Applicant information
What happens after you apply to Bristol?
Dynamic Cell Biology
| Awards available | PhD |
|---|---|
| Duration of programme | Four years full-time |
| Number of places | 5-6 |
Page contents
Programme overview
This programme brings together the skills and expertise of 30 internationally recognised cell biologists, who provide training in the broadest range of cell biology topics and techniques; from ultrastructural and dynamic studies of intracellular trafficking through to examining cell migration in tissues and whole organisms; and from the purest studies of fundamental cell biology through to those with direct and translational application to human disease.
We are looking for talented and motivated students willing to take up the many varied challenges in cell biology and who are open to learning about new disciplines and working across different fields.
Core research areas include:
- Dynamic organisation, regulation and remodelling of the cytoskeleton.
- Molecular complexes involved in membrane traffic.
- Dynamic regulation of signalling complexes.
- Interface between cell signalling and membrane trafficking.
- Cell organisation, morphogenesis and tissue function.
- Diabetes and obesity, cancer, learning and memory, infection and immunity, hearing/ deafness, cardiovascular biology, and channelopathies.
Programme Structure
The programme follows a 1+3 year structure, which breaks down as follows:
First year
You will have the opportunity to study a range of research topics, with different supervisors. You will undertake three 12-week laboratorybased research projects. The first rotation is in a core cell biology lab, which will familiarise you with basic techniques used in molecular cell biology, cell culture and standard cell imaging procedures. One of the second rotations is in an in vivo, or applied, lab where you will work to extend your skills-base and gain an appreciation of how basic cell biology can be translated into an in vivo or applied context.
During your third rotation (which can be in a core or applied lab), you will choose your PhD lab. Write-ups, posters and presentations on the three rotation projects are completed by the end of July, providing you with two months in which to focus on your proposed research project before the second year commences.
Second to fourth years
You will join a single laboratory for the remaining years of your PhD. On occasions there may be collaborative projects between two participating labs and in these cases there will be joint supervision from the two principal investigators.
After your first year, you will be integrated into the PhD programme of your host school, which will depend on your chosen topic. These school programmes are similar although not identical to one another. In general, they involve submission of an end-of-year progress report to the School's Director of Graduate Studies and an afternoon of seminars presented by your year cohort in that school, and subsequently an informal interview/viva with the Director of Graduate Studies or another senior academic. You will also remain under the wing of the Dynamic Cell Biology programme itself and we will have a separate monitoring procedure.
Entry requirements
An upper second-class degree or Masters degree in a biomedical science discipline or a relevant theoretical discipline.
Admissions statement
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
Key research interests
Fundamental Cell Biology
Professor Jo Adams, Extracellular matrix signalling; cell motility; cancer.
Professor George Banting, Tetherin; trafficking.
Dr Mark Bass, Syndecan-4, Rho small GTPases; cell motility.
Professor Pete Cullen, Phosphoinositides; trafficking.
Professor Patty Kuwabara, C-elegans cytokinesis.
Dr Jon Lane, Autophagy.
Professor Paul Martin, Wound healing; cancer.
Professor Harry Mellor, Rho small GTPases; cancer.
Dr Stuart Mundell, G-protein coupled receptors; platelets.
Professor Kate Nobes, Eph/ephrins; tumour microenvironment.
Professor Alastair Poole, Atherothrombosis.
Professor David Stephens, Trafficking; ciliagenesis.
Dr Ashley Toye, Trafficking of bicarbonate transporters.
Dr Paul Verkade, Visualisation of trafficking/ sorting events.
Applied Cell Biology
Dr Mike Ashby, Synapses, neurons and circuits in the cerebral neocortex.
Dr Nina Balthasar, Mouse models of energy homeostasis.
Dr Ariel Blocker, Type III secretion of Shigella flexneri.
Professor Andrew Halestrap, Mitochondria; cardiovascular health.
Dr Chrissy Hammond, Zebrafish model of osteoarthritis.
Dr Johnathan Hanley, Actin regulation in astrocytes.
Professor Jeremy Henley, Neuronal SUMOylation.
Dr James Hodge, Disease in Drosophila.
Dr Mark Jepson, Visualising host-pathogen
Dr Helen Kennedy, Calcium signalling in the ear.
Professor Chris Paraskeva, Colon cancer.
Professor Julian Paton, Genetic manipulation of respiratory neurones.
Professor Daniel Robert, Mechanosensory cells and hearing.
Dr Stefan Roberts, Wilms' tumour 1 protein.
Professor Jeremy Tavaré, GSK3 signalling in cancer.
Dr Ann Williams, BAG-1 and ER stress.
Professor Neil Williams, Immunity at mucosal surfaces.
Professor David Wraith, Regulating the immune response.
Professor Christoph Wuelfing, Lymphocyte signalling.
Application deadline: Dependent on funding deadlines. Please see our website for further details.
Get in touch
Graduate
Administration Manager
Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences
Phone: +44 (0)117 33 11535
Email: lindsey.watson@bristol.ac.uk
Web: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/fmvs/gradschool
International students
English-language requirements: 6.5 overall with at least 6.5 in each band, in addition to the standard entry requirements.
Find information for international students on eligibility, funding options and studying at Bristol.
Fees and funding
2014/15 fees
Full-time: UK/EU £3,939; overseas £17,000
(lab-based), £28,900 (clinical)
Fees quoted are provisional, per annum and are subject to annual increase.
Funding options
The Wellcome Trust provides 4-5 funded studentships per annum to cover PhD programme fees at the UK/EU student rate, research expenses, a stipend for living expenses, contribution towards travel and a contribution towards transferable-skills training.
Research Assessment Score
n/a
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