PhD Studentship: Gene Regulation in Brain Development and Disease

Enhancers are crucial regulatory elements in the genome, controlling gene expression and playing a pivotal role in cellular differentiation and neurological disorders. Despite their importance, the mechanisms governing enhancer activity remain incompletely understood.

This funded PhD project will investigate how enhancers regulate neural differentiation in stem cell models and how their disruption may contribute to neurological disorders. Using human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) models, the candidate will explore the epigenetic regulation of enhancers during neural differentiation, identify key regulatory factors, and examine how alterations in enhancer function contribute to disease.

This studentship is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in cuttingedge genomic techniques and/or computational approaches, including advanced methods for profiling and perturbing enhancer activity, epigenetic modifications, and gene regulatory networks. We encourage any student interested in the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying brain function and neurodevelopmental disorders to apply.

The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit. Students who pay international tuition fees are eligible to apply, but should note that the award will only provide payment for part of the international tuition fee (~£24k) and no stipend.

International applicants need to be aware that they will have to cover the cost of their student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.

The conditions for eligibility of home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

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