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Funded PhD in Sleep, Trauma Processing, and Targeted Memory Reactivation University of Bristol in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Psychology
Funding
Funded PhD studentship through the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme. Funding includes UK tuition fees, a Doctoral Stipend matching the UK Research Council National Minimum (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27, updated annually), and additional research training/support funding of up to £5,000 per annum.
Deadline
Oct 21, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
University
University of Bristol
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About this position
Funded PhD project at the University of Bristol (School of Psychology and Neuroscience) on sleep, trauma processing, PTSD, emotional memory, and targeted memory reactivation (TMR). The project explores how sleep contributes to emotional processing after trauma and whether TMR can be used as a novel intervention to improve outcomes.
You will work on experimental trauma paradigms, including distressing video or virtual-reality-based stimuli, and combine them with conditioned auditory cues that are replayed during specific sleep stages. The project also includes portable EEG sleep recording, online sleep-stage detection, automated cue re-presentation, and behavioural follow-up measures such as visual analogue scales, intrusion diaries, emotional response tasks, and questionnaires.
The work is interdisciplinary and involves collaboration with the University of Exeter and the University of Tsukuba in Japan. You will be based in Bristol, with research visits to Exeter and Tsukuba for training and collaboration. There is also scope to shape the project further, including possible rodent electrophysiology or patient-based studies depending on your interests.
This is a funded PhD studentship under the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme. Funding includes UK tuition fees, a Doctoral Stipend matching the UK Research Council National Minimum (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27), and up to £5,000 per year in additional research training/support funding.
Applications are made via the GW4 BioMed website. You may choose up to two projects and submit one application per candidate. The deadline is 21 October 2026 at 5:00 pm. Shortlisted candidates will be notified from 22 December 2026, interviews are scheduled for 26–27 January 2027, and studentships start on 1 October 2027.
Funding details
Funded PhD studentship through the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme. Funding includes UK tuition fees, a Doctoral Stipend matching the UK Research Council National Minimum (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27, updated annually), and additional research training/support funding of up to £5,000 per annum.
What's required
Applicants should be interested in sleep research, trauma processing, neuroscience, and experimental psychology. The project involves designing trauma paradigms, targeted memory reactivation, EEG sleep recording, and potentially electrophysiology or patient studies, so relevant research skills and willingness to work across interdisciplinary methods are important. The post is open to students worldwide, but the funding note indicates UK tuition fees are covered, so eligibility may depend on the programme rules.
How to apply
Check the GW4 BioMed website for the list of projects and the online application form. You may select up to two projects and submit one application per candidate. Submit the application for an offer of funding by 5:00 pm on 2026-10-21, then apply for an offer to study if successful.
More information can be found here
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