Structural and cellular approaches to understand microtubule motors
Medical Research Council (Cambridge)
Not stated
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
- Application deadline
- 8 December 2026
About the project
About the Project Transport of organelles, RNAs and proteins is essential for the development, health and function of neurons.Defects in the microtubule motors that drive the transport is linked to neurodegenerative and developmental diseases and the transport process is frequently hijacked by viruses. My lab is interested in how motors are linked to cargos and how they are coordinated to ensure delivery to the correct destination. In this PhD project there are options to use either advanced cellular imaging, to ask what adaptors link dynein and kinesin motors to specific cargos, or in vitro reconstitutions and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to address the mechanisms of motor function and regulation. It is also possible to gain exposure to both areas depending on your interest.