Multimodal detection system for neurodegenerative decline

This is one of several fully-funded PhD studentships available within the College of Arts, Technology and Environment (CATE) at UWE Bristol.

Although many doctoral projects are being advertised across the College, CATE will only fund up to eight studentships in total. Projects selected for funding will be determined based on applicant merit through the selection process outlined below.

This PhD aims to develop a low‑cost, multimodal system for early detection of neurodegenerative decline by monitoring everyday behaviours. Subtle changes in attention, visuospatial ability, and motor control can appear years before dementia, but current assessment methods rely on lab-based tasks and specialised equipment, limiting their usefulness for long‑term, at‑home monitoring.

The project will create a smartphone/tablet-based platform that integrates calibration‑free eye tracking, touchscreen interactions, inertial sensing, and simple daily tasks such as reading, tapping games, short walks, and object manipulation. By collecting longitudinal data, the system will learn personalised behavioural profiles and use multimodal deep learning to identify sensitive digital biomarkers that capture cognitive–motor interactions.

Research goals include:

• designing ecologically valid tasks
• enabling privacy‑preserving, at‑home data capture with ubiquitous sensors
• developing multimodal machine‑learning models
• refining tasks through Human–AI feedback and patient/public involvement.

The work builds on strong preliminary results in eye tracking, game‑based assessment, and multimodal datasets, supported by clinical and industry partners. Expected outputs include a validated monitoring platform, high‑quality datasets, leading publications, and a pathway to clinical translation, ultimately enabling earlier detection of decline and more timely interventions.

For more information about this studentship please contact Professor Lyndon Smith at Lyndon.Smith@uwe.ac.uk.

The studentship is available from 1 October 2026 for a period of three years, subject to satisfactory progress and includes a tax-exempt stipend, which is currently £20,780 (2025/26) per annum.

In addition, full-time tuition fees will be covered for up to three years.

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number 2627-OCT-CATE12. 

Application deadline

The closing date for applications is 12 June 2026.

Apply now

Applicants shortlisted for this project will be invited to interview with a panel comprising members of the supervisory team and the School’s Postgraduate Research (PGR) Lead and/or a senior researcher from the School or College. Successful candidates will be offered a studentship following interview.

Supporting documentation

You will need to upload your research proposal, all your degree certificates and transcripts and a recognised English language qualification is required.

You will need to provide details of two referees as part of your application.

Interview dates

It is expected that interviews will take place in early June. If you have not heard from us by July, we thank you for your application but on this occasion you have not been successful.

Candidates who meet the entry requirements for doctoral study at UWE Bristol but are not awarded one of the funded studentships may be offered the opportunity to take-up a self funded PhD place.