Website University of Dundee
- Funding – BBSRC funded 4 year studentship, providing tuition fees, training/research costs and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate, currently £21,805
- Start Date – September 2027
- Applicants are expected to have a degree (equivalent of Honours or Masters) in a relevant discipline
This PhD project will investigate how mechanical forces and biochemical activity interact to generate rhythmic cellular pulses and drive asymmetric cell division. Pulsatile behaviour is widespread in living systems. In some cases, oscillations arise from biochemical regulation alone; in others, they emerge from feedback between chemical signals and mechanical forces. Despite major advances in cell biology and biophysics, the functions of these oscillations — and the mechanisms that generate them — remain poorly understood.
We will address these questions in the neural stem cells of the fruit fly Drosophila, known as neuroblasts. Neuroblasts are a powerful model system because they divide asymmetrically, producing daughter cells of different sizes and fates, while the molecular pathways that establish their polarity are already well characterised. Before division, neuroblasts display striking pulsations of the cell cortex — the thin, actomyosin-rich layer beneath the plasma membrane that controls cell contractility and shape.
A central unanswered question is whether these pulsations are driven primarily by biochemical regulation, or whether they emerge from mechanical instabilities that may themselves help establish cell polarity. Because neuroblasts are large, highly dynamic, and experimentally accessible, they provide an exceptional system in which to test these ideas directly.
The PhD candidate will work closely with both experimental and computational researchers. They will perform quantitative 4D analysis of confocal microscopy data from pulsating neuroblasts and use these measurements to build and analyse a fully three-dimensional dynamical model of the cell. This data-driven computational model — a digital twin of the neuroblast — will allow us to identify the key biological and physical principles that generate pulsations and ultimately lead to asymmetric division.
The successful candidate will gain hands-on experience at the interface of cell biology and computational physics, working across two highly complementary research environments. They will learn to develop, test, and analyse sophisticated physical models of real biological systems, linking quantitative theory directly to experimental data. This combination of biological insight, quantitative modelling, and computational expertise will provide a powerful and increasingly valuable skill set for careers in both academia and industry.
Our research community thrives on the diversity of students and staff which helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for postgraduate research. We welcome applications from all talented individuals and are committed to widening access to those who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education.
How to apply
Applications are open to Home & International students
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