R220810 - MD studentship (2 years) Improving understanding of FIRES – febrile infection related syndrome

View All Vacancies
College of Health & Life Sciences - Studentships
Location:  Aston University Main Campus
Basis:  Full Time
Closing Date:  23.59 hours GMT on Thursday 15 December 2022
Reference:  R220810
Release Date:  Tuesday 29 November 2022

Supervisor: Dr Sukhvir Wright and Professor Gavin Woodhall

Key words: epilepsy; EEG; paediatrics

Project Reference: HLS_Wright_FIRES

Applications are invited for a two-year Postgraduate MD studentship, supported by Epilepsy Research UK , to be undertaken within the Wright and Woodhall Research Groups at Aston University. The successful applicant will join an established experimental group working on FIRES – febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome.

The position is available to start in April 2023.

Financial Support

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the Home fees rate. This application is only available to Home students.

Background to the Project

Febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) and New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE) are explosive onset super-refractory epilepsy syndromes that cause excessive morbidity and mortality in children and adults. No defined treatment pathway has proven to be universally effective and no disease models have yet recapitulated the core clinical features. Clinical, paraclinical and treatment outcome data from patients point to pro-inflammatory molecules as the main causative agents. We hypothesise that collecting detailed clinical and paraclinical data in UK paediatric cases of FIRES/NORSE will further our understanding of the disease. Using the BPNSU, the major surveillance, research, and disease registry portal for UK paediatric neurologists, will provide a rapid-response online notification portal for retrospective and prospective cases. The timeliness of this study means we can now use the new accepted consensus definition of FIRES/NORSE, thereby accurately capturing true cases. We will use a standardised case report form to collect anonymised data on demographics, preceding illness, disease course, requirement for intensive care, co-morbidities, laboratory, imaging and neurophysiology (EEG) results, treatments and outcomes. This study will provide the first UK incidence and prevalence data and underpin formulation of evidence-based management guidelines. Copies of anonymised EEGs will be requested from patients whose CSF will be used for dynamic causal modelling studies to identify disease mechanisms in FIRES/NORSE. We will use the computational analyses of these electrophysiological recordings to characterise how the phenotypes in patients relate mechanistically to the pre-clinical models.

For this MD project, the successful applicant will collect and analyse the BPNSU data and perform analysis of the EEG data. 

Person Specification

The successful applicant should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, a Masters degree in a relevant subject with a 60% or higher weighted average, and/or a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (or an equivalent qualification from an overseas institution) in clinical medicine.  Preferred skill requirements include knowledge/experience of paediatric epilepsy.

Contact information

For enquiries about this project contact Dr Sukhvir Wright by email at [email protected].

Submitting an application

As part of the application, you will need to supply:

• A copy of your current CV
• Copies of your academic qualifications for your Bachelor degree, and Masters degree (if studied); this should include both certificates and transcripts, and must be translated in to English
• A research proposal statement*
• Two academic references
• Proof of your English Language proficiency

Details of how to submit your application, and the necessary supporting documents can be found here .  

Please select “Doctor of Medicine (Full Time April 2023)” from the application form options.

*The application must be accompanied by a “research proposal” statement. An original proposal is not required as the initial scope of the project has been defined, candidates should take this opportunity to detail how their knowledge and experience will benefit the project and should also be accompanied by a brief review of relevant research literature.

Please include the supervisor’s name, project title and project reference in your Personal Statement.

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at [email protected] . 

Aston University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.  It promotes equality and diversity in all aspects of its work. We are committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter http://www.ecu.ac.uk/equality-charter-marks/athena-swan/ , recognised by a silver award, and we are a Disability Confident Employer Level 2. We strive to have robust inclusivity strategies in place, including race and sexual orientation, to encourage colleagues to have the confidence and freedom to be themselves in the workplace. For more information, visit: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/about/inclusive-aston

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

If you require the job details document or an application form in an alternative format please contact the recruitment team at [email protected] .