3 Year PhD programme

Applications from both UK and international students are invited for two places on this PhD programme starting in February/March 2025

The MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases is one of the world’s leading research centres for the study of prion and related neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Prion diseases are increasingly seen as the key paradigm for neurodegenerative disorders, which involve accumulation of misfolded proteins and are associated with “prion-like” seeding mechanisms.

The Institute of Prion Diseases was established in June 2017 and occupies a new purpose-built building in the heart of Fitzrovia very close to UCL main campus and adjacent to the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour. The Francis Crick Institute and the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology are 10 minutes’ walk away. The Institute of Prion Diseases is fully equipped with the latest cutting-edge technologies including mass spectrometry, next generation sequencing, gene editing, cryoelectron, atomic force, confocal and super resolution microscopy, and IncuCyte Live-Cell imaging.

Unit programmes are highly multidisciplinary and have an uncompromising commitment to excellence. They offer students a wide experience in the field of prions and neurodegeneration, including genetics, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, disease modelling, diagnostics, therapeutics and clinical research.

The following projects are available:

Prof Simon Mead : Sphingolipids as risk factors for prion and other dementias

Prof Parmjit Jat : Identifying factors required for efficient prion propagation

Dr Tom Cunningham : Bespoke mouse models of prion disease

Dr Peter Kloehn : A functional genomics approach to unravel the pathogenesis of protein self-assembly

Prof Jan Bieschke and Dr Jon Wadsworth: Single molecule prion dynamics

Prof John Collinge : PrP^L, the prion induced neurotoxic species

We are seeking highly-motivated enthusiastic students who aspire to pursue a research career and possess a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree or MSc/MRes in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, Chemistry, Genetics, Medicine or a related discipline.

The Prion Unit will hold an ‘Open afternoon’ for an informal visit to the Institute on 15 ^th November 2024 (1-3pm). All are welcome but please contact Parmjit Jat (email below) to be provided with further details.

For further details about the studentships, entrance requirements, eligibility and any queries please contact Parmjit Jat (p.jat@prion.ucl.ac.uk).  For further details about the projects, please contact the supervisors.

We also welcome applications from self-funded or alternatively-funded students.

To apply please send a covering letter indicating preferred projects, CV and two references using the Candidate Evaluation form to: studentapplications@prion.ucl.ac.uk.

Deadline for applications is 24^th November 2024

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