PhD Studentship: Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of Responses to Environmental Stress

Background  

Natural environments are changing rapidly due to anthropogenic climate change. How populations respond to these changes determines whether they adapt to more stressful environments via plasticity and/or evolution, or whether they become extinct. This creates an urgent need to understand the physiological mechanisms that regulate organismal responses to environmental stress. Recent discoveries have suggested that organisms may transfer environmentally induced phenotypic changes to multiple generations of their descendants through non-genetic mechanisms. This phenomenon, called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, has transformed the way we think about evolutionary processes, and the effect of environments on natural populations. However, much about this process is still unknown. This project asks whether the activation of critical cellular stress responses is transmitted between generations; whether this transmission confers increased survival of populations in stressful environments, and enhanced Darwinian fitness; and how this inheritance is mechanistically achieved.  

Methodology  

You will determine whether two key cellular stress responses can be transmitted via transgenerational non-genetic inheritance following exposure of parental animals to environmental stressors. You will then establish whether this transgenerational inheritance enhances resistance of populations to environmental stress, and whether inherited stress response activation promotes individual fitness. Finally, you will explore the mechanistic basis for this inheritance by using scRNA-seq to establish a transcriptomic signature for stress response inheritance, and by screening candidate regulators for their roles in this process. You will use Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism to explore these effects - the premier system for the study of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Together, these approaches will define a mechanism by which cellular responses to stressful environments can be non-genetically inherited, and determine whether this inheritance serves an adaptive purpose.  

Training  

You will gain a wide range of skills in experimental design, statistical analysis, bioinformatics, scientific writing and presentation. You will also build expertise in evolutionary biology, cell biology, and physiological techniques. In addition, you will participate in external training courses and conferences, local seminars, research discussion groups and journal clubs.    

Person specification  

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual with a strong interest in evolution, ecology, genetics, and stress response biology. 

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in a Bachelor’s degree related to Biological Sciences.

Start Date: 1 October 2025

Funding Details

Additional Funding Information

ARIES is awaiting confirmation of funding under the BBSRC-NERC DLA award scheme, which is expected shortly. Funding for this studentship is subject to this confirmation and UKRI terms and conditions. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded ARIES studentship of fees, maintenance stipend (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25) and research costs. 

A limited number of ARIES studentships are available to International applicants. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK. 

ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and transgender status. Projects have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive, and appropriate research and fieldwork environment. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, with equal weighting given to experience and potential. 

For further information, please visit www.aries-dtp.ac.uk

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