PhD/ECR
SINAPSE is committed to supporting PhD and Early Career Researchers across the network in their development. We hold an annual PhD Welcome Event open to all 1st and 2nd year PhDs throughout SINAPSE, make funds available for exchange trips aiding in forming links at home and abroad, and our Annual Scientific Meeting is the perfect place to begin presenting posters and research in a friendly atmosphere.
Aiding us in supporting you are volunteer representatives from our partner universities who form the Early Career Researcher Committee. Each university has at least 1 PhD and 1 ECR representative and in turn a PhD and ECR from the Committee attends the SINAPSE Executive meetings.
We have online training, and are developing an entrepreneurial course for the SINAPSE network.
We also recognise that sometimes you face difficulties and need support. We have an ECR support page which directs you to resources and help at your home institution.
Early Career Researcher Committee
The Early Career Researcher Committee represents the views of PhD students and Early Career Researchers to SINAPSE so we can better support and respond to the needs of this important part of the imaging community. If you’d like to be a representative please contact Katerina Pappa.
Current ECRC Representatives
Aberdeen: PhD Rep – No Rep at the moment; ECR Rep – Katie Hanna
Edinburgh: PhD Rep – Miracle Ozzoude; ECR Rep – Rozanna Meijboom
Glasgow: PhD Reps Angelina Kancheva; ECR Rep – No Rep at the moment
St Andrews: PhD Rep – No Rep at the moment, ECR Rep – No Rep at the moment
Stirling: PhD Rep Danishta Kaul; ECR Rep – No Rep at the moment
Strathclyde: PhD Reps Claire Rogers; ECR Rep – No Rep at the moment
Aberdeen Representatives
PhD Representative – No Rep at the moment.
ECR Representative – Katie Hanna
Katie is an advanced Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, with a primary research focus on exploring non-central nervous system manifestations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Her work takes a multidisciplinary approach to identify novel biomarkers that enable early disease detection, even prior to symptom onset. Her interests closely align with her team’s broader research focus, which integrates histopathological, clinical and data analytical approaches to advance precision-prevention strategies and develop biomarkers for guiding clinical trials.
Contact Information:
Email: katie.hanna1@abdn.ac.uk
Edinburgh Representatives
PhD Representative – Miracle Ozzoude
Miracle is a second-year MRC-funded PhD student in the Precision Medicine DTP at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on investigating neurodegeneration through the eye using multimodal retinal imaging. Miracle is particularly interested in using the eye as a window into neurodegeneration and neurovascular dysfunction. In collaboration with industry partner Heidelberg Engineering, he aims to assess novel eye biomarkers that are less invasive, affordable, and better tolerated by patients. By integrating retinal imaging with other biomarkers, such as neuroimaging, he also hopes to enhance disease tracking, enabling more precise monitoring of progression and treatment response. In his free time, Miracle enjoys photography and rock climbing.
Contact information:
Email: M.E.Ozzoude@sms.ed.ac.uk
ECR Representative – Rozanna Meijboom
Dr Rozanna Meijboom is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Her work focuses on brain and spinal cord MRI in early multiple sclerosis (MS). People living with MS have variable disease progression and severity, which is currently unpredictable. More accurate biomarkers of disease progression and improved understanding of disease mechanisms in MS are essential for more suitable treatment of MS. Rozanna aims to develop such biomarkers using both brain and spinal cord MRI. Her work is performed as part of the Edinburgh MS imaging team and the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. In her free time, Rozanna enjoys running and hiking.
Contact information:
Email address: Rozanna.meijboom@ed.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rozanna-meijboom-59840687
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rozanna-Meijboom
Glasgow Representatives
PhD Representative – Angelina Kancheva
Angelina Kancheva is a 3rd year Medical Research Council-funded PhD student on the Precision Medicine Doctoral Training Program based at the University of Glasgow. The main objective of her PhD work is to help improve current understanding of how cerebral small vessel disease, the biggest contributor to vascular dementia, manifests clinically. To answer this question, she uses big population-based cohort studies including the UK Biobank. In addition to small vessel disease, Angelina is interested in stroke more broadly, vascular cognitive impairment, and blood plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. In her free time, Angelina enjoys environmental volunteering, adventure traveling, and trail running.
Contact Information:
ECR Representative – No Rep at the moment.
St Andrews Representatives
PhD Representative – No Rep at the moment.
ECR Representative – No Rep at the moment.
Stirling Representatives
PhD Representative – Danishta Kaul
Danishta is a first-year PhD student at the University of Stirling, working on an interdisciplinary project between Psychology and Computing Science. Her research focuses on understanding how different light conditions influence walking patterns and obstacle negotiation in young and older adults. She uses mobile EEG to identify the neural correlates of successful and unsuccessful obstacle navigation.
Contact information:
Email: danishta.kaul@stir.ac.uk
ECR Representative – No Rep at the moment.
Strathclyde Representatives
PhD Representative – Claire Rogers
Claire is a 2nd year multi-disciplinary PhD student working within the NeuraSearch laboratory at the University of Strathclyde. Having completed her BSc and MSc in Psychology, her research interests include Alzheimer’s Disease, particularly its management and detection, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), neuropsychology, and the integration of computing science and psychology. Her current research involves exploring the neuropsychological underpinnings of large Language Models and how people with mild dementia and MCI use chatbots and web search.
Contact information:
Email: claire.rogers@strath.ac.uk
ECR Representative – No Rep at the moment.