Fully funded Cardiff/Swansea (BBSRC SWBio DTP) PhD Studentship: Interplay between cholesterol homeostasis and neural development

This studentship is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP).

Start date: October 2021

Subject areas: Neurodevelopment, neural stem cell, cholesterol metabolism, mass spectrometry, hedgehog signalling

Supervisors:

- Professor Yuqin Wang (lead supervisor, Swansea University)
- Professor William Griffiths (Swansea University)
- Professor Meng Li (lead supervisor, Cardiff University)
- Dr Marija Fjodorova (Cardiff University)

The brain is the most cholesterol rich organ in the body. Cholesterol is an essential structural molecule in cell membranes, a major component of myelin sheaths and is important for synapse formation. Inborn errors of cholesterol biosynthesis lead to neurodevelopmental defects, in addition altered cholesterol homeostasis has been linked to neurodevelopment disorders, including autism. Mounting evidence argues that neurodevelopment defects cannot be simply explained by alterations in the steady state level of cholesterol per se. Indeed, cholesterol precursors and metabolites display biological activities towards signalling pathways that are important for neural development, e.g. hedgehog signalling. Little is known about what type of sterols are produced during human neural development and what roles they play. It is also important to find out how neuronal cells regulate their cholesterol homeostasis during different developmental stages.

This studentship will combine state-of-the-art neural stem cell technology (Cardiff) and advanced mass spectrometry (Swansea) to address these questions. The student will benefit from a multidisciplinary collaboration of two leading laboratories. She/he will learn how to differentiate cortical neurons from human stem cells, immunostaining and imaging analysis of neural cell markers. He/she will also learn how to identify and quantify sterol molecules using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The student will also be trained in other modern molecular biology techniques to study gene expression, protein-DNA interactions and protein-protein interactions.

We want to support diverse and inclusive work environments. We therefore welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability status. We welcome applications from individuals who have previously studied at any recognised Higher Education Institute and from a range of career paths (please refer to the SWBio DTP academic criteria for eligibility), including individuals who have previously trained in the sciences and are wanting to return to scientific research.

Eligibility
Academic criteria
- Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have a Master’s degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.

- In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in our projects, a minimum of a grade B in A-level Maths or an equivalent qualification or experience is required.

- We would normally expect the academic and English Language requirements (IELTS 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each component) to be met by point of application. For details on the University’s English Language entry requirements, please visit – http://www.swansea.ac.uk/admissions/english-language-requirements/

Equivalent qualifications/experience
- Physics A-level (grade B and above). Undertaking units as part of your degree that have a significant mathematical component (significant mathematical component examples include; maths, statistics, bioinformatics).

- Applicants must ensure they highlight their Maths background within their application and to upload any supporting evidence.

Residence criteria
-Fully funded studentships are available for Home students.

Please visit our website for more information.