Ways to get involved
*All opportunities advertised here are paid*
There are two ways you can get involved with research at OxCIN. You can be a participant in OxCIN research (for example, come in for an MRI scan or do other tests as part of a study), or you can help shape decisions about OxCIN research (e.g. participating in focus groups where you share your opinion about what topics should be researched). You can find listings for both types of opportunities below. Some of the hyperlinks below are to PDF downloads - please contact Hanna Smyth if you need the information in an alternative format.
The studies listed below are either studies by OxCIN researchers, or studies by researchers in other University of Oxford departments that take place at OxCIN using OxCIN scanning equipment.
Opportunities to be a participant in a WIN research study:
Low mood TMS study [posted May 2025]
- Four visits to the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (Warneford Hospital) or the JR hospital site
- Two sessions will take no more than 90 minutes and two sessions will take no more than 3 hours
- Must be aged 18-45, right-handed, with symptoms of low mood
- You will have transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The purpose of this study is to improve treatment for people suffering from depression and test if novel brain stimulation changes emotion recognition.
Brain Health Centre: Healthy Volunteers [posted April 2025]
- 1x 2.5hr session at the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (Warneford Hospital)
- Must be aged 16-25
- You will have an MRI scan, do some tests of thinking skills and language, have your height/weight/blood pressure measured, have a 5 minute neurological exam, and get a questionnaire to complete at home about your health and lifestyle
Mechanisms of pain anticipation [posted March 2025]
- 1x maximum 3hr session at the JR hospital site or the Old Road Campus Research Building
- Must be healthy adult 18-60, not pregnant, no history of chronic pain or current acute pain, no conditions affecting attention such as autism spectrum disorder or ADHD, and no neurological disorders.
- You will play a series of virtual reality and attention tasks whilst receiving moderately painful stimuli to your hand or arm.
- During the tasks and while you rest, we will measure your brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Avoidance learning and sleep [posted March 2025]
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2 visits to the Old Road Campus Research Building, 9am and 9pm (5.5hrs total across both visits)
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Must be healthy adult 18-60, with no history of chronic pain or current acute pain, and no neurological disorder.
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You will play a series of games in virtual reality and answer some questionnaires.
Memory replay in psychosis - healthy male controls [posted November 2024]
- 1 visit to the JR Hospital site, 4 hours (max 90min in MRI scanner) and 1 visit to either JR Hospital site or Oxford city centre, 1hr
- Must be male, aged 18-30, no history of psychosis
- You will be asked to complete simple learning tasks on a computer and in the scanner. During the second appointment we will do a cognitive test battery as well as a psychiatric screening.
Healthy controls for youth head injury study [posted November 2024]
- 2 visits to JR Hospital, six months apart
- Must be 11-18 years old, fit and healthy, take part in sports
- You will be asked to complete questionnaires and short tasks, have an MRI scan, and have your weight and height measured.
KOALA study (Kids with Occlusion therapy for AmbLyopiA) [posted November 2024]
- 30min screening and two 3hr main study visits at the Warneford Hospital site in Headington, Oxford
- Must be 5-8 years old, with lazy eye or healthy vision
- Study investigates the most common cause of vision loss in children.
- Main study visits include a safe and non-invasive MRI brain scan while watching the LEGO movie, and some fun vision tests.
Sleep and brain stimulation [posted October 2024]
- 3 visits to sleep lab in Oxford (11am-4pm approx)
- Must be aged 18-35 and healthy
- You will be asked to complete questionnaires and cognitive tasks, and have a daytime nap while receiving brain stimulation and having your brain activity measured.
RoADPain: Period Pain in Young People [posted June 2024]
- 4 visits to JR Hospital (2x 2hr and 2x 4hr) plus at-home participation
- Must be aged 11-20, have periods and do not take hormone medication (such as the pill or mini pill) for any reason
- You will be asked to complete questionnaires, submit saliva samples, participate in testing of pain relevant systems, and go in an MRI scanner.
- See project website for lots more info
Online Daily Emotions Survey [posted June 2024]
- No in-person visits; a 20-minute online baseline survey, then starting the next day, completing a short 5 minute online survey each day for a 14-day period
- Must be aged 18 years or above, have grown up in the UK, have access to digital devices and the internet throughout the study period (be able to receive a survey link everyday via email during study period), and be able to read and write English proficiently
Memory and sleep study [posted January 2024]
- 2 visits, 9am-5pm
- Must be age 18-40 with regular nocturnal sleep duration of 6-9 hours. You are not eligible if you are left-handed, pregnant, play a keyboard instrument, cannot nap during the day, or have various medical conditions (see poster for full list)
- This study uses MRI, tDCS ( (a form of neurostimulation that uses constant, low current delivered to the brain area of interest via sensors on the scalp), EEG (electroencephalogram to record brain activity), and sleep recordings in the day
- 1x 1.5hr session
- Must be age 18-50, healthy, native English speaker, no history of neurological conditions, no speech and hearing disorders, no metal implant near the head, and not pregnant
- This study uses tDCS (a form of neurostimulation that uses constant, low current delivered to the brain area of interest via sensors on the scalp)
Using non-invasive brain stimulation to investigate speech production [posted October 2023]
- 1x 1hr session
- Must be age 18-50, healthy, native English speaker
- This study uses tACS (transcranial alternating current stimulation)
Using non-invasive brain stimulation to refine motor learning [posted October 2023]
- 1x 2hr session
- Must be age 18-35, healthy, right-handed, and speak fluent English
- This study uses tACS (transcranial alternating current stimulation)
Improving sleep and learning in rehabilitation after stroke [posted September 2023]
- Must be a stroke survivor who experiences some difficulties using their hand and arm, and is interested in improving their sleep
- One baseline appointment and one follow-up appointment (questionnaires, movement task, and sleep assessments) for both groups. Group one will continue usual care, and group two will complete an online sleep improvement programme
- All study assessments are done remotely
Ultrasound brain stimulation in emotion and decision making [posted September 2023]
- 1x 1hr initial visit and 3x 3hr visits (one week apart)
- Must be healthy, English-speaking, right-handed, aged 18-40 years, safe for MRI scanning, no history of neurological or psychiatric illness
- This study requires you to go in an MRI scanner
Kinematic and neural fingerprints of complex movements in Health and Disease [posted September 2023]
- Up to 5x 150min sessions, performing hand and arm tasks
- Must be over 18 and in good health
- This study uses EEG (electroencephalogram) to record brain activity
- You can participate if you have sciatica or if you do not - participants in both categories are needed
- Participants with sciatica: first appointment 2-3 hours; some participants will be invited for a second appointment for an MRI; final appointment 12 months later, 1.5 hours
- Participants without sciatica: one appointment, 4-5 hours. Must be aged 40-85
- This study requires you to go in an MRI scanner
- Additional information on their recruitment posters for participants with sciatica and without sciatica
Mechanisms of neurodynamic treatments (MONET) [posted September 2023]
- Two baseline appointments (2.5 and 1.5 hours), then a 3.5hr followup appointment 6 weeks later
- Must have mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome
- This study requires you to go in an MRI scanner
- Additional information on their recruitment poster
Stammering study [posted August 2023]
- 1x 3.5hr session plus potential 45min additional scan
- Must be native English-speaking, aged 18-45
- Recruiting for people who do or do not stammer
- This study involves MEG (Magnetoencephalography - a non-invasive medical test that measures the magnetic fields produced by your brain's electrical currents) for its main session and an additional MRI scan
Targeting distinct brain circuits with non-invasive brain stimulation [posted August 2023]
- 3x 3hr sessions over 3 weeks
- Must be right-handed, age 18-35, no history of epilepsy
- This study uses TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)
Opportunities to shape decisions about WIN research (how it is designed, what the questions are, how it is shared, etc)
[October 2024 - no current opportunities, but watch this space, new ones coming soon]
WIN researchers, please contact Hanna Smyth to submit an opportunity for posting.