Lead supervisor: Dr Andrew Holding (Department of Biology)
Co-supervisors: Dr Katherine Bridge (Department of Biology) and Dr Will Brackenbury (Department of Biology)
The student will be registered with the Department of Biology
The Estrogen Receptor (ER) plays a central role in breast development, and when it goes wrong, in disease. A key question in tissue development is what causes different cells to show a coordinated response to the molecular messages and how is this regulation maintained.
Estrogen is lipid-soluble and diffuses across cell membranes. As a result, the ER is a nuclear receptor. On activation, the ER directly binds to genomic DNA at thousands of locations and turns on nearby genes.
We recently showed that activation of the Hypoxic Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) in response to hypoxia alters the ER response, and is linked to disease progression in the breast epithelium. This research, therefore, aims to elucidate the role of hypoxia in defining the underlying chromatin landscape, which restricts where ER can bind to DNA, thereby defining which genes respond to estrogen.
To achieve our goal, we will use state-of-the-art sequencing methods to monitor the response to estrogen and how ER genomic binding changes in hypoxic conditions. We will then investigate the mechanism which alters the ER response and aim to elucidate ways to target the process.
The ideal candidate should have a background in molecular, cell or developmental biology.
The Department of Biology holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award. We are committed to supporting equality and diversity and strive to provide a positive working environment for all staff and students.
The WR DTP and the University of York are committed to recruiting future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and we have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills.
Entry Requirements: Students with, or expecting to gain, at least an upper second-class honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply. The interdisciplinary nature of this programme means that we welcome applications from students with any biological, chemical, and/or physical science backgrounds, or students with mathematical background who are interested in using their skills in addressing biological questions.
Programme: PhD in Mechanistic Biology (4 years)
Start Date: 1st October 2023
Interviews: Friday 10 February 2023 or Monday 13 February 2023. Please keep these dates free.
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