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Structural basis for force-sensing by the kinetochore-microtubule interface

Supervisor :

Dr Vladimir Volkov

Dr Aravindan Ilangovan

Deadline :

27th January 2027

Funding :

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

Errorless cell division requires attachments between kinetochores and the microtubule ends of the mitotic spindle to be regulated in a precise way. On the one hand, these attachments must be dynamic to enable correction of errors, on the other hand they must be stable enough to ensure segregation of properly attached chromosomes.  One of the key regulator of the kinetochore-microtubule attachment state is mechanical force. In the past, we have dissected the contribution of the microtubule-generated forces in stabilisation of outer kinetochores reconstituted in vitro (1). More recently, we developed assays to resolve the structures of microtubule ends stabilised by the oligomers of the human kinetochore proteins (2). This exciting and ambitious project is focused on bridging these two approaches and to reconstitute kinetochore-microtubule attachments under force in sample that would amenable for structural biology methods such as electron cryo-tomography (cryoET). For this, you will use the recently developed force sensor that our lab uses to estimate microtubule-generated forces (3), as well as our approaches to functionalise the EM grids (2). Results obtained in the project will contribute to better understanding of kinetochore-microtubule attachments in healthy cells,  

 

Research Environment 

We are a small and collegiate research group, please find the information about current members on our website: www.volkovlab.com. We are located in the Biochemistry Department of SBBS, with access to all necessary research infrastructure. In particular, we take advantage of Protein Production facility and Insect Cell facility to express and purify high-quality protein complexes. We also use cutting-edge fluorescence microscopes located at the Centre for Cell Dynamics, including a TIRF/FRAP microscope, and a super-resolution SIM microscope. We use the cryoEM facility on campus to prepare grids, and we have access to Titan Krios with a K3 direct electron detector via the LonCEM consortium. The PhD student will be trained by the PI and the group members in all techniques relevant for the project.

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 Biochemistry, Biophysics, Structural Biology, Neuroscience or a related discipline.  

 Knowledge of molecular cloning techniques, protein biochemistry, structural biology or microscopy methods would be highly advantageous. The project involves software tools for image analysis, and thus experience with python/shell/MatLab scripting, or software packages for cryoEM will help getting up to speed quickly.

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 Vladimir Volkov at v.volkov@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. 

 

Apply Online

 

See Also

 

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