PhD Studentship

The UCL Department of Renal Medicine is the UK’s largest academic nephrology centre and has an international reputation for research. The department hosts researchers with particular expertise in immunology, genetics, physiology and cell biology and investigators in its Centre for Genetics and Genomics (www.ucl.ac.uk/nephrology/research/centre-genetics-and-genomics) have discovered numerous novel diseases and identified their genetic cause, resulting in high impact publications and the establishment of new experimental models of disease. The successful candidate will work with a cohesive team of researchers and clinicians (including biologists, geneticists, statisticians and adult and paediatric clinicians) supervised by Professor Gale. University College London (UCL) is London’s leading multidisciplinary university. In the recent 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) UCL was rated 1st in the UK for Clinical Medicine.

This is a 3-year PhD research studentship, fully funded (including stipend, home tuition and laboratory fees) by Kidney Research UK, that will use large-scale genomic data from UK Biobank and the 100,000 Genomes Project to identify genetic contributors to severity of rare kidney diseases such as Alport Syndrome. The student will develop expertise in statistical genetics, genomics, coding and the use of high-performance computers to answer the clinically important biological question of why severity of some genetic kidney diseases can vary so much and will contribute to design of, and possibly conduct, laboratory experiments to study mechanisms underlying the findings. As data generation in biological science accelerates (including use of large-scale genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics) the skills acquired will equip the student to perform high-quality, rigorous and data-driven science throughout their future career.

Applicants should hold or expect to receive a first class or upper second class (or equivalent) degree in a biological or computational science subject. Applicants will need: A background in biology, statistics, epidemiology, computer science or related discipline together with a strong interest in developing their knowledge of statistics, bioinformatics or genetics applied to research in a rare disease. They will also need an ability to work collaboratively with a team of clinical experts and laboratory scientists. Experience in programming languages such as Python or R would also be valuable and a Master’s degree or previous exposure to statistical genetics, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics or computer science would be desirable. The successful student will join a very diverse and multidisciplinary team that includes clinicians, geneticists, laboratory and computer scientists and statisticians with a range of backgrounds. Funds are available to cover UK home student tuition fees in full, but not overseas fees. Flexible/part-time working is generally supported.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team working across the Department of Renal Medicine and the Division of Medicine. As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below: • 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) • Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme • Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) • Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan • Immigration loan • Relocation scheme for certain posts • On-Site nursery • On-site gym • Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay • Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service • Discounted medical insurance Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.