Molecular Biology (dundee) PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Supervisors: Prof G Sapkota, Dr S Virdee

Out of more than 600 E3 ubiquitin ligases in cells, currently only a handful have small molecule binders that can be used for PROteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) and harnessed for targeted protein degradation. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Molecular characterisation of post-tuberculous bronchiectasis

Supervisors: Prof J Chalmers, Dr M Al-Khairalla

Tuberculosis is a major health problem is Iraq and globally. While treatment of TB, including MDR TB has greatly improved resulting in high rates of clinical cure, many patients with TB are left with persisting lung disease including airflow obstruction and bronchiectasis. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

University of Dundee Dental School

PI3K-Akt expression in dysplastic oral lesions and implications for recurrence and malignant transformation

There are around 12,400 new head and neck cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 34 every day (2016-2018) with 4,143 deaths each year. Read more

Supervisors: Prof M Macluskey, Dr I Ellis, Dr M Islam, Dr S. J. Jones

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Developing novel targeted therapeutic approaches through induced-proximity of proteins

Supervisors: Prof G Sapkota, Prof A Ciulli

Protein post-translational code is at the heart of protein function and signal transduction in cells. Enzymes catalyse the addition or removal of post-translational modifications (PTM), such as phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, and ubiquitylation, on proteins. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Investigating mechanisms of extra-cellular matrix remodelling and fibrosis in the gastrointestinal tract

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease, are increasing in prevalence globally. These are caused by chronic inflammation in the gut, there is no cure and medications are not effective for all. Read more

Supervisor: Dr M Mclean

Utility of in silico prediction tools to aid variant interpretation

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Accurate variant interpretation represents is essential for the successful implementation of genetic testing in the clinical setting. Read more

Supervisor: Dr P Newey

Targeting the extracellular matrix remodelling for the treatment of obesity-associated cardio-renal dysfunction

Supervisors: Dr L Kang, Dr C Murdoch

Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic metabolic diseases including heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Our lab demonstrated a tight association between increased deposition of extracellular matrix components (e.g. Read more

30 June 2024 PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Feel the tension – how does S-acylation of OSCA ion channels regulate responses to environmental change in plants?

Supervisors: Dr P Hemsley, Prof U Zachariae, Prof M Knight

Plants, being sessile organisms, must sense and respond to environmental change, such as temperature or drought, without being able to move. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Targeted protein degradation in plants – developing “Green PROTACs” for functional analysis of lethal genes

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to global food production, leading to unpredictable weather patterns and geographical migration of pathogens. Read more

Supervisor: Dr P Hemsley

MSc by Research: Regulation and mechanics in polarized trafficking

Supervisor: Dr D H Murray

Membranes and their protein organization are a frontier in our understanding of cell biology. We focus on polarized trafficking as a model to uncover fundamental mechanisms in the organization of structures at membranes. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Speeding up the plant microbiota: investigating the impact of speed breeding on host-microbe interactions in the barley rhizosphere

Supervisors: Dr D Bulgarelli, Dr C Campoli

Feeding a growing world population amid climatic modifications and international conflicts represents an unprecedent challenge for crop production. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Glueing proteins together with small molecules

Supervisor: Prof A Ciulli

Recent advances from the Ciulli Lab and others have contributed to the establishment of a game-changing new modality of chemical intervention into biological system – one that moves beyond the state-of-the-art. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: The Generation Gap – understanding tissue communication during grain development

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Cereal grain provides more calories than any other source to our diet, making grain production vital to food security. We study grain development in barley, a globally important cereal, and a powerful genetic model system. Read more

Supervisor: Dr S McKim

MSc by Research: Understanding the beginning of life: the role of non- canonical ubiquitylation in early embryonic development

Supervisor: Dr V De Cesare

Ubiquitin is a small, yet influential, protein that is attached to other substrates to control their stability or activity in a process called ubiquitylation. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Using genome editing to study the mechanisms of immune cell proliferation and differentiation

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

T lymphocytes mediate long-term adaptive immunity to viruses and tumour cells. T lymphocytes recognize foreign antigens via specific interactions with the T cell receptor (TCR) that is expressed on the cell surface. Read more

Supervisor: Dr T Ly