Supporting postgraduates is a key part of the Euan MacDonald Centre’s mission. We are passionate about encouraging, training and equipping the MND researchers of the future.
The Centre has an active community of postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers who benefit from sharing knowledge with other MND researchers and people living with MND by attending Centre events and MND-related conferences.
Euan MacDonald Centre funded PhDs
Through the generosity of our donors and fundraisers, the Centre normally funds one or two non-clinical PhD studentship per year.
Applications for Centre-funded PhDs normally open in the Autumn of each year for programmes starting the following Autumn.
A range of projects is offered by Centre Principal Investigators, based at a University in Scotland. Project choices usually include basic (laboratory), clinical and social science.
The best student is chosen on the basis of application, interview and references, and then chooses the project he or she is most interested in.
What does the studentship include?
- UKRI-equivalent stipend for 3.5 years
- University tuition fees
- a generous allowance for travel and consumables (£10K per year for three years)
- oversight by a second supervisor and thesis committee
- access to all training and support available to postgraduates at the chosen University
An enriched experience
Because Euan MacDonald Centre funded students become part of our wide-ranging multi-disciplinary network, we are able to offer additional experiences and training that include opportunities to:
- shadow an MND Nurse Specialist, meet people with MND, and attend an MND clinic and/or home visit
- attend and present at six-monthly seminar afternoons featuring a wide range of Centre research
- obtain bursaries to present data at national and international MND-related meetings
- gain experience in public engagement by participating in open days and MND Awareness events.
- access the Centre’s communications pipeline to promote the student’s research
How to apply and deadlines
Applications for Sept 2026 are now closed.
The assessment of applications is ongoing and we will contact applicants directly.
The next round of entries will be advertised here in Autumn 2026 for September 2027 entry.
For information only: projects offered for 2026 entry
| Code | Primary Supervisor(s) | Location | Project title |
| EMC26-1 | Prof Sharon Abrahams | Edinburgh | Cognitive profiling and decision making in MND |
| EMC26-2 | Dr Alejandra Aranceta Garza | Dundee | Digital biomarkers for motor neuron disease |
| EMC26-3 | Dr Kosala Dissanayake | Edinburgh | Identifying candidate biomarkers for diagnosis and progression of MND/ALS in animal models of progressive partial denervation of skeletal muscle |
| EMC26-4 | Prof Kiterie Faller | Edinburgh | Immunometabolism in motor neuron disease |
| EMC26-5 | Dr Lyndsay Murray | Edinburgh | Facilitating the functional recovery of the motor unit in mouse models of childhood motor neuron disease |
| EMC26-6 | Prof Suvankar Pal | Edinburgh | Acoustic speech analysis and machine learning in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative disorders |
| EMC26-7 | Dr Judith Sleeman | St Andrews | Modulating post translational modifications as a therapeutic strategy for ALS |
Application FAQs
The studentship offers:
- UKRI-equivalent stipend for 3.5 years
- University tuition fees
- a generous allowance for travel and consumables (£10K per year for three years)
- oversight by a second supervisor and thesis committee
- access to all training and support available to postgraduates at the chosen University
Membership of the Euan MacDonald Centre network offers opportunities to:
- shadow an MND Nurse Specialist, meet people with MND, and attend an MND clinic and/or home visit
- attend and present at six-monthly seminar afternoons featuring a wide range of Centre research
- obtain bursaries to present data at national and international MND-related meetings
- gain experience in public engagement by participating in open days and MND awareness events
- access the Centre’s communications pipeline to promote the student’s research
Applications for 2026 entry are now closed.
2027 entry
The approximate timeline for 2027 entry is as below. Please note that this is subject to change.
- Oct-Nov 2026: Available projects will be advertised. Potential applicants can have discussions with the supervisors.
- 23rd December to 5th January (to be confirmed): our office will be closed for the University winter closure holiday and we will not be able to respond to email enquiries
- Mid-end January 2027: application deadline
- Early-mid February 2027: all applicants will be contacted to invite them to interview or inform them that they have been unsuccessful. Referees of applicants invited to interview will be contacted.
- Late-February/early March 2027: online interviews
- Spring/Summer 2027: successful candidate applies to PhD programme
- Autumn 2027: PhD starts
Everyone is eligible to apply; there are no restrictions on nationality. In order to be accepted onto a PhD programme you must meet certain qualification and English language requirements, for details please refer to the University's websites.
No, tuition fees are covered by the studentship.
The stipend is set to be the same as the UKRI stipend rate. The stipend is tax free and will be paid in monthly instalments. We pay a stipend for 3.5 years, recognising that it can be difficult to complete a PhD in the standard 3 years.
Yes, you are welcome to contact the supervisors directly before applying to ask questions about the project or research environment. For general questions about the studentships (funding, procedures) please contact EMC_admin@ed.ac.uk instead.
No, the best student at interview will be appointed to one of the projects.
This is a competitive studentship. In previous years we have received at least 50 applications for 1 place. Please ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements for a PhD, and have a genuine interest and suitability for the project(s) you apply to.
There is an opportunity for you to provide a 'personal statement' for you to give context to your qualifications and experience, and provide any additional information. Information you provide here will be taken into account when assessing your application.
Please email EMC_Admin@ed.ac.uk if you have questions. Please be aware that we will be unable to respond between 23rd December and 5th January.
Alumni destinations
This is what the previous Euan MacDonald Centre-funded students have gone on to do after completing their PhD.
Name |
Studentship dates |
Destination |
| Anna Sanchez-Avila | 2019-2023 | Postdoc in MND resarch, SITRan, Sheffield |
| Emily Beswick | 2019-2023 | Research assistant, EDoN (Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Diseases) |
| Owen Kantelberg | 2018-2023 | Business Manager, LifeArc Technology Transfer team |
| Bethany Waddington | 2018-2022 | Lecturer, University of Glasgow |
| Brenda Murage | 2017-2022 | Analyst in the banking sector |
| Rachel Kline | 2017-2021 | Postdoc on biomarker discovery, University of Edinburgh |
| Claire Hetherington | 2016-2023 | Deputy Lab Manager, BioGrad, Liverpool |
| Natalie Courtney | 2015-2018 | Postdoc on presynaptic dysfunction in Huntington's disease, University of Edinburgh |
| Hannah Shorrock | 2014-2017 | Postdoc on SCA8 at Centre for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida |
| Chris Crockford | 2014-2017 | Management/research support in the third sector |
