The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
The Hurd lab is a vibrant research group studying how genome-environment interactions dictate different outcomes during animal development. Our model organism is the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and we study how nutrition dictates the capacity of the honey bee genome to produce three phenotypically distinct animals.
We combine an array of techniques and functional genomic approaches; integrating molecular biology, biochemistry, proteomics, metabolomics, genomics and epigenomics. Currently, the Hurd lab consists of 1 postdoctoral researcher and 2 PhD students and is funded by UK national funding bodies (BBSRC) and the European Comission (EASI-Genomics).
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career.
In this project, you will learn state-of-the-art molecular techniques for functional (epi)genomics (ATAC-seq, CUT&RUN, CUT&TAG, RNAi, CRISPR), proteomics (mass spectrometry), metabolomics (GC-MS), biochemistry (chromatin biology, recombinant protein techniques) and apiculture (beekeeping, queen rearing, in vitro bee rearing). You will get hands on experimental approaches and also develop proficiency in computational and statistical analyses of large (epi)genomic datasets.
In addition, you will gain project management and presentation skills and participate in international collaborations and networking. The Hurd lab is a founding member of the QMUL Epigenetics Hub.
Joint lab meetings provide a knowledgeable, stimulating and dynamic environment. You will give a seminar on your work every four months, which will develop your presentation skills and also provide an advisory group of fourteen other group leaders.
All animals originate from a single cell - the zygote - that develops into a multicellular organism during embryogenesis. How do multiple cellular and whole organismal phenotypes arise from a single genome? And how does the environment dictate these developmental decisions? My lab investigates these fundamental questions using the honey bee (Apis mellifera), which has one of the most remarkable examples of developmental plasticity in any phylum.
The honey bee genome encodes three phenotypically distinct but genetically indistinguishable animals (queens, workers and drones) that are determined during early post-embryonic development by differential nutrition. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this differential development are largely unknown but through our previous work, we were the first to demonstrate that queen, worker and drones have contrasting chromatin epigenetic states that establish and orchestrate the distinct patterns of gene expression that determine developmental trajectory. More recently, we employed the first multi-omic approach in honey bees which revealed the regulatory genome in all three phenotypes.
In this project, you will examine the role of the honey bee gut microbiome in specifying alternate phenotypes. You will ask three major questions:
You will rigourously answer these questions by combining state-of-the-art functional genomics, microbiome manipulations and computational approaches during honey bee development. You will be encouraged to develop your own ideas and hypotheses.
This studentship is open to students applying for China Scholarship Council funding. Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses for 4 years and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must be:- Chinese students with a strong academic background.- Students holding a PR Chinese passport.- Either be resident in China at the time of application or studying overseas.- Students with prior experience of studying overseas (including in the UK) are eligible to apply. Chinese QMUL graduates/Masters’ students are therefore eligible for the scheme.Please refer to the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Applications are invited from outstanding candidates with or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in an area relevant to the project. A masters degree is desirable, but not essential.
In a multidisciplinary project like this, candidates are unlikley to have a background in all disciplines involved. The most important qualification is motivation, enthusiasm and that the project appeals to you. However, we can envisage strong candidates coming through diverse routes including: molecular biology, developmental and cell biology, molecular ecology, biochemistry and computational biology.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English Language ability. Please see our English Language requirements page for details: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/international-students/englishlanguagerequirements/postgraduateresearch/
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Paul Hurd at p.j.hurd@qmul.ac.uk
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 31st January 2024 for consideration, including a CV, personal statement and qualifications. You must meet the IELTS/ English Language requirements for your course and submit all required documentation (including evidence of English Language) by 14th March 2024. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements. Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship by in March 2024 with the support of the supervisor.
Only applicants who are successful in their application to CSC can be issued an unconditional offer and enrol on our PhD programme. For further information, please go to: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/china-scholarship-council-scholarships.html
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