Information-Based Brain Markers of Consciousness and Cognition in Health and Disease
Supervisor :
27th January 2027
Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must:
- Be applying for CSC funding.
- Be a citizen and permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China and hold a Chinese passport.
- Satisfy all eligibility criteria set out by the CSC and must refer to the CSC website for full details.
- Apply to QMUL by 27th January 2027. Late applications will not be considered.
- Submit ALL required documentation, including evidence of their English Language ability ahead of the CSC application deadline.
CSC application rules differ slightly for domestic applicants (students applying from China) and overseas applicants (students applying from overseas). Therefore, ALL applicants are advised to see the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Project Overview
This project will probe the neural basis of consciousness and cognition in health and neurodegeneration using information-theoretic analyses of human neuroimaging data. Growing evidence links consciousness and complex cognition to synergistic information, information greater than the sum of its parts (e.g., Luppi et al., 2022, Nat Neurosci), while synergy appears disrupted even in early dementia (e.g., Zhang et al., 2025, Brain Sci). Yet it remains unclear which cognitive processes (e.g., attention, working memory) are preferentially supported by synergy and how these interactions relate to consciousness.
Using large fMRI/MEG datasets, the student will quantify ΦID-based (Integrated Information Decomposition) markers, alongside complementary, multivariate, information measures, to map cognition–consciousness relationships in healthy cohorts and Alzheimer’s disease clinical datasets. Analyses will test whether changes in synergistic information predict cognitive impairment and track established early disease biomarkers.
Optional components include computational modelling, to test how different learning mechanisms shape ΦID markers, and method development to extend information-theoretic toolkits for brain-scanning.
This interdisciplinary project integrates neuroscience, information theory, data science, and clinical translation. Its ultimate goals are to uncover mechanistic, information-based neural markers of consciousness and cognition, and explain how their breakdown drives cognitive decline, to deliver early diagnostic/stratification biomarkers for dementia.
Research Environment
Dr Daniel Bor and Dr Pedro Mediano have a strong research track record, having published over 200 articles between them, including in journals such as Science, Neuron, Nature Neuroscience, and PNAS. They have a broad network of collaborators in Cambridge, UCL and beyond.
The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS) at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 160 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 the university’s excellent high-performance computing (HPC) and central data storage facilities.
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Entry Requirements
We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, or physics.
Strong coding experience is required in python and/or Matlab.
Knowledge of information theory, especially partial information decomposition, or other strong mathematical background would be advantageous but are not required.
You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 17th March 2027. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.
Find out more about our entry requirements here.
How to Apply
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 27th January 2027 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
- Your CV
- Personal Statement
- Evidence of English Language e.g.) IELTS Certificate
- Copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
- References
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Daniel Bor at d.bor@qmul.ac.uk. Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-phd-admissions@qmul.ac.uk
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.
Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.
For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.
References
Luppi AI, Mediano PAM, Rosas FE, Holland N, Fryer TD, O’Brien JT, et al. A
synergistic core for human brain evolution and cognition. Nat Neurosci. 2022
Jun;25(6):771–82. doi:10.1038/s41593-022-01070-0
Zhang X, Han C, Xia J, Deng L, Dong J. Dynamic Synergy Network Analysis
Reveals Stage-Specific Regional Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain Sci.
2025 Jun;15(6):636. doi:10.3390/brainsci15060636
Estarellas M, Huntley J, Bor D. Neural markers of reduced arousal and
consciousness in mild cognitive impairment. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024
Jun;39(6):e6112. doi:10.1002/gps.6112
See Also