Job ID: 115813

PhD studentship at the University of Leeds, School of Biomedical Sciences: Investigating the role of microglia and astrocytes in neurological disease using human pluripotent stem cell-derived models

Position: Ph.D. Student

Deadline: 9 January 2024

Employment Start Date: 1 August 2024

Contract Length: 3 years, with possibility of extension for an additional year

City: Leeds

Country: United Kingdom

Institution: University of Leeds

Department: School of Biomedical Sciences

Description:

Due to a confusion regarding whether I could accept international students, I have to readvertise my fully funded PhD studentship at the University of Leeds. It will start in July/August 2024. Deadline for application is January 9 2024.

My group is dedicated to elucidating the contribution of microglia and astrocytes to neurodevelopmental diseases, such as autism, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. This position provides an opportunity to perform innovative research using recently developed human stem cell-based models to explore the mechanisms of these devastating diseases. You will work with Dr. Marine Krzisch, Lecturer in Neuroscience, as main supervisor, and be co-supervised by Dr. Jamie Johnston, Associate Professor in Neuroscience, and Dr. James Poulter, University Academic Fellow in Neuroscience.

My group’s goal is to identify disease-relevant phenotypes of microglia and astrocytes and their effects on neurons, using microglia, astrocytes and neurons differentiated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The project will use monocultures, but also co-cultures of human microglia or human astrocytes with human neurons, and the transplantation of human microglia into human brain organoids. In addition, the project will transplant human microglia into the mouse brain, in order to provide a more physiologically-relevant model for the differentiation of patient-derived microglia. As the successful PhD candidate, you will learn a wide array of techniques, including human iPSC-derived neuron and glial cell culture, calcium imaging, human brain cell transplantation into the brain of mice and analysis methods, immunofluorescence analyses, confocal and multiphoton microscopy.

Only students eligible for UK home fees can apply. This typically means that you have to be a UK citizen or reside in the UK, but there are exceptions. For clarification please contact the Faculty Admissions team: fbsgrad@leeds.ac.uk . In order to apply please follow the link to the online application in the ad: https://lnkd.in/ecndf-QA