Current Opportunities
About the Project
- Supervisors: Dr Elena Torlai Triglia
- Studentship Funding:
- Name: New Talent Research Enabling Scheme
- Funder: Faculty of Science and Engineering - School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS) at QMUL
- Application Deadline: 23:59PM on Feb 21st 2025
- Expected Start Date: 22nd Apr 2025 (April 2025 Entry)
Download this document for further details, eligibility criteria and how to apply. [PDF 137KB]
Project Overview
Applications are open for a 3-year funded PhD Studentship in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS) at Queen Mary University of London.
Cancer develops from the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations, that ultimately determine the disease manifestations observed in patients. The ability to understand how each DNA alteration disrupts cell behaviour, finally impacting disease development, would support the design of more effective, tailored therapies. Skin cutaneous melanoma is a particularly challenging tumour type for the identification of the molecular causes of disease phenotypes. Each patient bears intricate mutation profiles due to sunlight-induced damage, which makes it complex to discern the impact of individual mutations by comparing patients’ samples: they differ in many ways, not all driving the disease. Beyond mutations, epigenetic alterations characterise melanoma development. Melanomas display profound disruptions in DNA methylation and accessibility, and mutations influencing chromatin structure are common in patients. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how chromatin states change as a consequence of genetic alterations, and their role in shaping cell behaviours.
The student will combine experimental and computational approaches to shed light on the connections between DNA sequence/structure and molecular phenotypes in melanoma. In particular the project will leverage novel human cell models of melanoma (Hodis*, Torlai Triglia* et al., 10.1126/science.abi8175) and single-cell genomic tools to study how alterations in the DNA sequence and structure impact phenotypes in melanoma, disentangling how genetic and epigenetic factors can drive heterogeneous cell behaviours. The specifics of the projects will be tailored to the student’s interests and will be discussed during the interview.
The student will be part of the Torlai Triglia lab (https://ettlab.science), based at the Blizard Institute in London.
Keywords: Cancer development; Genotype-to-phenotype; Chromatin; Epigenetics; Melanoma; Single-cell technologies
Research Environment
The Torlai Triglia lab is a newly-established group within the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences(SBBS) at Queen Mary University of London. Our research goal is to causally connect DNA alterations with molecular and cell phenotypes during disease development to identify actionable targets for personalised therapies, through a combination of experimental and computational tools.
As part of our team, you will master interdisciplinary skills in computational and molecular/ cell biology, including single-cell chromatin accessibility/ gene expression profiling and analysis.
The ETT lab is part of a collaborative hub of researchers. We are affiliated with the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology and the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics within SBBS. Visit our website to find out more about our interests, publications and collaborations: https://ettlab.science.
Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.
Entry Requirements & Criteria
We are looking for candidates interested in interdisciplinary approaches to investigate human disease development. Candidates should have or be expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project, for example Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Genomics, Bioinformatics, or Biomedical Sciences.
Candidates must also have experience conducting research in a laboratory environment. Knowledge of genomic techniques, cell culture, and/ or data analysis experience would be advantageous but is not required.
Find out more about our entry requirements here.
Funding
The studentship is funded by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). It will cover home tuition fees, and provide an annual tax-free maintenance allowance for 3 years at the UKRI rate (£21,237 in 2024/25).
Please find out more about funding and eligibility via: Elena Torlai Triglia_QMUL SE Studentship Details [PDF 137KB]
Any further queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk
How to Apply
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by the stated deadline for consideration. A research application is not required.
Your personal statement should include:
- Previous experience relevant to this project
- Your motivations for pursuing this position
- Your career aspirations
- Any further information you think is relevant to the application
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr. Elena Torlai Triglia at e.torlaitriglia@qmul.ac.uk.
Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk.
Further details can be downloaded here: Elena Torlai Triglia_QMUL SE Studentship Details [PDF 137KB]