PhD Studentship in Cancer: Identifying Novel Therapeutic Targets to Exploit Mitochondrial Function in Cancer

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and living expenses £21,000p/a. Significant additional funding to cover research costs.  

Overview

Are you interested in drug discovery and cancer? This project will work to identify novel drug targets in cancer cell lines that also have impaired mitochondrial function.  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, despite the development of surgical interventions and novel drugs. Recently we have shown that a significant number of these cancers have altered mitochondrial metabolism. We aim to exploit this to develop a new generation of cancer therapeutics.   

This project will use state of the art high-throughput screening techniques to identify novel small molecule therapeutics and candidate drug targets using CRISPR screens. The successful candidate will be trained in a range of techniques including, immunofluorescence, CRISPR, high-throughput screening, cell metabolism assays and tissue culture.   

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

September 2025

Award Duration

The funding covers a four year PhD

Sponsor

Alice Stephenson Bequest fund 

Supervisors

Dr Oliver Russell 

Prof Laura Greaves Staff Profile | Faculty of Medical Sciences | Newcastle University 

Prof Neil Carragher (University of Edinburgh) 

Eligibility Criteria

A 2:1 honours degree, or international equivalent, in a relevant subject. A Masters with strong research training element would be highly advantageous.  

If your first language is not English you need an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (at least 5.5 in all sub-skills) or equivalent language qualification. 

International applicants will be required to fund the difference between home and international fees for every year of the studentship. You may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.   

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

In ‘Course choice’ tab, put ‘Postgraduate Research’ in 'Type of Study', ‘Full Time’ in ‘Mode of Study’, ‘2025’ in ‘Year of Entry’, code ‘8440F’ in ‘Course Title’, blank in ‘Research Area’. Press ‘Search’, select ‘PhD Translational and Clinical Research (FT)’, and save selection. 

Either upload a document or write into ‘Personal Statement’. Put code ‘TC108’ in ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’. When prompted for research proposal, select ‘Write Proposal’. Type in the title of the research project from this advert. A research proposal is not required. You can also upload a covering letter and CV, please state how your interests and experience relate to the project. 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details

Please contact oliver.russell@ncl.ac.uk for more details

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