Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3-year PhD studentship in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr Alexis Joannides starting April 2026 (Easter Term 26).
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a neurological condition arising from a disturbance in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, affects 3-4% of adults over 65 years, and leads to progressive gait, cognitive, and bladder impairment. Despite the existence of an effective surgical treatment, less than 20% of patients with the condition are accurately diagnosed and treated. A key barrier to improved management of NPH is poor awareness amongst healthcare professionals.
The reversible dementia (REVERT) project, based in the East of England with EU funding, has established a novel, multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment of NPH which has been adopted within routine NHS practice. On this background, this project aims to improve the detection and timely diagnosis of NPH at a population level, by evaluate the feasibility of screening individuals presenting with falls who undergo cranial imaging in an acute context for further evaluation for NPH.