Description du poste
This 4-year PhD studentship is open to both Home (UK) and international applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (currently £21,805 per year) plus £1,000/annum enhancement, and a research training support grant of up to £20,000 for the full 4-year programme. This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually, the projects that receives the best applicants will be successful. How can we measure the fleeting molecular neighbourhoods that control signalling inside living cells? Proximity-labelling methods provide a powerful way to address this problem by converting spatial proximity into a permanent chemical tag that can subsequently be detected by imaging or proteomics. However, current approaches face an important trade-off: the reactive chemistry needed to generate a measurable signal can perturb sensitive biological systems, while the spatial reach of labelling is difficult to control. This project will develop a new generation of chemically engineered proximity probes that act as tuneable molecular sensors of local cellular environments. The student will design and synthesise new probe molecules whose chemical and physical properties are systematically varied to control their behaviour during proximity labelling. Combining synthetic chemistry with biochemical and cellular experiments, the project will establish how molecular structure determines key sensing properties including labelling efficiency, biological compatibility and spatial precision. Preliminary work from the supervisory team supports the feasibility of this concept while leaving substantial scope for fundamental discovery and technology development. The project will progress through three linked stages. First, the student will create and characterise a focused library of new proximity-labelling probes and establish relationships between chemical structure and probe behaviour. Second, promising probes will be evaluated in living cells using biochemical assays, advanced fluorescence imaging and super-resolution microscopy to determine how accurately and efficiently they report local molecular neighbourhoods. Finally, selected probes will be applied to biologically challenging systems in which conventional proximity labelling can itself perturb the processesbeing studied. Proteomic analysis will be used selectively to identify the molecular networks revealed by the new sensing platform. This project is expected to start in September 2027. Before you apply: Please contact the main project supervisor, Prof Larrosa , to learn more about the project and discuss whether it may be suitable for you. To be considered for this project you must submit a formal application through our online application portal by following the instructions provided here . Please note that you must select programme FSE PhD President’s Doctoral Scholarship: If you already have an applicant account, use this link to open an application for FSE PhD President's Doctoral Scholarship . If you do not yet have an applicantaccount, follow the account setup instructions and then use this link to open an application for the correct programme. When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing your motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications . Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants are expected to hold (or be about to obtain) a minimum upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Pharmacy or related areas. Research experience