Full-time PhD studentship (Chain & Yong Group) Full-time

Full-Time PhD Studentship (Chain & Yong Group)

We are looking for a PhD student with strong computational skills interested in interdisciplinary research at the boundary between immunology, cancer and computer science. The PhD project will be supervised jointly by Prof. Benny Chain in the Division of Immunity and Infection, and Prof. Kwee Yong in the UCL Cancer Institute. Both supervisors direct cutting edge internationally recognised research groups at UCL, one of the top research-led universities in the world.

The Institute of Infection, Immunity and Transplantation (IIT) is Department of the UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences comprising approximately 170 staff, including 40 academic/teaching faculty and over forty PhD students. We undertake world-class discovery/translational research and teaching in the immunology of health and disease, and in pathogen biology. We are co-located in a new purpose-built research building, the Pears Building, at the UCL Hampstead site.

The UCL Cancer Institute is a state-of-the-art institute to consolidate cancer research at UCL and promote links with our partner teaching hospitals, in order to support excellence in basic and translational studies. The Institute draws together talented scientists who are working together to translate research discoveries into developing kinder, more effective therapies for cancer patients. It is a Cancer Research UK and Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and contains approximately 580 staff, including 120 PhD students and 40 MSc students. The translational technology platform (TTP) provides core facilities for genomics and single cell sequencing (10X genomics), flow and mass cytometry, an organoid facility, TCR sequencing with dedicated technical support, and spatial imaging and transcriptomics.

About the Role

The PhD project focuses on understanding the role of T cell immunity in regulating disease progression in myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow with poor prognosis. Through Prof. Kwee's clinical activities, the project has access to samples from some of the largest myeloma patient cohort in Europe. The project aims to use new advances in AI-driven structural biology (e.g. alphafold) to identify the T cells which recognise the cancer, and to probe and model their functional dynamics as disease progresses. The project has a specific interest in investigating the role of genetics and ethnicity in determining immune response and clinical outcome.

About You

The project offers an opportunity to gain research training in computational biomedicine, one of the fastest growing areas in medicine today. Prof. Benny Chain, the primary supervisor, holds a joint appointment in the department of computer science and the Division of Immunity and infection, and has extensive experience of training the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists. We are looking for a passionate and committed individual, who wants to join the next generation of researchers in the field of immuno-oncology, and push back the boundaries of science and medicine. We will consider students from an engineering, mathematics, physics or biology background, and provide training as necessary to work in the interdisciplinary environment required. However, willingness to engage in advanced computer science is an essential. Experience of programming would be helpful.

Applicants must fulfil the requirements for classification as a UK student. You must have (or about to be awarded) a First or Upper Second (2.1) Bachelor and/or Masters level degree in a relevant subject.

Please prepare a single PDF document in the following order:

• A covering letter outlining motivation, interest, and suitability for this project
• CV / resume
• Contact details for two academic referees

If you have any queries about the role or application process contact b.chain@ucl.ac.uk, have any technical issues, or need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online, please contact the staffing team at hr.ii@ucl.ac.uk.

What We Offer

This is a fully funded 4-year PhD studentship funded by Cancer Research UK. which covers tuition fees at Home rate, and a non-taxable annual stipend of £24,643 per year.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.