Nigel Groome Studentship: Using Drosophila to Uncover the Functions of Genetic Variants Linked to Human Disease

3 Year, full-time funded PhD Studentship

Eligibility: Home UK/EU and International applicants

Bursary p.a.: Bursary equivalent to UKRI national minimum stipend plus fees (current 2024/25 bursary rate is £19,237)

Fees and Bench fees: will be met by the University for the 3 years of the funded Studentship. Visa and associated costs are not funded. International applicants can visit https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/isat/ for further information

Closing date: Friday 17th January 2025 – Midday

Start Date: September 2025

Project Title: Nigel Groome Studentship: Using Drosophila to Uncover the Functions of Genetic Variants Linked to Human Disease     

Requirements:

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. EU Applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.5 to 7.0 and no score below 6.0 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre.

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration. 

Project Description:

Next-generation sequencing has greatly accelerated the discovery of human disease-related genetic variants. However, understanding how these variants contribute to the disease is challenging and requires functional studies. Around 65% of human disease-causing genes have counterparts the fruit fly, Drosophila. Drosophila provides a powerful, rapid and cost-effective model for testing the function of gene variants located in coding regions, generating results that can be validated in human cells. The student will employ CRISPR, bioinformatics and state-of-the-art bioimaging to analyze the impact of disease-related genetic variants in Drosophila. The goal is to create an efficient pipeline for rapid, higher-throughput functional analysis. The initial phase will extend ongoing research at Oxford Brookes on gene function, focusing on variants in NFXL1 (Developmental Language Disorder), MEN1 (endocrine cancers), and Gro/TLE1-4 (neurodevelopmental disorders and cancer).

The School of Biological and Medical Sciences is home to over 30 research groups and provides a friendly and supportive environment for PhD students. Barbara Jennings will direct the functional studies in Drosophila, while Korneel Hens will support the design of CRISPR strategies and bioinformatics. Kate Lines will contribute her experience of working with disease causing gene variants in mammalian models including MEN1. As a close collaborator, Dianne Newbury (University of Oxford) will contribute her experience of working with NFXL1 and support bioinformatic analyses in mammalian models. The project will also be supported by staff in the Oxford Brookes Centres for Functional Genomics, and Bioimaging.

Application process: Please contact hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk for details of how to apply via the above ‘Apply’ button. 

Director of Studies: Dr Barbara Jennings

Supervisors: Dr Kate Lines, Dr Korneel Hens

Project Contact: Dr Barbara Jennings: bjennings@brookes.ac.uk

Contact hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk with any queries. 

This project is advertised on a competitive basis alongside other current Nigel Groome PhD studentship advertisements for School of Biological and Medical Sciences projects. Part time MPhil/PhD study will be exceptionally considered.

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