Four (4) PhD Scholarships in Genomics, Epigenetics or Evolution, University of Essex, UK (2016)

A newly established Genomics section of the School of Biological Sciences (University of Essex) is offering 4 PhD studentships, starting October 2016. The section (http://genomics.essex.ac.uk/) is led by Prof. Leonard C. Schalkwyk (Psychiatric and Environmental Epigenomics) and includes the groups of Prof. Meena Kumari (Biological and Social Epidemiology), Dr. Antonio Marco (Evolutionary Genetics), Dr. Vladimir B. Teif (Biophysics of Chromatin and Computational Epigenetics), Dr. Jordi Paps (Evolutionary Genomics), Dr. Radu N. Zabet (Computational and Theoretical Models of Gene Regulation), and Dr. Pradeepa M. Madapura (Chromatin and Gene-regulation).

The Genomics section was created as a result of a strategic initiative to strengthen the area of genomics in the University of Essex by hiring leading experts in genome biology. Related research areas of the School of Biological Sciences include Cancer Biology, Immunology, Protein Biophysics, Environmental Sciences, Plant Biology, etc, and can be found on the web site https://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/. The candidate will benefit from this rich and fresh intellectual environment and the novel infrastructures. On top of the state-of-the art facilities available in the School, the Genomics section also has access to a new large computer cluster, a MiSeq DNA sequencer, as well as other major molecular biology equipment.

Applicants should have, or expect to receive, a first or upper second class degree or equivalent in a relevant subject. The research topics for the four PhD studentships are the following:
- Deciphering the function of histone modifications and noncoding transcription at distal cis-regulatory elements with Dr. Pradeepa Madapura (http://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/staff/profile.aspx?ID=4967; pmadap@essex.ac.uk).
- Using comparative genomics to study different aspects of the evolution of the Animal Kingdom with Dr Jordi Paps
(http://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/staff/profile.aspx?ID=4561; jpapsm@essex.ac.uk).
- Modelling of epigenetic regulation in chromatin using approaches of theoretical biophysics, computational biology and next generation sequencing with Dr. Vladimir Teif (https://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/staff/profile.aspx?ID=4511; vteif@essex.ac.uk).
- Building mechanistic models of transcription factor activity and transcription regulation in eukaryotic systems with Dr Radu Zabet (https://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/staff/profile.aspx?ID=4580; nzabet@essex.ac.uk)

Applications should be submitted electronically by Tuesday 29 March 2016, more details can be found in the following link: http://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/pg/studentships/default.aspx. The target start date for this 3-year, fully-funded PhD studentship is 6th October 2016. This scholarship will be to the value of £12,500 per annum plus UK/European Union (EU) tuition fees. Please note: Applicants from outside EU who are willing to apply for external fellowships or self-funded may contact supervisors to discuss about possible PhD opportunities in their lab. Additional questions and queries about the studentship and projects can be addressed to the respective supervisors.

Further details:
http://www.universitypositions.eu