This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership.
Like most living creatures, our behaviour and bodily functions are very closely linked to the changes in light and darkness that result from day and night. This is possible thanks to the biological clock in the brain, which detects ambient light and coordinates our internal 24-hour cycles to match changes in the environment. Our modern lifestyle, however, does not always follow day and night, and this may bring adverse health consequences. When our internal clock is out of synchrony with the environment, our metabolism, like other physiological functions, may lose its balance. This can be seen, for example, with people who work night shifts or eat outside mealtimes, as they are more likely to develop obesity. Thus, the timing of food intake is important for health, and to understand why this is the case it is critical to study how feeding signals interact with the biological clock.
This project will identify in detail the cellular mechanisms by which dopamine, a potent driver of food intake, modulates activity in the biological clock. Moreover, it will also establish how the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin interact with dopamine at the level of the biological clock to control temporal patterns of food intake.
The successful candidate will use electrophysiology and optogenetics in animal models: whole-cell electrophysiology will be combined with neural mapping and pharmacology techniques to assess the biological clock.
Both supervisors have extensive experience studying brain regulation of food intake and metabolism. Dr González has vast experience of pharmacology, electrophysiology, optogenetics, and animal models of obesity [1, 2], whereas Dr Naneix has studied extensively the role of dopamine at driving motivated behaviours including food intake [3].
Training will be provided in the following techniques:
- Genetic manipulation of neurones for labelling specific brain pathways
- Surgical procedures (stereotaxic surgery) in rodents
- Coding (Python, R)
- Advanced electrophysiology (patch clamp); pharmacology
- Optogenetics (channelrhodopsin-assisted circuit mapping)
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ELIGIBILITY:
- Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.
- All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on UK, EU and international candidates. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions, esp. TGC 5.2 & Annex B.
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APPLICATION PROCEUDRE:
- Please visit this page for full application information: How to apply | eastbio (eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk)
- Please send your completed EASTBIO application form, along with academic transcripts to Alison Innes at: [Email Address Removed]
- Two references should be provided by the deadline using the EASTBIO reference form. References should be sent to [Email Address Removed]
- Unfortunately, due to workload constraints, we cannot consider incomplete applications.
- CV's submitted directly through a FindAPhD enquiry WILL NOT be considered.