PhD Studentship: Disentangling Diabetes: A Novel Genetic Decomposition Approach

Overview

This PhD project at the University of Exeter, based in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, takes a new genetic approach to untangling diabetes. Diabetes is highly heterogeneous, yet its clinical management relies heavily on HbA1c, a biomarker influenced by two distinct pathways: glucose metabolism, and red blood cell biology that is independent of glucose. As a result, HbA1c can sometimes lead to incorrect management of diabetes.

The project will use statistical genetics to separate these pathways. By distinguishing the genetic architecture of glucose from that of peripheral red blood cell traits, it will uncover how each mechanism drives the causes of diabetes and its long-term complications, with the aim of explaining why different people experience different disease outcomes.

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.