether altering DA transmission (and activity in related neural pathways) can reduce the ability of cues to drive aberrant reward-seeking. Through the study of conditioned and motivated behaviour in both animals and humans, we are interested in pursuing several research questions, including: 1) Using similar behavioural procedures in both animals and humans, how can we accurately identify variability in cue-elicited motivation? 2) Are some individuals more motivated by reward-paired cues than others because of differences in the pre-synaptic regulation of dopamine release and uptake? 3) Are some individuals more motivated by reward-paired cues than others because of differences in the post-synaptic excitability of dendritic spines? 4) Can we alter certain aspects of dopamine neurotransmission to reduce the motivational power these cues have over behaviour? |
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Project 2
Despite the widespread adoption of animal models for the study of substance use disorder in the field of behavioural neuroscience, it remains a significant challenge to translate their results into treatments for addiction in people. One reason this might be is that current models paint an incomplete picture of the complexities of drug misuse and abuse. Therefore, we are interested in developing new models of substance use disorder that accurately reflect the human condition. Accordingly, using our model on non-habitual drug-seeking as a starting point, we wish to address the following research questions: 1) Are there differences in non-habitual drug-seeking between drug classes (e.g., psychostimulant vs opioid) and, if so, how does neurobiology reflect these differences? 2) Do different environmental conditions promote or discourage drug-seeking and -taking? If so, are these effects only observed in certain individuals or for specific drug classes? 3) In contrast to the puzzle self-administration procedure which models non-habitual drug-seeking, how do we model whether the act of drug-taking becomes habitual with extended drug use? |
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Techniques:
A range of expertise and equipment will be available at The Open University (http://www-acct.open.ac.uk/science/life-health-chemical-sciences/research) Labs. The student will be required to work in the Milton Keynes campus labs, but may be also asked to collaborate on portions of projects at nearby universities. All experiments will involve behavioural testing, either in humans or animals. Research in people will utilize new technologies to identify individual variation in Pavlovian conditioning. Research involving rodents will utilize techniques such as drug self-administration, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, optogenetics, fibre photometry, pharmacology, and biochemistry. Contact us for more information!!! |
Requirements:
Applicants will be expected to have a degree (classification 2:1, or higher) in neurobiology, psychology, physiology or cell biology, biochemistry, or a relevant subject. Candidates with backgrounds in behavioural neuroscience or biological psychology are particularly invited to apply. Good numeracy, ICT, communication and organisation skills are highly desirable. How to Apply: Please send an email with your CV, a completed application form and a personal statement (outlining your suitability for the studentship, what you hope to achieve from the PhD and your research experience to date) to STEM-LHCS-admin@open.ac.uk. LHCS holds Athena Swan Bronze status Equal Opportunity is University Policy |
