Trinity-Cambridge Research PhD Studentship in Genetics (4 years, Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a fully funded 4-year PhD Studentship to start in October 2025 in the Department of Genetics. The successful applicant will work in one of three research groups contributing to projects led by Group Leaders Dr Charlotte Houldcroft, Dr Alex Cagan or Dr Antoine Hocher. Further information and instructions on how to apply for each project can be found at the links below. Dr Charlotte Houldcroft: In the Pathogen Dynamics Unit within the Department of Genetics, the Houldcroft group undertakes two major strands of adenovirus research: genomics of AdVs in clinical settings, and adaptive immunity to AdVs. Prospective PhD students could therefore tailor a project in two directions.

• Bioinformatic analysis of adenovirus genomes from clinical settings around the world.
• Characterising the impact of adenovirus evolution on the immune response of blood donors to changes in viral surface proteins.
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/phd-studentship-in-understanding-adenovirus-diversity-and-immunity-for-pandemic-preparedness/?p179285 Dr Alex Cagan: How do some primates live over twice as long as others, and what can this teach us about human ageing? This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to investigate how somatic mutations, clonal dynamics, and genomic maintenance shape ageing and lifespan across diverse primate species. https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/phd-studentship-in-primate-comparative-genomics-exploring-somatic-mutations-and-ageing-across-evolutionary-timescales/?p179280 Dr Antoine Hocher: Across the tree of life, genomes intimately associate with proteins to form chromatin. These interactions are central to genetic and epigenetic processes. Contrasting with their biological and societal importance, little is known about chromatin in bacterial pathogens, even in the highly virulent and antibiotic resistant ESKAPE pathogens. Building on previous work, this project aims at the systematic study of chromatin composition in major bacterial pathogens. This will be achieved by combining state of the art nucleoid composition profiling by proteomics, to large scale protein-protein interaction screens using alphafold/alphapulldown. https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/phd-studentship-in-unravelling-chromatin-composition-and-interactome-in-eskape-pathogens/?p179283 Completed applications with all supporting documentation and references must be submitted by 23:59pm (midnight) UK time on Tuesday 7 January 2025 at the latest. The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.