Fully-funded White Rose BBSRC DTP Biology project: Understanding the regulation of apoptosis by autophagy

Lead supervisor: Dr Paul Pryor (Department of Biology & Hull York Medical School)

Co-supervisors: Prof Nia Bryant (Department of Biology) and Dr Chris MacDonald (Department of Biology)

The student will be registered with the Department of Biology

Autophagy (literally ‘self- eating) is the process by which cells clear unwanted material. The autophagic pathway is upregulated at times of stress (e.g. starvation), but is also essential under normal physiological conditions, for example to regulate levels of certain macromolecules. Autophagy involves formation of a phagophore, a membranous structure that engulfs cellular components and delivers them to the lysosome for degradation. The project will investigate a novel mechanism that regulates autophagy and the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the normal role of these processes will aid in our understanding of processes such as ageing. Training will be provided in cell biology techniques including nucleic acid manipulations, yeast genetics, mammalian cell culture, in silico analyses of species-specific orthologues and fluorescence microscopy.

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.