PhD Studentship: Modelling the Dynamics of Neutral Tube Development

Job title:

PhD Studentship: Modelling the Dynamics of Neutral Tube Development

Company

University of Exeter

Job description

Join a world-leading, cross-continental research teamThe University of Exeter and the University of Queensland are seeking exceptional students to join a world-leading, cross-continental research team tackling major challenges facing the world’s population in global sustainability and wellbeing as part of the QUEX Institute. The joint PhD programme provides a fantastic opportunity for the most talented doctoral students to work closely with world-class research groups and benefit from the combined expertise and facilities offered at the two institutions, with a lead supervisor within each university. This prestigious programme provides full tuition fees, stipend, travel funds and research training support grants to the successful applicants. The studentship provides funding for up to 42 months (3.5 years).Eight generous, fully-funded studentships are available for the best applicants, four offered by the University of Exeter and four by the University of Queensland. This select group will spend at least one year at each University and will graduate with a joint degree from the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland.Find out more about the PhD studentships clickSuccessful applicants will have a strong academic background and track record to undertake research projects based in one of the three themes of: Healthy Living, Global Environmental Futures and Digital Worlds and Disruptive Technologies.The closing date for applications is mid-day Friday June 28th 2024 (BST), with interview to be w/c 29th July 2024 (tbc). The start date is expected to be Monday January 6th 2025.Please note that of the eight Exeter led projects advertised, we expect that up to four studentships will be awarded to Exeter based students.SupervisorsExeter Academic Lead: Dr. David RichardsQueensland Academic Lead: Dr. Mel WhiteProject DescriptionHow the central nervous system develops from its embryonic precursor, the neural tube, is still only poorly understood. Rectifying this is important since incorrect formation of the neural tube leads to developmental defects that account for some of the most common and severe birth defects in humans. Such defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, occur in up to 1 in 500 births (even up to 1 in 100 in some areas like Northern China). As such, this topic is crucial for healthy living, particularly for ensuring healthy lives of children and mothers, and improving global life expectancy. Progress in this area has been hampered by the lack of an animal model that is sufficiently close to human but is still genetically tractable. Avian embryos are a better model of human neural tube development than fish or rodents, but their utility has been hampered by the difficulty of making transgenic birds. However, we have recently been involved in developing an innovative, novel quail model that has the potential to lead to a step change in the field. Importantly, this model has a substantially shorter generation time than the chicken and a number of key transgenic lines have recently been developed.Please note that of the eight Exeter led projects advertised, we expect that up to four studentships will be awarded to Exeter based students.Full tuition fees, stipend of £19,237 p.a. travel funds of up to £15,000, and RTSG of £10,715 are available over the 3.5 year studentship

Expected salary

£19237 per year

Location

Exeter

Job date

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 05:25:44 GMT

To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate in your email/cover letter where (globalvacancies.org) you saw this job posting.