PhD Studentship: The Maintenance of Centromeric Stability

Funding amount: Home (UK) tuition fees and stipend at standard UKRI rates.

A PhD studentship (3.5 years) is available from September 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Evi Soutoglou, Genome Damage & Stability Centre, School of Life Sciences.

Brief description of the project:

This PhD project focuses on investigating how centromeres manage the delicate balance between beneficial and harmful DNA repair processes to maintain genomic stability. Building on recent findings from our lab that challenge the conventional view of recombination repression at centromeres (Yilmaz et al., Nature 2021), the student will explore how homologous recombination (HR) actively contributes to centromere integrity. The hypothesis is that centromeres have a tightly regulated genetic and epigenetic landscape that controls this balance, promoting sequence variation and centromere specification while preventing harmful recombination events. The project will involve two main aims: first, dissecting the mechanisms by which HR maintains centromeric stability and suppresses chromosomal translocations and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs); and second, investigating how centromeric RNA, histone modifications, and DNA methylation regulate the suppression of illegitimate recombination. Through advanced genomic technologies, the student will use state of the art proteomics and microscopy techniques to uncover key molecular pathways and mechanisms that maintain centromere function and stability.

Informal enquiries about the project can be made to Evi Soutoglou at E.Soutoglou@sussex.ac.uk

How to apply:

Please submit a formal application using the online admissions portal attaching a CV, degree transcripts and certificates, and two academic referees. A research proposal is not required. Instead, please upload a personal statement describing your subject areas of interest, skills and previous experience, motivation for Doctoral Research, future goals, and why you are applying to this project.

On the application system select Programme of Study – PhD Genome Stability. Please select ‘funding obtained’ and state the supervisor’s name where required. Applicants with overseas fee status need to provide evidence showing how they will fund the difference between Home and International tuition fees (approx. £18k per year).

Candidates should have or expect to obtain a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree. An MSc degree will be advantageous. Your qualification should be in Biology or a related subject area. You may also be considered for the position if you have other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing.

Candidates for whom English is not their first language will require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with not less than 6.0 in any section or equivalent proficiency - English language requirements.

Applications are particularly welcomed from candidates with protected characteristics – e.g., from Black and other ethnic minorities – who are under-represented in postgraduate research at our institution.

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