PhD in Therapygenetics within the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry 1+3 Programme

Deadline: 23:59 (BST) 2 May 2016

Interviews: 16 May 2016

The MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) is advertising a Studentship funded by Fondation Peters to start in September 2016. The student will become a member of the Emotional Development Intervention and Treatment Lab (EDITLab) within the SGDP Centre, and will be supervised by Prof Thalia Eley & Dr Gerome Breen.

The SGDP

The MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (SGDP) is an interdisciplinary, collaborative research group that combines genetic and environmental strategies in order to study how nature and nurture interact in the development of complex behavioural dimensions and disorders.

The EDITLab

The EDITLab explores the role of genetic, cognitive and environmental factors in the development and treatment of emotional difficulties. We are at the forefront of a new field called Therapygenetics, the prediction of response to psychological treatment from genetic factors. The successful candidate will work across a range of different samples of individuals treated with psychological therapy for anxiety and/or depressive disorders.

About the studentship

The student will enrol on the SGDP 1+3 programme within which the first year includes training in social, genetic, epigenetic, developmental and cognitive approaches to psychiatry and psychology, as well as a module in statistical genetics. The student will receive training in quantitative analyses of large datasets, using both pre-existing datasets (N ~ 2k) and new samples currently being collected. Specifically, the student will analyse multiple types of –omics data including genomic, transcriptomic and epigenome-wide methylation data. They will also work on data from the UK BioBank (N ~ 150k), the Twins Early Development Study (n ~ 8k pairs) and on methods for the prediction of brain gene expression and epigenetic marks from genome wide genotyping data.

Find out more about research conducted at the Centre and the PhD programme

The studentship is fully funded and includes a stipend which will be paid at RCUK rates (currently £16,053 per annum) for the duration of the award and fees are met. Limited funding is also available for conference attendance and consumables.

Eligibility

The Centre welcomes applications from candidates who have, or expect to gain, at least an upper second class honours degree in an appropriate subject.

For this studentship we are specifically seeking candidates with a strong quantitative background so those with a high grade at maths A level or similar, and/or who have experience of analysis of quantitative data in addition to a suitable degree will be prioritised.

All applications are considered within a very competitive environment.

How to apply

To apply, you must register and complete the application form online using the King's College London application system. Please first of all select ‘Taught Programme’ and enter the keyword Social. Our "Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry MSc + PhD (Full-time)" programme appears at the end of page 3 of the list of courses.

In the Funding section, please tick box 5 and include the following reference SGDPFP2016

We are unable to accept any applications sent directly to the Centre. Please note: This is a unique four-year interdisciplinary course and, in the first instance, you will be applying for the MSc year, but it is expected that successful applicants proceed to the PhD. This is not a Master's only programme.

When making your application, please make sure you apply to the correct course, and not to our traditional 3-year PhD (listed under "Research Degrees").

In your application, you MUST include:

• Why you want to take the four-year interdisciplinary course at the SGDP.
• The reason for your interest in Therapygenetics.
• Your research interests and how they fit in with the interdisciplinary themes of the SGDP Centre.
• Confirm that your two academic referees are aware that you are applying for a four-year interdisciplinary course which includes a taught MSc component in the first year.
• Details of A-levels or equivalent including subject and grade achieved.
• That you qualify as a Home/EU student.

International Students

International students can only be considered if they are able to meet the shortfall between the home fee and international fee. Please state this in your application.

For more information please visit our web pages:

MSc Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (1+3)

Traditional 3 year PhD programmes at the SGDP

Further information about postgraduate funding options can be found at King's Postgraduate Funding.

Enquiries:

Heloise Anderson:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 0819
Email: heloise.anderson@kcl.ac.uk