Exciting times! The Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences have 5 fully funded PhD studentships available thanks to support from the Dunhill Medical Trust.
There are 10 studentships advertised, all on an ageing theme, but each exploring a diverse range of topics and employing a range of different approaches. You can see the whole list here.
Deadline – Nov 30th
The project with my team will involve investigating changes to the basement membrane structure that supports the cornea in the anterior surface of the eye. We will discover what causes those changes and how the changes influence deterioration of function, including loss of vision and slower repair of damage
One of the cool things about this project is that there is flexibility to take it in different directions depending on the student and how they (i.e. you!) want to develop. We can build a project to focus on the genetic regulation of matrix components, alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation, and upon transcript location and distribution or we could focus upon matrix protein deposition, turnover, cross-linking and the resulting mechanical implications of those change. Or we could do some combination of the two.
To ask questions in these areas we will use a combination of high-end cell and molecular biology approaches including RNA-FISH, 3′ sequencing, CRISPR and/or high-end imaging modalities, underpinned by core techniques that are transferrable world-wide.
Who I would like to apply
#1 Someone who is really excited by science and the process of discovery. PhD’s are a journey and it is really important that you are fully invested in the process.
#2 Team player. If you join my project, you will also join my team and we strive for an environment where we all pull together to push the science forward. In addition, you will join the wider Eye and Vision Science Department, a really tight-knit bunch who have a very collegiate outlook. Modern day science is a team sport.
#3 Ready for a PhD. I don’t mean trained in all the cool approaches we will use. The training is part of the PhD journey. What I mean is someone who is emotionally ready to take on the challenge that is a PhD studentship. This is a 3+ year journey where not everything will work. If you aren’t sure, it’s probably not the right time for you.
#4 Meet the requirements. There is a restriction in the funding (sadly) in that it is only available to fund tuition fees for UK students. You need to have at minimum a 1st or 2i from a UK institution or a 2ii + Masters degree.
How to apply
Your first step should be to shoot me an email (khamill@liverpool.ac.uk) to make an informal enquiry. After that, you and I can have a chat about how the project could be assembled to suit your goals. The purpose of this chat is also so that we can get to know one another to help you decide if we will get along!
While you are on this page, you can also learn about some of our previous work check out the “science room” tab above. You can also get a flavour of life in our lab from the blog stories.
You should also check out the other projects being offered by our institute here . It is important that the project suits the student and vice versa, there are lots of good options available and you should choose the best one for yourself.
Once you are ready to apply, please send your CV, along with a covering letter by email to agephd@liverpool.ac.uk In that email you can list up to three projects that you are interested in.
LaNts and Laminins 