NIHR GOSH BRC PhD studentships, October 2019

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH BRC), a collaboration between the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH) at University College London (UCL) and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) are seeking applications from students wishing to undertake a PhD with an emphasis on translational research and child health.

The GOSH BRC funds translational, experimental medicine research. We aim to accelerate translation of discoveries made in the lab into the basis of childhood rare diseases into clinical research; developing new diagnostics, imaging techniques and treatments, including ‘first in child’ studies, with the ultimate aim of realising patient and economic benefits.

GOSH and the ICH were first awarded BRC status by the NIHR in 2007. In 2016, the GOSH BRC secured £37 million to take it into its third term, which runs from April 2017 to March 2022. Research activities within the GOSH BRC are organised through four major research themes: ‘Gene, stem and cellular therapies’ (GSCT); ‘Genomics and systems medicine’ (GSM); ‘Novel therapies for translation in childhood diseases’ (NT); and ‘Advanced treatments for structural malformations and tissue damage’ (ATSMTD).

In the ICH October 2019 PhD student intake, the GOSH BRC will provide support for three studentships, one focused on adolescent rheumatology, one on regenerative medicine, and one on genomic variation in micronutrient deficiency disorders. (See below for further details of projects). Selected students will form part of the ICH October 2019 PhD student intake, along with approximately seven students funded through other funding schemes.

Applicants should have, or expect to receive a first class or upper second class degree. You will receive a starting stipend from the BRC of £16,777 per annum including London weighting (the Adolescent rheumatology PhD attracts an additional £7193 top-up from Arthritis Research UK) as well as the cost of tuition fees for UK/EU students (applicants from non-EU countries can apply but will have to personally fund the difference between the home/EU rate and the overseas rate), and £5000 contribution towards the running costs of your project. Competitive opportunities to apply to the GOSH BRC for additional support for research costs relating to new experimental ideas are usually available during studentships.

UCL is London’s leading multidisciplinary university. In the recent 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) UCL was rated the top university in the UK for research strength and the best research environment. ICH is at the forefront of childhood rare disease research.

BRC studentships available:

• Adolescent rheumatology – Further details
• Regenerative medicine – Further details
• Genomic variation in micronutrient deficiency disorders – Further details

The NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre is a collaboration between Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health