Life Sciences PhD Genome Stability - Understanding and Targeting Cell Cycle Control in Cancer (2025)

What you get

This School-funded position covers Home (UK) tuition fees and a stipend at standard UKRI rates for 3.5 years. Applicants with overseas fee status need to provide evidence of how they will fund the difference between Home and International tuition fees (approx. £20k per year).

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Cells must duplicate their DNA, grow, and repair DNA damage before committing to mitosis — a critical decision point that is often deregulated in cancer. We are investigating the regulatory proteins that govern this switch, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets.

This interdisciplinary project combines structural and biophysical analysis with in vivo studies, including the generation of targeted mutants using state-of-the-art genome editing and advanced quantitative light microscopy. Students will have the opportunity to work at the interface of structural biology, cell biology, and cancer research.

You will be co-supervised by leading experts in both structural and cell-biology, joining a productive and well-funded laboratory. This project offers broad training in cutting-edge techniques and the opportunity to contribute to fundamental discoveries with translational potential.

Eligibility

Candidates should have or expect to obtain a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree. An MSc degree will be advantageous. Your qualification should be in Biochemistry or a related subject area. You may also be considered for the position if you have other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing.

Candidates for whom English is not their first language will require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall or equivalent proficiency - English language requirements

Applications are particularly welcomed from candidates with protected characteristics – e.g., from Black and other ethnic minorities – who are under-represented in postgraduate research at our institution.

Deadline

How to apply

Please submit a formal application using the online admissions portal attaching a CV, degree transcripts and certificates, and two academic referees. A research proposal is not required. Instead, please upload a personal statement describing your subject areas of interest, skills and previous experience, motivation for Doctoral Research, future goals, and why you are applying to this project.

On the application system select Programme of Study – PhD Genome Stability. Please select ‘funding obtained’ and state the supervisor’s name where required.

Contact us

For queries about the application process, please see the online application guide or contact Emma Chorley: lifesci-rec@sussex.ac.uk

For enquiries about the project, please contact the supervisor: hh65@sussex.ac.uk

For further information, please see: www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/hocheggerlab , www.helfrid.github.io