Orchestrating Cilia Formation
Supervisor :
27th January 2027
Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must:
- Be applying for CSC funding.
- Be a citizen and permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China and hold a Chinese passport.
- Satisfy all eligibility criteria set out by the CSC and must refer to the CSC website for full details.
- Apply to QMUL by 27th January 2027. Late applications will not be considered.
- Submit ALL required documentation, including evidence of their English Language ability ahead of the CSC application deadline.
CSC application rules differ slightly for domestic applicants (students applying from China) and overseas applicants (students applying from overseas). Therefore, ALL applicants are advised to see the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Project Overview
Cilia are tiny, hair-like structures on the surface of cells that are essential for human development, cell signalling and the normal function of many organs. Defects in cilia cause a group of genetic disorders known as ciliopathies, which can affect multiple organs and currently have limited treatment options. Building a cilium requires several cellular processes to work together, including membrane bending, remodelling of the local actin cytoskeleton, delivery of membrane vesicles and transport of materials needed for cilium growth. How these processes are coordinated remains poorly understood.
This PhD project will investigate a large multi-protein complex recently identified by our group and others. This complex brings together several biochemical activities that are essential for cilium formation. It is formed by the CPLANE complex and the CBY1–FAM92A module, whose components are mutated in several human ciliopathies. The project will determine how this complex is assembled and regulated, how it interacts with cell membranes, and how its different activities work together to build cilia. The project will also identify additional proteins that are recruited by the complex.
The research will combine structural biology, protein biochemistry and cell biology, using cutting-edge approaches including structural modelling, recombinant protein production, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, genome editing, fluorescence microscopy and proteomics.
This interdisciplinary project provides broad training, from molecular and structural analysis to the genetic engineering of human cells and their cell biological characterisation. By integrating these approaches, you will develop highly transferable cross-disciplinary research skills that are increasingly important in modern bioscience and also gain a deeper understanding of how defects in fundamental cellular processes lead to human disease.
Research Environment
The project will be based in a leading research group that combines structural biology, protein biochemistry and quantitative cell biology to investigate centriole and cilia biology. The student will receive hands-on training in cryo-EM, structural modelling, recombinant protein production, genome editing, advanced fluorescence microscopy and quantitative proteomics, and will be supported by our dedicated, outstanding institutional facilities. The student will also be embedded in our collaborative and vibrant research environment, with regular group discussions and scientific exchanges with other researchers across our local structural, biochemical and cell biology communities, providing broad technical and conceptual training.
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Entry Requirements
We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Biology, Chemistry, Cell Biology, Biochemistry or Structural Biology.
Knowledge of recombinant protein production, structural biology, protein biochemistry or cell biology (mammalian tissue culture cells) would be advantageous but are not strictly required. Research experience with running your own lab-based project would be an additional advantage.
You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 17th March 2027. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.
Find out more about our entry requirements here.
How to Apply
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 27th January 2027 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
- Your CV
- Personal Statement
- Evidence of English Language e.g.) IELTS Certificate
- Copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
- References
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Mark van Breugel at m.vanbreugel@qmul.ac.uk. Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-phd-admissions@qmul.ac.uk
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.
Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.
For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.
See Also