Institution: University of Aberdeen
School: School of Natural and Computing Sciences
Supervisors: Prof M. C. Romano, Dr A Moura, Dr Abhinav Mathur
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership.
Blood is sustained by a haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool whose division, self-renewal and differentiation are tightly regulated. With age this pool becomes progressively clonal: recurrent driver mutations affect proliferation, self-renewal, differentiation, signalling, metabolism and DNA repair [1,2]. Most mutant clones remain small or stable, whereas others expand substantially; clone size alone, however, does not fully explain subsequent behaviour [3,4]. This raises fundamental questions about how mutation, selection, differentiation, population regulation and chance interact to determine the long-term structure and function of a renewing stem-cell system.
This PhD project will develop stochastic mathematical models to identify general principles governing clonal evolution and stem-cell dynamics in haematopoiesis. It builds on our birth-death modelling of ageing HSC populations, in which individual stem cells divide, differentiate/die or acquire mutations, which confer clone-specific fitness advantages. The framework will be extended to include interactions among stem-like, progenitor and differentiated states [5,6]. The models will distinguish changes in division rate, self-renewal and differentiation. Myeloid malignancies, including chronic and acute myeloid leukaemia, will provide biologically informative examples of disrupted haematopoietic regulation.
The project will investigate how the identity, order and clonal context of mutations shape competition between cell lineages. For example, acquiring JAK2 before TET2 can produce different cellular and phenotypic consequences from acquiring the same mutations in the reverse order [12]. More generally, the student will determine which features make a clone become established, remain dormant or disappear; how age-related changes in the stem-cell environment alter selection; and how rare subclones persist through strong environmental perturbations. Stochastic simulation and statistical inference will quantify mutation acquisition, clonal extinction, lineage competition and uncertainty in evolutionary trajectories.
Models will be parameterised and validated against publicly-available lineage-tracing, genomic and transcriptomic data spanning normal ageing, clonal haematopoiesis and perturbed myeloid systems [4,7-11]. Comparing model predictions with bulk and single-cell observations will test whether common rules can explain clonal architecture and differentiation-state distributions across datasets. The resulting computational framework will be transferable to other renewing tissues and will provide new tools for investigating fundamental questions in somatic evolution and multicellular population regulation.
The student will receive interdisciplinary training structured around a T-shaped model. Specialist training will encompass stochastic modelling, computational simulation, statistical inference and analysis of genomic data. Broader training will cover haematology and stem-cell biology. This will be complemented by University of Aberdeen Postgraduate Research College training in transferable skills, including scientific communication, research integrity, data management, teamwork and career development.
This project is available for part-time study (Home/UK students only).
Interested applicants should contact the lead supervisor to discuss the project prior to applying. You can do this by selecting the first listed name at the top of this advert and sending your enquiry. Alternatively, you can search for the supervisor through the University of Aberdeen staff directory and email them directly.
Eligibility
Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.
We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.
All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on funding for postgraduate training and development. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Terms and conditions for training funding – UKRI.
Application Procedure
For full details and to download the application form, visit: https://biology.ed.ac.uk/eastbio/how-to-apply
Please note that you may only apply for one EASTBIO project.
1. Application submission
Submit your complete application by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026 to [contact details available in the full listing].
Send your application as a single email with the subject line: “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”
2. Required documents
Your application email must include the following:
- Completed EASTBIO application form
- Academic certificates and transcripts
- Two references (one reference may be non-academic)
3. References
All references must be provided using the official EASTBIO reference form (available here).
References can be either:
- Included with your application, or
- Sent directly by referees to [contact details available in the full listing] with the subject line: “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”
All references must be received by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure both references are submitted by the deadline, as we cannot request them on your behalf.
Important notes
- No research proposal is required.
- Do not include any additional documents (for example, school certificates, conference papers, or dissertations).
- Incomplete applications or those including unnecessary materials will not be considered.
- Due to workload constraints, we are unable to follow up on missing documents or process incomplete applications.
- All candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application.
For any questions or assistance with the application process, please contact [contact details available in the full listing].
Funding Notes
This fully funded, four-year PhD project is offered as part of a competition within the EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. The opportunity is open to both UK and international applicants, although the proportion of international students recruited through the EASTBIO DTP is capped at 30% by UKRI BBSRC.
EASTBIO studentships provide a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (estimated at £22,437 for the 2027/28 academic year), a training grant of £5,000 per year for the first three years (and £1,500 in the fourth year), and a travel and conference allowance of £230 per year.
Please note that EASTBIO is unable to fund visa costs or associated healthcare surcharges for international students.
References
References [1] doi:10.3390/cells13161392; [2] doi:10.3390/diagnostics15192537; [3] doi:10.1016/j.cell.[contact details available in the full listing]; [4] doi:10.1038/s[contact details available in the full listing]-z; [5] doi:10.1098/rsif.[contact details available in the full listing]; [6] doi:10.1186/s[contact details available in the full listing]; [7] doi:10.1016/j.ccell.[contact details available in the full listing]; [8] doi:10.1182/blood.[contact details available in the full listing]; [9] doi:10.1038/nm.443; [10] doi:10.1038/s[contact details available in the full listing]; [11] doi:10.1016/j.cell.[contact details available in the full listing]; [12] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1412098.
