PhD Studentship, Network-based Systems Biology Analysis of Metabolic Disease
A 4-year PhD studentship in computational systems biology is available at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Understanding the response of metabolic networks to perturbation is highly relevant to human and animal health, for example in amino acid metabolism disorders such as phenylketonuria and lysosomal storage diseases like Niemann Pick disease. Additionally, novel antifungal and antibiotic treatments being developed will disrupt the metabolism of the pathogen without harming the host. Thus, network-based analysis of metabolism will have a significant impact. This studentship will apply computational systems biology, bioinformatics, and network analysis to assess the vulnerability of different species to metabolic diseases. You will use data on the interaction between proteins and small organic molecules to decipher metabolic networks, where enzyme-catalysed reactions link together substrates and products to form pathways and cycles. You will work with bioinformatics data to trace to both the variation of networks across different species and also the networks’ evolution; you will apply simulations of metabolism’s evolution to work backwards in time and suggest plausible evolutionary trajectories. Ultimately, you will develop predictions of perturbations that disrupt metabolic networks, and ones that can be safely applied. You will be jointly supervised by Dr V Anne Smith (Biology) and Dr John Mitchell (Chemistry). Both groups work in computational systems biology and machine learning, with Dr Smith’s research concentrating on network analysis and Dr Mitchell’s on enzymes and computational chemistry. For more information on their research please visit: Dr V Anne Smith’s research pages: http://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/vannesmithlab/ Dr John Mitchell’s research pages: http://chemistry.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/jbom/group/ EASTBIO - the BBSRC East of Scotland Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership - is a partnership between the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and St Andrews; the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA); and the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA). A fully funded 4-year EASTBIO PhD studentship (fees and stipend at the standard rate) is available from September 2014 for candidates with a strong academic record and that satisfy BBSRC studentship eligibility requirements (see http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/how-apply if you are unsure - typically UK citizenship required). To apply, please first make an initial informal enquiry, including a covering letter explaining your interest in the studentship and a CV, to v...@st-andrews.ac.uk. Formal applications should follow to the University following the procedure available at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/pg/apply/research/ Complete applications must have been received by the University by 27 January 2014.
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