The Wellcome Trust 4-year PhD programme in Dynamics of Cellular Regulatory Networks (WTDCRN) offers studentships for postgraduate researchers undertaking PhDs in molecular, cellular and developmental biology projects.
Key features of the programme
As a WTDCRN student you will benefit from:
- Undertaking three projects in rotation during your first year, which helps inform your choice of PhD project.
- Training in cutting-edge genomics, imaging and bioinformatics.
- Having access to excellent on-site core facilities to support your research.
- Having a broad scope for research topics across four major themes.
- Unique opportunities to lead activities for undergraduates on our summer school scheme.
- Multiple activities that foster a friendly, supportive environment for all Wellcome Trust students.
Programme
The focus of this PhD training programme is deciphering the regulatory dynamics that control the activity of cellular networks during development and disease.
Core programme structure
The programme has three core elements: three rotation projects, skills and technology training, and your final PhD project.
Year 1
- Skills workshops
- Practical courses in key technologies
- Project rotations (3 projects)
- PhD research project proposal
Year 2–4
- Final PhD research project
Rotation projects
You will undertake three research projects, chosen from different training areas. This ensures you gain broad training in contemporary research methods within your first year.
Each project lasts a total of 15 weeks and is completed under the supervision of one or more of the supervisors on the programme.
Training areas
Supervisors are grouped into six core training areas, reflecting critical cutting-edge approaches:
- cell biological;
- computational;
- dynamic imaging;
- genomics and transcriptomics;
- molecular and proteomic;
- organismal.
Research week
Our supervisors present an overview of their research in the second week of the programme. This provides an excellent introduction to the areas of research you will choose from and, just as importantly, allows you to meet potential supervisors.
PhD proposal
Towards the end of your first year you will submit a detailed PhD proposal based on your intended research project. You will prepare this under the guidance of your PhD supervisor(s). You will then defend your proposal before the Wellcome Trust Graduate Committee.
The rotation projects will have helped you choose the best PhD project for you by giving you experience of different topics and supervisors.
Final PhD project
You’ll begin your final PhD project in the second year. You’ll write a literature review in January, and a continuation report by July. These checkpoints will keep you on schedule to successfully deliver your thesis.
"I chose Manchester for the variety and quality of research. This University especially has a diverse range of developmental biology research, which I’m particularly passionate about."
Parnian Doostdar / WTDCRN PhD student
Projects and supervisors
You will be able to choose from a great breadth of possible projects, with over 30 supervisors and research areas available across four core themes.
Four research themes
The programme consists of four interlinked themes. These form a logical progression in understanding the synthesis, function and outputs of cellular networks during development and disease states.
The themes are:
- Cellular dynamics and proteostasis
- Cellular mechanisms of disease
- Dynamic signalling systems
- Global gene regulatory networks
You will choose your supervisor and final project from these themes. Projects that cross themes are welcomed.
Get your research published
This programme enables you to undertake innovative research projects and generate high-quality publications.
Students on the WTDCRN programme have a high rate of publications compared to those on other programmes, achieving an average of 2.5 publications per student. This is a great way to kick-start a research career.
See the list below for recent examples of our students' published papers.
Highlight papers from our students
Papers by our Wellcome Trust 4-year PhD programme students published since 2016 include:
- The mTOR-S6 kinase pathway promotes stress granule assembly, Cell Death Differentiation
- Vaccination against whipworm: identification of potential immunogenic proteins in Trichuris muris excretory/secretory material, Scientific Report
- Extracellular vesicles induce protective immunity against Trichuris muris, Parasite Immunology
- Multiple pathways facilitate the biogenesis of mammalian tail-anchored proteins, Journal of Cell Science
- Structure of human Retinoschisin reveals novel insights into retinal-adhesion and XLinked Retinoschisis, Human Molecular Genetics
- Regulation of the Dpp signaling-responsive transcriptional network in the Drosophila embryo, PLOS Genetics
- Mcl-1 dynamics influence mitotic slippage and death in mitosis, Oncotarget
- OCRL1 engages with the F-BAR protein pacsin 2 to promote biogenesis of membrane trafficking intermediates, Molecular Biology of the Cell
- MicroRNA evolution, expression, and function during short germband development in Tribolium castaneum, Genome Research
- Novel intronic RNA structures contribute to maintenance of phenotype in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Genetics
Engaging with the scientific community
You will be encouraged to participate in the broader scientific community and will have regular opportunities to participate in international conferences.
You will receive funds to cover research costs and the cost of attendance at scientific meetings.
Careers
Our doctoral students progress beyond their PhDs into a variety of positions and areas. They benefit from our commitment to developing wider skills and experience, and the breadth and quality of research they are engaged with. This, along with the strength of the final PhD projects, ensures they are in high demand.
73% of our Wellcome Trust 4-year PhD funded students who have completed their studies have gone on to postdoctoral research work. Destinations have included Harvard University, Stanford University, Imperial College, UCL, NIMR and the Crick Institute; and academic fellowships have included MRC, Wellcome Trust, NIHR.
The remainder undertake science-related employment, such as medical writing, science education, science funding, and clinical science.
Typical career destinations include:
- clinical training;
- industrial research;
- health services consultancy and policy;
- teaching;
- science writing.
Funding
The programme is supported by the Wellcome Trust, which provides a generous stipend starting at approximately £20,000 per year – and covers UK/EU student tuition fees. Awards are available for five students each year.
The studentships are available to students from all nationalities, however students from outside the EU are required to pay the difference in the home/EU and overseas fee level. This is currently around £14,000 per year.
We may be able to offer international candidates financial support towards the additional cost of their tuition fees, therefore making a full award to cover all fees and stipend. These awards are made on a case-by-case basis to exceptional international applicants at the discretion of the management board.
Wellcome Trust funding is available only for projects as part of this programme, and is not available for self-funded projects such as those that appear in our project finder.
Making an application
We take a maximum of five students per year onto the programme, which begins at the end of September. We are looking for candidates who demonstrate academic excellence and high motivation for research.
You must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in a relevant subject area.
If you wish to be considered for an WTDCRN PhD studentship and meet our eligibility criteria, you must complete a single online application.
Full details on eligibility and residence criteria are available on the How to apply page.
Please follow our instructions on how to apply for a WTDCRN.
Key dates
Information on our 2020 programmes will be updated in due course.
Student support and community
We have a number of different ways of offering support to applicants and our cohort of WT PhD students.
If you have any questions regarding the Wellcome Trust 4 year PhD programme, our student ambassadors can give you help and guidance. They’re here to help you during the application stage, answer questions and offer advice about life in Manchester, accommodation and more. They’re also involved in interview days by showing potential applicants around the Faculty.
You can make direct contact with any of our current student ambassadors.
Support from the Doctoral Academy
Our Doctoral Academy represents early career researchers and will further support your development. Opportunities to share research ideas and advice are available on a national level as well as within Manchester.
We also have a graduate society you can join, which is led by students, offering both academic and social events to further support interaction and a sense of community.
A supportive research community
Peer support is an important part of PhD life as it can feel isolated to work on a focused and individual project. The nature of our lab teams and the close-knit WTDCRN student cohort will provide you with an immediate network and sense of community.
The WTDCRN students are an active cohort and social and academic events, including a programme of seminars and workshops, are frequently organised.
Our summer school for undergraduates also provides a unique and enjoyable opportunity for our WT students.
Summer school for undergraduates
This scheme is aimed at undergraduate students who are interested in the summer before embarking on PhD studies following their graduation.
Students will undertake an eight-week molecular and cell biology themed research project, between July and September. In addition, summer students will benefit from interactions with third year PhD students on the Wellcome Trust PhD programme, who will give tutorials and talks about their research. To be eligible for a placement you should:
- be registered for a basic science degree (including mathematics and engineering);
- have Home/EU status;
- be expected to obtain a First or Upper Second class honours degree.
We aim to recruit 6 students each year, with preference given to undergraduate students who have just completed the penultimate year of their studies. Students will be awarded a stipend of approximately £180/week.
To apply, you will need to send a transcript of your marks to date and send a copy of your CV along with a covering letter outlining why you are interested in the scheme and what your research interests are to hannah-emily.smith@manchester.ac.uk.
Applications for 2019 entry are now closed.
This page will be updated in due course.
Contact us
Queries regarding the application process can be sent to the Doctoral Academy Admissions Office.
Please contact the Doctoral Academy.
Email: admissions.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 5608