PhD Studentship: Cellular Memory-based Organisation and Self-Assembly In Cardiorepair

Molecular and Cellular Cardiology: Fully Funded PhD Research Scholarship in Cellular Memory-based Organisation and Self-Assembly In Cardiorepair 

Funding providers: Swansea University (UK) Strategic Partnership Research Scholarships (SUSPRS) with Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) 

Subject areas: Molecular and Cellular Cardiology / Heart Failure / Systems Biology / New Therapeutics

Project start dates:

• 1 January 2025
• 1 April 2025
• 1 July 2025 

Supervisors: This is a joint PhD programme between Swansea University and Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) 

Aligned programmes of study: Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine / PhD

Mode of study: Full time

Project description:

We are looking for a talented and motivated student to join an exciting new project that takes a unique approach to tackling heart failure (HF). HF is a complex syndrome that results in the inadequate pumping of blood around the body and it compromises the length and quality of life of more than 65 million people worldwide. It has a five-year mortality rate of 50% and places huge burden on healthcare systems (globally estimated at £280 billion rising to more than £600 billion by 2030 due to the ageing population). There is an urgent need for innovative solutions to address the current challenges in HF management. You will join a team exploring the novel concept that the human heart possesses an intrinsic memory of its cellular organisation which is a critical determinant in any functional recovery from HF. 

Aims: Normal heart function depends on the intricate synchronization of billions of cells organised in complex spatial architectures. Progressive desynchronization of these cellular networks drives the normal-to-disease progression of HF. You will investigate - using deep profiling of cellular arrangements before (normal), during (disease progression) and after (recovery) functional change associated with HF – the hypothesis that the extent of functional recovery in HF is dependent on the scale of reconfiguration of the cellular network to a pre-disease memory state. 

Supervisors & facilities: The project is supervised by Prof. Christopher George (Swansea University) and Prof. John Cooke (Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI)). It is anticipated that you will spend half of your time in HMRI which is affiliated to the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical facility. You will be based in laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art tools for doing science at the interface of experimental and computational biology. You’ll learn skills in characterising HF recovery in novel pre-clinical experimental models, developing new computational frameworks for profiling cell architecture and harnessing the power of AI to visualise organisation of multicellular networks in ‘normal’, ‘failing’ and ‘recovery’ heart states.

If you’d like to join a project that transcends the conventional constraints of experimental biology and will redefine our knowledge of multicellular systems in normal, diseased and ‘recovered’ human hearts, then please send us your application. We’d love to hear from you!

Funding Details

Funding Comment

Tuition fees:

• UK fee-eligible students: Fully Funded
• International students: Fully Funded

Stipend:

Stipend value while in Swansea 2024/25 £19,237, reviewed annually in line with UKRI rates.
While in Texas: the equivalent stipend rate.

Funds for other expenses:

A travel/training allowance of £1,500 over the duration of the studentship with maximum spend of £500 in any one financial year.

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