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Cell Biology

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PhD Cell and Molecular Biology (Cell Biology) - 3 Years (Full-time)

PhD Cell and Molecular Biology (Cell Biology) - 6 Years (Part-time)

Information on fees & costs

Individual programme fees are linked above. For detailed information on fee status, policies, payment and funding opportunities see:

Students may incur additional costs when studying. For example this may be for field trips, course equipment, or specialist fees.

Most laboratories require a bench fee of up to £2,000 per year. This cost may be covered in Research Council studentships.

Contact information: Toni Jenkins (Postgraduate Programme Administrator)
Phone: +44 (0)131 650 7366
Fax: +44 (0) 131 650 8650
Email: toni.jenkins@ed.ac.uk; Address: Graduate School of Biological Sciences
117, Darwin Building
Edinburgh
EH9 3JR

The Institute of Cell Biology (ICB), including the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, hosts 32 laboratories carrying world-class research into fundamental mechanisms relating to cellular function. A significant proportion of our research involves systems biology approaches and mathematical modelling.

Entry requirements

To discuss your PhD proposal, you should identify potential supervisors from the School of Biological Sciences.

School of Biological Sciences staff

International students

All applicants must meet our general entry and language requirements. Detailed advice for international students is available here:

Research profile

Our research groups comprise one of the largest communities of cell biology researchers in the UK. Many of our staff are Fellows of the Royal Society and acknowledged leaders in their field.

Most PhD students who train at the ICB continue with their academic career or join research in the industry, often becoming independent group leaders.

Diversity of interests

We offer a wide scope of projects covering different areas of cell biology, including:

the synthesis, processing, localisation and degradation of RNA
epigenetic control of gene expression, chromosome function and genome stability
mechanisms of cell growth and duplication
the rules that govern cellular architecture
biotechnology, synthetic biology and microbial regulation.

A variety of courses in microscopy, bioinformatics and proteomics are available to all our PhD students.

Training and support

Our students learn through a hands-on, laboratory-based project as well as guided reading, one-to-one supervision, group seminars and workshops. Students are assigned a supervisor and a thesis committee but are also encouraged to develop independent lines of enquiry. A programme of transferable skills courses facilitates broader professional development.

Facilities

Whatever tools you need to conduct your research, you’ll find the latest versions at the School of Biological Sciences.

The ICB provides an exceptional working environment. The Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology is home to the Central Optical Instrumentation Laboratory (COIL), while image analysis at the boundary of biology and physics is provided through the nearby Collaborative Optical Spectroscopy Micromanipulation & Imaging Centre (COSMIC).

The ICB is proud of its cutting-edge proteomics facility and automated drug-screening platforms which facilitate discovery of new molecules that impact on cellular functions.

Funding

Each institute receives a number of PhD studentships from the UK research councils to support postgraduate study. In addition, there may be funding for specific projects, details of which can be found on the School's website.

Please see Scholarships and Student Funding Services for other funding opportunities:

Scholarships and Student Funding Services

Further Information

This article was published on Apr 25, 2013