EastBio: How do cells build organs? Using maths and machine learning to learn the rules of morphogenesis from 3D live imaging data

Details

This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership.

We are seeking a talented, creative, and friendly individual to join our interdisciplinary team. You will develop mathematical and/or machine learning approaches to discover the rules that govern how cells build organs.

PROJECT

There is no architect, no blueprint and no central controller. Yet thousands of cells in a developing embryo migrate, divide, exert forces and rearrange themselves into functional organs – a heart that pumps, a gut that folds into precise loops, a limb with correctly positioned bones. How these local cell behaviours give rise to organ-scale form, a process known as morphogenesis, remains a major open problem in biology.

Modern 3D live imaging can now follow thousands of cells in a developing tissue over hours or days. The limiting factor is thus no longer data but theory: we can record precisely how each cell moves, but do not know the rules that govern this motion. This is an inverse problem of a kind familiar from physics – Kepler observed the motion of the planets long before Newton explained it. In this project, you will develop data-driven approaches that learn the rules of morphogenesis directly from observed cell trajectories. Drawing on mathematical modelling and modern machine learning, the aim is to recover the forces, interactions and behavioural rules from which organ shape emerges.

We will focus initially on a particularly tractable example: the rings of cartilage that support the airway, which must be correctly spaced for breathing and in birds enable song. In collaboration with the group of James Glover at the Roslin Institute, we have access to high-resolution 3D live-imaging datasets tracking individual cells throughout ring formation. The aim is to build a quantitative understanding of how cells coordinate their movements to produce rings of the right size, shape and spacing.

APPROACH

We will combine dynamical systems theory, statistical inference and machine learning. This may involve developing mechanistic models of tissue mechanics and collective cell migration; adapting data-driven discovery methods (e.g., equation learning, physics-informed neural networks, trajectory inference) to learn dynamics directly from imaging data; or, ideally, both.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We welcome candidates with strong quantitative skills in any discipline (e.g., maths, physics, engineering, computer science, computational biology). No formal training in developmental biology is required, although curiosity and enthusiasm are essential.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The project will be based in Aberdeen, in beautiful Northeast Scotland, with regular visits to our collaborator in Edinburgh. Please contact Tom for informal enquiries thomas.hiscock@abdn.ac.uk

This project is available for part-time study (Home/UK students only).

Interested applicants should contact the lead supervisor to discuss the project prior to applying. You can do this by selecting the first listed name at the top of this advert and sending your enquiry. Alternatively, you can search for the supervisor through the University of Aberdeen staff directory and email them directly.

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ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on funding for postgraduate training and development. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Terms and conditions for training funding – UKRI.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE

For full details and to download the application form, visit: https://biology.ed.ac.uk/eastbio/how-to-apply

Please note that you may only apply for one EASTBIO project.

1. Application submission

Submit your complete application by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026 to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk.

Send your application as a single email with the subject line: “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”

2. Required documents

Your application email must include the following:

• Completed EASTBIO application form
• Academic certificates and transcripts (University education only)
• Two references (one reference may be non-academic)

3. References

All references must be provided using the official EASTBIO reference form (available here).

References can be either:

• Included with your application, or
• Sent directly by referees to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk with the subject line: “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”

All references must be received by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure both references are submitted by the deadline, as we cannot request them on your behalf.

Important notes

• You may only apply for one EastBio Project.
• No research proposal is required.
• Do not include any additional documents (for example, school certificates, conference papers, or dissertations).
• Incomplete applications or those including superfluous unnecessary documents will not be considered.
• Due to workload constraints, we are unable to follow up on missing documents or process incomplete applications.
• All candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application.
• We will confirm receipt of your applications upon processing. Due to the high volume of applications, this may not be until after the deadline. We ask that you please refrain from contacting us regarding updates or to see if your application has been received.
• For any questions or assistance with the application process, please contact smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk.

Funding Notes

This fully funded, four-year PhD project is offered as part of a competition within the EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. The opportunity is open to both UK and international applicants, although the proportion of international students recruited through the EASTBIO DTP is capped at 30% by UKRI BBSRC.

EASTBIO studentships provide a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (estimated at £22,437 for the 2027/28 academic year), a training grant of £5,000 per year for the first three years (and £1,500 in the fourth year), and a travel and conference allowance of £230 per year.

Please note that EASTBIO is unable to fund visa costs or associated healthcare surcharges for international students.