PhD Studentship: How does NRP2 keep blood vessels sealed and calm under stress?

Overview

The University of East Anglia, through the Quadram Institute Bioscience, offers a full-time, fixed-term PhD studentship investigating how the cell-surface receptor neuropilin-2 maintains blood vessel stability and endothelial barrier function under stress. Endothelial cells line blood vessels to form a barrier between blood and tissues, requiring mechanisms to stay connected, respond to nutrients, and avoid unnecessary inflammation. Previous data indicate that neuropilin-2 helps endothelial cells remain stable, and its absence leads to the loss of the junctional protein VE-cadherin along with increased inflammation and immune cell recruitment.

The successful student will examine how neuropilin-2 controls endothelial barrier stability in human and mouse endothelial cells by studying cellular responses to flow, inflammatory stimulation, and lipid or nutrient stress. The research will also determine if the loss of VE-cadherin triggers inflammatory activation and will utilize an endothelial-specific mouse model to evaluate whether neuropilin-2 assists blood vessels in adapting to dietary stress in vivo. The student will gain interdisciplinary training across endothelial cell biology, receptor trafficking, live-cell and confocal imaging, flow assays, inflammatory signalling, monocyte adhesion, mouse genetics, vascular physiology, statistics, and data interpretation.

Who can apply

Applicants must hold at least a UK equivalent Bachelors Honours 2:1 degree. Candidates must also meet the English Language requirement, which follows the Faculty of Science equivalent of IELTS 6.5 overall with a score of 6 in each category.

What you get

The 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship covers the payment of tuition fees directly to the university and provides a stipend for living expenses based on the 2026/27 rate of £21,805 per annum. Additionally, a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per annum is provided for each year of the studentship.

Key dates

The closing date for applications is 30 November 2026. The program starts on 1 October 2027.