PhD Studentship: Cross-species modelling of rare coding variants associated with schizophrenia

Overview

This PhD project at the University of Exeter, based in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, studies the molecular causes of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with a heavy effect on quality of life, and current medications do not work well, so new therapeutics are needed. Recent research has found genetic mutations in patients, called rare coding variants, that change the proteins the genes produce, but the functional consequences of many of them are not yet known.

The project will study the functions of these rare coding variants in zebrafish and compare the results with mouse models carrying equivalent mutations and with human post-mortem brain tissue.

What you get

The project is one of up to 18 MRC-funded studentships offered through the GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme, with a start date of October 2027. The studentships last four years. Funding covers UK tuition fees and a doctoral stipend matching the UK Research Council national minimum, which is 21,805 pounds per year for 2026/27 and is updated annually. Up to 5,000 pounds per year is also available for research training and support costs.

Who can apply

The studentships are open to UK and international students. This project competes for a place with projects across the whole MRC GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Award, in which 18 studentships are available across the partnership.

Key dates

The closing date is 21 October 2026, and the studentship begins in October 2027.