The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career.
Spatial navigation performance has recently been shown to be a behavioural marker for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the performance used for assessment so far has been a gross, aggregate one (e.g., total path length), and less is known about what cognitive abilities involved in the moment-by-moment decision (e.g., working memory, mental rotation, planning) contribute to degradation in performance in the disease. Clarifying the cognitive processes involved is important, because it will enable more accurate and earlier diagnosis and distinguish between different therapeutic targets.
This project will examine how the gross navigation performance relates to component cognitive abilities involved in the moment-by-moment decision.
(1) We will extend the primary supervisor (YK)’s model that predicts uncertainty during spatial navigation based on first-person view video input using robotics techniques, to predict moment-by-moment decisions made by participants in a large-scale public dataset from a mobile navigation game, which has been previously analysed by the secondary supervisor (EZP). The parameters of the model that fits each individual participant’s trajectory in different maps will predict the level of the individual’s cognitive abilities along different dimensions (e.g., working memory, mental rotation, planning).
(2) We will validate the model’s prediction by assessing new participants on the same mobile navigation game as well as minimal cognitive tasks that are optimised to separately probe each cognitive ability.
(3) We will use recruit early-phase Alzheimer’s patients, normal aged people, as well as people with increased genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease, to assess the diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of different maps in the mobile navigation game as well as of minimal cognitive tasks to find out the set of behavioural tasks that gives the best diagnostic value within a given time, to enable efficient screening of the disease.
This studentship is open to students applying for CONACyT funding. CONACyT will provide a contribution towards your tuition fees each year and Queen Mary will waive the remaining fee. CONACyT will pay a stipend towards living costs to its scholars. Further information can be found here: https://conacyt.mx/convocatorias/convocatorias-becas-al-extranjero/
Please refer to the CONACyT website here: https://conacyt.mx/convocatorias/convocatorias-becas-al-extranjero/ for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship. Applications are invited from outstanding candidates with or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in an area relevant to the project such as computer science or neuroscience. A masters degree is desirable, but not essential. An ideal candidate would have experience in programming, especially in Python, and in computational modelling.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English language ability. Please see our English language requirements page for details: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/international-students/englishlanguagerequirements/postgraduateresearch/
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Yul Kang at yul.kang@qmul.ac.uk
Applicants will need to complete an online application form to be considered, including a CV, personal statement and qualifications. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the project supervisor. Those who are successful in their application for our PhD programme will be issued with an offer letter which is conditional on securing a CONACyT scholarship (as well as any academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements).
Once applicants have obtained their offer letter from Queen Mary they should then apply to CONACyT for the scholarship as per their requirements and deadlines, with the support of the project supervisor.
Only applicants who are successful in their application to CONACyT can be issued an unconditional offer and enrol on our PhD programme.
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