Developmental Biology
The University of Manchester
About the Project The mammalian synovial joint is a dynamic organ comprised of distinct tissues designed to enable limb articulation and facilitate free movement. Whilst often considered a grouping of distinct tissues in close physical proximity, there exists extensive crosstalk between the synovium, cartilage, and intraarticular adipose tissue. Poor musculoskeletal ageing is one of the biggest contributors to years lived in poor health and loss of work years.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 9 October 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Developmental Biology
Medical Research Council (Cambridge)
About the Project Neuronal activity is necessary for the establishment of correctly functioning neuronal circuits in development. Using the fruit fly embryo as a model, the student will image with eFIB-SEM, reconstruct, proofread and compare the connectome of the brain and nerve cord of a fruit fly embryo before and after the 1-hour critical period in late embryonic development as described by Crisp et al. 2011 (J.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Developmental Biology
University of Liverpool
About the Project Variants in V-ATPase encoding genes are increasingly linked to neurodevelopmental conditions for which there is no treatment. This project will explore small molecules and RNA-based therapies to combat these devastating conditions. This PhD project will address a major unmet need in rare neurological diseases: the recently identified group of V-ATPase disorders, which currently have no cure and limited diagnostic tools.
- Location
- Liverpool, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Developmental Biology
University of Leicester
About the Project Project: Understanding how genes shape the development of the human eye from infancy to adolescence is crucial for predicting and preventing childhood ocular diseases. This project will explore the long-term relationship between genetic variants and structural changes in the eye, using advanced handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Developmental Biology
University of Dundee
About the Project Parkinson’s Disease or PD is the second fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in the UK. PD is an age-associated disease characterized by tremors, change in gait, loss of appetite and loss or reduction in the sense of smell (anosmia). Anosmia is reported in individuals with PD years to decade before tremors and loss of dopaminergic neurons. Anosmia has a huge impact on the quality of life leading as well as loss or gain in body weight.
- Location
- Dundee, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Developmental Biology
University of Dundee
About the Project Hydrocephalus or ‘water on the brain’ is an understudied, life-threatening condition characterised by excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) buildup in the brain [1]. CSF accumulation leads to enlarged brain in children, and severe debilitating condition in adults including chronic headaches, motor function decline (difficulty eating, walking, incontinence) and cognitive decline such as visual impairment and loss of ability of smell (hyposmia) [2].
- Location
- Dundee, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Developmental Biology
Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research
About the Project A highly motivated candidate is invited to join new projects to address fundamental questions in Genetic Compensation and Transcriptional Adaptation at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim (near Frankfurt, Germany), Department of Developmental Genetics (Stainier lab). We have recently discovered a new form of genetic compensation that we have termed transcriptional adaptation.
- Location
- München, Germany, Germany
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Developmental Biology
University of Bristol
About the Project During their life-cycles multicellular organisms progress through a series of different developmental phases. To ensure that development occurs in the right sequence and at an appropriate rate, the correct timing of transitions between phases is essential. Understanding how organisms coordinate phase transitions is therefore a key question in developmental biology.
- Location
- Bristol, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Developmental Biology
University of Birmingham
About the Project The aim of the project is to understand how plants have adapted to respond to environmental challenges throughout evolutionary time by investigating key plant transcriptional regulators. Understanding these fundamental evolutionary processes enables application of this knowledge to mitigating the current global challenges associated with climate change, including food insecurity and ecological degradation.
- Location
- Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)