Sam Norton

This fully-funded PhD opportunity at King's College London focuses on understanding anxiety recovery in breast cancer survivors by investigating neural and psychophysiological mechanisms. The project is part of the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership in Biomedical Sciences and aligns with a Wellcome-funded research programme evaluating mind-body mechanisms of anxiety resolution in cancer survivors. The research will use data from a large, translational randomised controlled trial of a novel brain-body therapy (ADIE-BC), which teaches survivors to tune into their heartbeat through psychophysiological training and guided psychological exercises. The student will analyze fMRI brain scans and heartbeat detection tasks to develop a brain-body model of anxiety recovery, identifying neural and psychophysiological mechanisms of change and modelling learning trajectories of interoceptive precision in relation to clinical outcomes. The supervisory team includes Dr Lauren Heathcote (psychology of cancer survivorship), Prof Sam Norton (biostatistics and modelling), and Dr Matthew Howard (neuroimaging). The student will be based across two King's College London campuses and will gain skills in interdisciplinary trial work, ethical data collection, fMRI and psychophysiological analysis, statistical learning models, and lived experience integration. The studentship provides competitive funding, including stipend and tuition coverage, and offers world-class training and support for career development. Applicants should have a strong background in psychology, neuroscience, biomedical sciences, or related fields, and an interest in neuroimaging and psychophysiological research. The application deadline is December 28, 2024.