Studentships

Departmental and divisional studentships

The Department of Psychiatry and the Medical Sciences Division have a limited number of funded studentships available each year.

If you submit a complete application by the early December deadline, you will automatically be considered for these funding opportunities where you are eligible.

These studentships are highly competitive and only a small proportion of applicants receive funding through this route.

We therefore strongly encourage you to explore other sources of funding alongside your application.

Project-specific studentships

INVESTIGATING AND MODELLING BRAIN DYNAMICS ACROSS SPECIES

Deadline for Application:

12.00 noon (UK time), Friday 6th November 2026.

Please note:

this deadline is

before

the University's December deadline.

Studentship Code:

27PSYCH02WEB

We are inviting applications for a PhD studentship to work with Dr. Andrea Luppi's research group starting in October 2027.

The focus of the DPhil, refined with the candidate, centres on Dr Luppi's ERC Starting Grant, mapping causal interventions from anatomy to function across species. You will analyse brain dynamics from fMRI datasets of targeted brain perturbations, such as pharmacology (anaesthetics, psychedelics) or brain stimulation, primarily in macaques, emphasising cross-species comparison and whole-brain computational modelling.

Academic futures

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to support the University's Academic Futures programme, which aims to address under-representation and improve equality, diversity and inclusion within Oxford's graduate student community.

Academic Futures provides fully funded scholarships through a number of schemes. Depending on the scheme, funding may be available to:

UK Black and mixed Black students
British Bangladeshi students
British Pakistani students
students who have experience of being in care in the UK
refugees and others with lived experience of displacement
students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, based on contextual eligibility criteria

Scholarships cover course fees in full and provide a grant for living costs for the duration of the award.

Eligibility criteria and application arrangements differ between the schemes. If you think you may be eligible, we strongly encourage you to read the University's Academic Futures pages for full details.

DPhil in Computational and Translational Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford October 2027

The ERC-funded ROSETTA project introduces a 'functional coordinate system' for the brain, to describe brain function comprehensively and integrate neuroimaging findings systematically across experiments, disorders, and species.

The Group

You will join Dr Andrea Luppi's research group, which charts how cognitive disorders, pharmacological interventions, and brain stimulation reposition the brain within a shared functional space, revealing principles for prediction and control. We combine multi-modal neuroimaging and consciousness science with information theory, network science, and whole-brain biophysical modelling. We triangulate fMRI data across humans, macaques, and mice to understand species differences and cross-species translation. The group is affiliated with the Oxford Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing and collaborates with Cambridge, Imperial College London, the Italian Institute of Technology, NeuroSPIN (Paris), Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), and Montreal Neurological Institute.

The DPhil

The focus, refined with the candidate, centres on Dr Luppi's ERC Starting Grant, mapping causal interventions from anatomy to function across species. You will analyse brain dynamics from fMRI datasets of targeted brain perturbations, such as pharmacology (anaesthetics, psychedelics) or brain stimulation, primarily in macaques, emphasising cross-species comparison and whole-brain computational modelling.

Training/supervision

You will gain skills in complex systems analysis of neural dynamics and networks, consciousness neuroscience, cross-species neuroimaging, whole-brain computational modelling, and NeuroAI, working with extensive in vivo databases combining whole-brain neuroimaging with causal interventions. Funded travel supports regular collaboration visits to the Italian Institute of Technology. You will also train in presenting science to varied audiences. Dr Luppi is committed to developing trainees' careers; see his Editorial, "Ten simple rules for aspiring graduate students":

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009276

Candidate profile

We welcome ambitious applicants with at least an upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent) and/or a relevant Master s degree in neuroscience, physics, computer science, engineering, or related fields. Applicants should demonstrate experience of relevant independent research (dissertation or substantial research project). Experience with large neuroimaging datasets (e.g., fMRI), data science, and strong computational/statistical skills in Python or MATLAB are essential, as are excellent communication and collaboration skills. Interdisciplinary interests are particularly welcome. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Funding/application

The scholarship covers course fees up to the value of home fees*, a tax-free stipend at the UKRI standard rate ( 21,805 per annum), plus additional support for research expenses and conference attendance.

*Applicants with overseas fee status would need to fund the fee difference from alternative sources.

Applications must be submitted via the University s online graduate application form. To access the application form and guidance please visit our website at www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/apply. The application form, all supporting materials (including references), and 20 application fee must be received by the submission deadline. Fee waivers may be available for eligible applicants.

For informal enquiries please contact: andrea.luppi@psych.ox.ac.uk

Submission deadline:

12:00 noon UK time on Friday 6th November 2026 -

NOTE

this is earlier than the University s December deadline

Interview date:

w/c 23rd November 2026

Studentship code for application:

27PSYCH02WEB