Research interests of the research team offering the project

Ultra-high risk focuses on young people who may be at increased risk of going on to develop schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The research provides greater insight into risk and protective factors for psychotic disorders, mechanisms that drive the onset of these disorders, and the most effective treatments for delaying or preventing the onset of psychotic disorders and other adverse outcomes in young people at high risk.

Details of the project

Therapy is thought to be critical to psychosis outcomes, yet there are limited studies that have investigated its effects in real-world environments. We have recently completed a large consortium study, PRONIA (n=1800; 10 European sites), which has developed tools to predict psychosis.

In the MPhil or PhD project, we will investigate the moderating effects of psychotherapy on functioning, transition to psychosis, and/or psychosis relapse.

The goals of this study take advantage of the naturalistic data collected in PRONIA in order to:

1. Determine whether past or current psychotherapy explains variance in clinical outcomes (that is, functioning, transition, relapse), psychosis risk scores,(1) and psychosis risk sub-groups.(2)
2. Determine whether psychotherapy over the course of PRONIA reduces the risk of poor clinical outcomes.
3. Determine the relationship to biological markers associated with MRI and polygenic risk for schizophrenia (optional).

Project references

1. Koutsouleris, Nikolaos, et al. "Multimodal machine learning workflows for prediction of psychosis in patients with clinical high-risk syndromes and recent-onset depression." JAMA psychiatry 78.2 (2021): 195-209. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2773732
2. Dwyer DB, Buciuman MO, Ruef A, Kambeitz J, Dong MS, Stinson C, Kambeitz-Ilankovic L, Degenhardt F, Sanfelici R, Antonucci LA, Lalousis PA. Clinical, Brain, and Multilevel Clustering in Early Psychosis and Affective Stages. JAMA psychiatry. 2022 May 18. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2792519

Scholarships and fees

A stipend is not available for this project.

To complete this project as a MPhil:

Scholarships are available through the University of Melbourne. More information here.

Other scholarship opportunities may also be available but are highly competitive. Please speak to the contact person below for more information.

Domestic Master of Philosophy students do not incur fees. Information on University of Melbourne fees for international students is available here.

To complete this project as a PhD:

Scholarships are available through the University of Melbourne – find out more here.

Other scholarship opportunities may also be available but are highly competitive, so please speak to the contact person below for further details.

Information on fees for domestic and international students is available here.

How to apply

To complete this project as a MPhil:

1. Read information for future students here, and check your eligibility here.
2. Read our frequently asked questions here.
3. Liaise with, and gain the support of, the supervisor/s. Please contact them using the details below and attach a copy of your CV and university transcript(s).
4. Once you’ve gained supervisor support, submit your application here.

To complete this project as a PhD:

1. Read information for future students here and check your eligibility here.
2. Read our frequently asked questions here.
3. Liaise with, and gain the support of, the supervisor/s. Please contact them using the details below and attach a copy of your CV and university transcript(s). 
4. Once you’ve gained supervisor support, follow the steps outlined by the University of Melbourne here. You can go straight to Step 3. 

You are strongly encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Contact

Dr Dom Dwyer
[email protected]