PhD studentship and bioinformatician post on the genetics of ageing

PhD Studentship: The Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group at the University of Liverpool is accepting applications for a PhD studentship available for start in the autumn of 2013. We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious student to develop and apply sophisticated data-mining methods and computational models at the interface of biology, mathematics and computer science. The sequencing of genomes has opened unparalleled opportunities to compare multiple genomes and identify coding or DNA regulatory sequences that modulate ageing in humans or determine species differences in ageing and longevity. There is also an urgent need to understand how genes associated with ageing collectively regulate the ageing process. We are analysing gene expression data and developing gene networks to deepen our knowledge of how genes interact with each other and with the environment to gain new insights into the genetics of ageing and identify new candidate genes for experimental validation. The exact direction of this project, however, will be adapted to fit the research interests of the student. Though this project is primarily computational, our group also has wet lab facilities and thus it is possible to experimentally validate any computational predictions emerging from this project.

This studentship is in competition for funding with others at our institution. The funding is only available to UK citizens and residents. Non-UK students interested in our group’s work, however, are encouraged to contact us as it may be possible to apply for personal fellowships. Self-funded students are also invited to apply.

Bioinformatician: A bioinformatician position is also available in our group to employ computational biology approaches to study ageing and longevity. As above, areas of interest include (but are not limited to) systems biology, functional genomics, network analysis, and genome evolution. Applicants should have a degree in computer sciences or biology with experience in programming languages, ideally in context of bioinformatics and genomics. Relevant publications would be a plus. The post is available for one year in the first instance but can be renewed depending on performance and funding.

More details about our research are available at:
http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~aging/

Potentially interested students are welcome to contact us for an informal discussion (aging@liv.ac.uk or 0151 7954517).