本期为大家推荐爱丁堡大学、伯明翰大学2026最新奖学金项目介绍。
1、爱丁堡大学
Cognitive profiling and decision making in MND
University of Edinburgh | School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences (College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine)
截止时间：January 22, 2026 周四
资助的博士项目（全球学生）
About the Project
Introduction to the Euan MacDonald Centre PhD Studentship
This project is one of seven project choices on offer as part of the studentship scheme of the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research. The Euan MacDonald Centre is a multi-disciplinary network of motor neuron disease (MND) researchers across Scotland. Projects are being advertised now for a start date in Autumn 2026 at the University of Edinburgh, University of Dundee or University of St Andrews.
Euan MacDonald Centre PhD students join our network of >250 MND researchers across Scotland and will have the opportunity to meet people living with MND, participate in academic and public engagement events led by the Centre.
To view all the projects offered under this scheme please visit www.euanmacdonaldcentre.org/phd-scheme.
Project description
This project is based at the University of Edinburgh
It is well established that there is a spectrum of cognitive and behavioural impairment in MND/ALS, with up to 50% of people suffering from either mild cognitive (ALSci) or behavioural impairment (ALSbi) or a type of dementia, frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD) (1). The most prominent changes comprise problems with executive and language functions, social cognition and apathy (2).
A standardised and well validated method for assessing these impairments is the Edinburgh Cognitive and behavioural ALS screen (ECAS) (3). This assessment is available in multiple languages and data is being collected internationally. There is heterogeneity in the individual profiles of MND patients with for example, some showing cognitive and/or behaviour changes, but also more specifically in language and/or executive dysfunction. However there has been little work in determining these intra individual profiles and their impact which may be useful to guide clinicians. In particular we have recently shown that cognitive and behaviour changes affect decision making and this in turn will affect everyday life.
The aims of this project are to determine whether we can identify intra individual profiles of cognitive and behavioural impairment, from a large international dataset, how these affect decision making, and whether we can identify mediating factors such as cognitive bias.
Funding Notes
The studentship comprises 42 months (3.5 years) stipend payments at the standard UKRI rate (View Website), tuition fees and an allowance of £10K per year for three years for consumables and travel.
2、伯明翰大学
Parametric Modelling of Carbon Footprints in Semiconductor Manufacturing
University of Birmingham | Department of Mechanical Engineering
博导：Dr Natanael Bolson
截止日期：December 15, 2025 周一
资助的博士项目（全球学生）
About the Project
From smartphones and laptops to servers and sensors, every electronic device begins its life in a semiconductor fabrication plant or a printed circuit board (PCB) factory. These are among the most energy and resource-intensive industrial systems in operation. A single semiconductor manufacturer can consume as much electricity as a small city, while the production of multilayer PCBs can release more than 60 kg CO2 per m2. As global demand for electronics continues to accelerate, increasing by almost 20 % per year, their environmental footprint is expanding faster than efficiency improvements can compensate.
Behind the sleek design of modern technology lies a complex sequence of processes including wafer etching, photolithography, chemical deposition, lamination and soldering. Each consumes large amounts of energy, water and raw materials. Yet, when assessing their impact, the industry still relies on static averages such as kg CO2 per wafer or per cm2 PCB. These simplified metrics obscure the reality that carbon intensity depends heavily on design choices such as wafer size, lithography depth, oxide thickness, board layer count and component density.
This PhD project will address that challenge. You will develop a novel design-sensitive framework that connects semiconductor manufacturing with PCB assembly, capturing how carbon and resource footprints vary with actual design parameters. By mapping the relationships between material inputs, manufacturing processes and design complexity, your research will identify where environmental improvements can be achieved without compromising performance. The framework you develop will help companies quantify and disclose product-level impacts more transparently and will guide engineers in making more sustainable material and process choices from the earliest stages of product design.
This is an opportunity to tackle one of the defining sustainability challenges of the digital age: ensuring that the next generation of electronics is manufactured more sustainably.
Eligibility and requirements
Applicants should hold, or be expecting to achieve, either:
- An upper second-class four-year honours UK undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent)
- An MSc/MRes in a relevant subject
- Applicants should demonstrate:
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills with proficiency in data analysis or modelling (working knowledge in Python desirable)
- Interest in sustainable manufacturing, materials efficiency and industrial decarbonisation
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across disciplinary and industrial boundaries
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