Fixed-term

About the Project Project Summary Cells employ RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to control gene expression during development and stress. Many of these proteins contain intrinsically disordered regions and undergo dynamic regulation through post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation. Yet the mechanisms by which RBPs decode structured RNA elements, remodel their conformations, and assemble into functional complexes remain incompletely understood. This PhD project will dissect the molecular principles underlying RBP–RNA communication, focusing on how RNA architecture and phosphorylation-dependent modulation of protein dynamics regulate translation. Using an integrative approach combining structural biology, biophysical assays, and computational modelling, the PhD will reveal how regulatory RNA elements and post-translational modifications shape RBP function in health and disease. The project will be jointly based at King’s College London (Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics), providing integrated training across structural biology, RNA biochemistry, computational modelling and data-driven analysis. Candidate Requirements Applicants should have a strong interest in structural biology, biophysics, kinase signalling, RNA biology, or computational modelling. A first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline is required.

Project Details: The lower respiratory tract has a microbiome. It is sparser than the gut microbiome and much less well characterised, but similarly varies in health and disease, has stable composition and has direct interactions with the immune system. In this project we aim to discover how this microbiome functions and particularly how it obtains nutrition focusing on respiratory mucin as carbon source and the nutritional links between different members in this ecosystem. The project aims are to: • Characterise the mucin degrading and binding capabilities of the Respiratory Microbiome Group culture collection • Build a model consortium that represents the healthy respiratory tract using high throughput screening of artificial communities • Subject this model to challenges such as pathogen invasion, drug interactions and nutrient availability This will allow us to build a picture of how the respiratory microbiome functions in health, identify how it responds to changes in its environment and how to predict these responses. It will also allow us to identify keystone species that are central to the function of this ecosystem and start to give us the tools to alter the respiratory microbiome to promote health and combat disease. Techniques will include culture, growth and genome sequencing of novel respiratory tract isolates. Bioinformatic analysis of polysaccharide degradation and binding potential. High throughput community assembly using OnChip droplet flow cytometry and cell sorting. The research project will be based in the Respiratory Microbiome Group, a diverse and supportive group of researchers. We aim to support both your development as a researcher and your personal development. Person Specification Applicants should have a strong background in biology or biomedical sciences, and ideally a background in microbiology. They should have a commitment to research in microbiome science and hold or realistically expect to obtain at least an Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a biology related discipline. How to apply Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Michael Cox m.j.cox@bham.ac.uk and we strongly recommend contacting him prior to application To apply, please send: • A detailed CV, including your nationality and country of birth; • Names and addresses of two referees; • A covering letter highlighting your research experience/capabilities; • Copies of your degree certificates with transcripts; • Evidence of your proficiency in the English language, if applicable. Funding Notes Self-funded students are welcome to apply References Cuthbertson L, Löber U, Ish-Horowicz JS, et al. Genomic and ecologic characteristics of the airway microbial-mucosal complex. bioRxiv; 2022. DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.08.507073. Apply Now

We are seeking a talented, motivated student with a passion for research to complete a PhD which combines neurology and maternal health. About the project Migraine remains the commonest cause of disability and reduced quality of life in adults under the age of 50-years in Western Europe. By the age of 45-years a third of all women have experienced a migraine and a quarter have ongoing symptoms. Migraine is not a benign condition and associated with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk in women of childbearing age. Retrospective studies have also linked the presence of migraine to pregnancy related complications, including increased risk of pre-eclampsia and miscarriage. The aims of this project are to: 1) Explore the ideas, concerns and expectations of women with migraine and their management in relation to pregnancy. 2) Explore management strategies of women with migraine in pregnancy. 3) Prospectively look at the risk of pregnancy associated complications, including miscarriage. This projects brings together a talented multidisciplinary team with expertise in migraine and pregnancy and will be co-led by: by Dr Benjamin Wakerley, Consultant Neurologist and Subspecialist in Headache and Dr Rima Dhillon-Smith, Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine – at the University of Birmingham. Student support and development The PhD student on this project will receive a high level of scientific training and extensive support for career development. These skills will be developed through weekly journal club and lab meetings, where the student will regularly present their work. The student will also gain experience in: presentations, writing and scientific communication, and critical analysis. This comprehensive support ensures they develop the skills and experience needed for a successful research career. If applicable, the student may also benefit from further development of their clinical skills – in the fields of headache and maternal medicine. The University Of Birmingham also organise a number of seminars and workshops that will benefit the student and their future career in research. Entry requirements Applicants should have a first or upper second-class degree in a relevant scientific discipline, and who are self-funded or have typically applied for, or secured funding for their studies from their government, employer or associated charitable organisations. How to apply Applicants will need to submit the following documentation during the application process: • Detailed CV, including your nationality and country of birth; • Covering letter highlighting your research experience/capabilities and why you wish to undertake a PhD in the research team; • Names and addresses of two referees; • Copies of your degree certificates with transcripts written in English; • Evidence of your proficiency in the English language, if applicable. • Evidence of scholarship application/funding or independent funding. Further information Please email Dr Benjamin Wakerley – b.wakerley@bham.ac.uk

We are recruiting a PhD student to integrate data-driven methods with NMR spectroscopy to enhance the characterisation of cell culture media and metabolites, increasing throughput and reducing manual intervention. This is an EPSRC funded Industrial Doctoral Landscape Award PhD project and is co-supervised by Dr. Christian Ludwig at the University of Birmingham and Dr. Caitlin Evans at GSK. The main part of the project will be done at the University of Birmingham, but the student will also have the opportunity to be based at GSK for a minimum of 3 months. This interdisciplinary approach will involve experimental optimisation, leveraging computational tools, statistical modelling, and emerging AI/ML applications to streamline and accelerate the workflow for complex mixtures and metabolomics samples. All computational methods and algorithms will be implemented as part of the python based MetaboLabPy platform (https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15010048, https://github.com/ludwigc/metabolabpy, https://github.com/ludwigc/qtmetabolabpy, https://github.com/ludwigc/metabolabpytools). Therefore, this research project requires the student to up-skill their Python knowledge, and to be confident in writing and implementing code alongside extracting information, trends, and patterns from large datasets. Topics to explore during this PhD project include: Investigating available software options Methods to semi-automate or fully automate quantification of experimental data with relevant checks for robustness, accuracy, and precision. Alternate pulse sequences/acquisition parameters to increase throughput without sacrificing data quality, such as 2D NMR Application of chemometrics to increase the amount of information available within a given sample set. How use of AI/ML to further advance steps of the workflow. While the majority of the project is computer based, there is a small lab-based component inorder to generate cell samples to be able to acquire the NMR data. Once proof of concept has been demonstrated successfully at Birmingham on commercial media samples, the methodology can be tested on real samples either commercially available or from within GSK. Funding Notes This is an EPSRC funded Industrial Doctoral Landscape Award. Funding is available for Home (UK) students, covering fees and providing a stipend at UKRI rates (current stipend: £21,006 p.a.) plus an additional £3000 industrial top-up for 4 years. The PhD project would suit a candidate with an undergraduate degree (2:1 minimum) in computer science, bioinformatics, physics, or chemistry. References [1] Ludwig C. MetaboLabPy — An Open-Source Software Package for Metabolomics NMR Data Processing and Metabolic Tracer Data Analysis. Metabolites, 2025, 15(1), DOI: 10.3390/metabo15010048 [2] Patel K, Nath J, Smith T, Darius T, Thakker A, Dimeloe S, Inston N, Ready A, and Ludwig C. Metabolic Characterization of Deceased Donor Kidneys Undergoing Hypothermic Machine Perfusion Before Transplantation Using 13C-enriched Glucose. Transplantation direct, 2025, 11(1), DOI: 10.1097/TXD.0000000000001736 [3] Atkins JS, Keevil BG, Taylor AE, Ludwig C, Hawley JM. Development and validation of a novel 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method and its utility to assess pre-analytical stability. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 2025, 63(1), DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2024-0275 [4] Tomé Mendes L, Gama-Almeida MC, Lopes Reis D, Pires e Silva AC, Neris RLS, Galliez RM, Castiñeiras TMPP, UFRJ COVID-19 Working Group, Ludwig C, Valente AP, dos Santos Junior GC, El-Bacha T, Assunção-Miranda I. Viruses, 2024, 16(11), DOI: 10.3390/v16111769 [5] Cuozzo F, Viloria K, Shilleh AH, Nasteska D, Frazer-Morris C, Tong J, Jiao Z, Boufersaoui A, Marzullo B, Rosoff DB, Smith HR, Bonner C, Kerr-Conte J, Pattou F, Nano R, Piemonti L, Johnson PRV, Spiers R, Roberts J, Lavery GG, Clark A, Ceresa CDL, Ray DW, Hodson L, Davies AP, Rutter GA, Oshima M, Scharfmann R, Merrins MJ, Akerman I, Tennant DA, Ludwig C, Hodson DJ. LDHB contributes to the regulation of lactate levels and basal insulin secretion in human pancreatic β cells. Cell reports, 2024, 43(4), DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114047

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a severe type of haemorrhagic stroke which occurs when an aneurysm ruptures in the subarachnoid space. Normal biological ageing weakens cerebral blood vessels, and hence increasing age is associated with higher risks of a stroke. SAH mainly affects people of 40-60 years, however recent data demonstrates that with an ageing population there has been an increase in the number of elderly patients admitted to hospital with SAH, who have a higher rate of poor outcome. Current treatments aim to stop the bleed however this does not prevent early brain injury mechanisms from occurring, resulting in two thirds of patients being left with some form of disability. Understanding pathophysiological processes following SAH would enable us to develop therapies to improve patient outcome. This PhD project proposes to determine how ageing affects early brain injury mechanisms following SAH, with the overall goal to identify genes/proteins that we can target therapeutically to improve patient outcome following SAH. The student will develop skills in in vivo models and molecular and cellular techniques including RNA sequencing, fluorescent in situ hybridisation and immunofluorescent staining. Person Specification We are looking for a talented and highly motivated individual to join the lab of Dr Hannah Botfield and Professor Lisa Hill within the School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology at the University of Birmingham. Applicants should have a strong background in biomedical sciences, cell biology, molecular biology or a related discipline, and ideally experience in neuroscience, inflammation, or translational research. Candidates should hold, or expect to obtain, at least an Upper Second-Class Honours degree (or equivalent). A strong interest in experimental laboratory research is essential. How to apply Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Hannah Botfield (email: h.botfield@bham.ac.uk) Applications should be directed to Dr Hannah Botfield (email: h.botfield@bham.ac.uk). To apply, please send: • A detailed CV, including your nationality and country of birth; • Names and addresses of two referees; • A covering letter highlighting your research experience/capabilities; • Copies of your degree certificates with transcripts; Funding Notes The studentship is offered as a 3-year award (commencing September/October 2026) on a full-time basis. This PhD studentship is funded by the Stroke Association and funding includes stipend and tuition fees (home status) and is available for home/UK students only. References Lauzier DC, Jayaraman K, Yuan JY, Diwan D, Vellimana AK, Osbun JW, Chatterjee AR, Athiraman U, Dhar R, Zipfel GJ. Early Brain Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Incidence and Mechanisms. Stroke. 2023 May;54(5):1426-1440. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.040072 Hewitt BJ, Ali M, Hubbard J, Hill LJ, Botfield H. Systematic Review of the Differential Effects of TGF-β1 in Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Preclinical Stroke Models. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Jul 15;14(14):e037890. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.037890. Hewitt BJ, Roberts L, Roberts JA, Fulton D, Hill LJ, Kitchen P, Bill RM, Botfield HF. Adult organotypic brain slice cultures recapitulate extracellular matrix remodeling in hemorrhagic stroke. Front Cell Neurosci. 2026 Jan 27;19:1722240. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1722240.