Lead Institute / Faculty: Human Development an Health, Faculty of Medicine
Main Supervisor: Professor John W Holloway
Other members of the supervisory team: Dr Will Tapper, Professor Hasan Arshad
Duration of the award: 4 years, full time
Project description: Food allergy results from abnormal immunological reactions to certain food proteins, that result in a range of symptoms, most severely anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. The reasons why people develop food allergy are poorly understood but are thought to involve both environmental and genetic factors. While there is much understood about the genetic factors that lead to other allergic conditions, this is not true for food allergy. Genetic studies require very large numbers of participants and given the comparative rarity of severe reactions to food compared to other allergic conditions, collecting such large data sets has been difficult. This studentship will use clinical and genetic data that has been collected within large population cohorts to identify genetic factors that predispose to food allergy. In addition using DNA methylation and transcriptomic data collected from the Isle of Wight Birth cohort, the project will also investigate how early environment might modify the DNA (epigenetics) to predispose to food allergy. Identifying genetic factors that predispose individuals to severe reactions to food may provide insight into how this condition develops and potentially enable identification of high-risk individuals for preventative treatments before they develop life threatening allergies.
The successful applicant will join the Faculty of Medicine’s integrated PhD program involving a 1 year MRes followed by a 3 year PhD project. In year 1 you will conduct three rotation research projects, alongside taught modules and practical training. IN Years 2-4 you will undertake your PhD. The student will be a member of a highly regarded allergy research group, utilise the University’s high-performance computer and benefit from a cross-disciplinary supervisory team with expertise in allergic disease, bioinformatics and genomic epidemiology.
In addition to training from the Faculty of Medicine, the student will gain valuable skills in genomics and bioinformatics along with opportunities for national and international training and presentation.
Informal enquiries relating to the project or candidate suitability should be directed to Prof John Holloway ([Email Address Removed] )
Person Specification: The selected candidate will have excellent organisational, communication and problem-solving skills. A background or strong interest in computational science, bioinformatics, genetics and genomics is desirable. The student will be working alongside basic scientists and clinicians in a group with a clear focus on translation of research findings and close links to a charity who is finding this project. Therefore, motivation and good interpersonal skills are necessary attributes. Candidates should hold, or realistically expect to obtain, a first-class or upper-second-class honours degree/MSc in biological or medical sciences. See full person specification here
The successful candidate is likely to have the following qualifications:
A 1st or 2:1 degree in a relevant discipline and/or second degree with a related Masters
Administrative contact and how to apply:
Please complete the University's online application form, which you can find at
https://studentrecords.soton.ac.uk/BNNRPROD/bzsksrch.P_Login?pos=7209&majr=7209&term=202223
You should enter Prof. John Holloway as your proposed supervisor. To support your application provide an academic CV (including contact details of two referees), official academic transcripts and a personal statement (outlining your suitability for the studentship, what you hope to achieve from the PhD and your research experience to date).
Closing date: 23/5/2022
Interview date: 6/6/2022
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