Fully funded PhD position at University College Dublin – Ireland
Project Title: Elucidating the non-coding regulatory basis of healthy ageing in mammals
Project Description:
Ageing is the leading risk factor for major life-threatening conditions, such as cancer, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders. Although previous studies have identified conserved genes and pathways that control lifespan and healthspan across species, there is mounting evidence to suggest that regulation of these pathways can be a leading determinant of longevity and healthy ageing. Therefore, understanding regulation of ageing pathways in exceptionally long-lived species may also help promote healthy ageing in humans. However, little is known about how these conserved ageing pathways are differentially regulated between long-lived and short-lived mammals.
A recently discovered dimension of RNA regulation involves crosstalk between different categories of RNA (e.g. mRNA, LncRNA, circRNA, and pseudogenes), which compete for common pools of microRNA and thus act as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNAs). It has been argued that ceRNAs have an active role in regulating age-related diseases including cancer by forming complex RNA regulatory networks. For example, enhanced expression of pseudogene PTENP1 can restore the expression of PTEN, a known tumour suppressor, via sponging PTEN-targeting microRNAs (e.g. miR-17, miR-19, miR-20a) in humans. This in turn leads to a reduction in growth and invasiveness of many cancers. However, little is known about age-related ceRNA regulation networks in mammals and how these ceRNA interactions contribute to their exceptional longevity.
In this unique project the PhD candidate will develop a series of bioinformatic tools and pipelines to predict, annotate, and quantify non-coding genes in long-lived and short-lived mammals using public ageing RNA-Seq datasets, and establish age-related ceRNA networks. Further comparisons on how ceRNA networks are regulated across species over time will elucidate the regulatory basis of healthy ageing in long-lived mammals. The PhD candidate will also have opportunities to get involved in other research projects through my collaborative networks around the globe, and will have opportunities to attend international conferences once a year.
Qualifications: The candidate should have a B.Sc./M.Sc. degree at 2.1 grade or above in Biology or Computer Science, with a focus on Bioinformatics or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data analyses. Strong computational/statistical skills and experience with programming in Shell, R, Python/Perl (or similar) are required. Knowledge or research experience in molecular evolution, mammal biology, and machine learning is desirable. The successful candidate should be enthusiastic, self-motivated, and eager to broaden their knowledge of key tools and technologies.
Stipend: The student will receive a tax-free stipend of €19,000 per year, full coverage of tuition fees, and funds for conference travel. As part of the agreement the student will be required to serve as demonstrator (Teaching Assistant) for a set number of hours each year, which will be paid on top of the stipend at the hourly rate.
(https://www.ucd.ie/hr/pay/hourlypaidemployees/hourlypaidrates/).
Equality and diversity: UCD is committed to creating an environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly regardless of gender, age, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, civil status, family status, or membership of the travelling community (https://www.ucd.ie/equality/). Applications from all suitably qualified candidates will be considered.
About UCD: UCD, located in the cosmopolitan city of Dublin, Ireland, is one of the top universities in Europe - and is also ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide. Our students love the UCD campus, a huge, spacious campus with lakes, woodland walks and wildlife close to Dublin city centre. UCD is the most international university in Ireland and welcomes hundreds of new international students every year. Specific information and support for international applicants including visa requirements is available here: https://www.ucd.ie/global/study-at-ucd/.
Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr Zixia Huang ((opens in a new window)zixia.huang@ucd.ie).
The deadline for this application is 12th January 2023, and the target start date is 1st May 2023. To apply please e-mail (opens in a new window)zixia.huang@ucd.ie a single pdf document with
- a detailed curriculum vitae describing any previous research experience
- a cover letter detailing your research interests and goals
- the contact details (e-mail and phone number) of at least two academic referees.
Please reference “PhD Application – Noncoding RNA Regulation in Longevity” in the subject line of the email.