PhD Studentship - EASTBIO - Establish Proximity Labelling Strategies in Zebrafish to Capture Cellular Interactions in Vivo

Applications accepted up till Monday 15^th December, 2025. Competition funded PhD Project.

Supervisors: Dr Yi Feng (The University of Edinburgh), Dr Mattias Malaguti (The University of Edinburgh)

About the Project

Unravelling the outcomes of cell–cell interactions is fundamental to understanding biological processes. The ability to visualise and track these interactions in vivo greatly enhances our capacity to dissect contact-dependent communication. Synthetic biology approaches, such as the engineered synNotch system, have been successfully applied in models including mouse and fly. Zebrafish larvae, with their translucency, provide a powerful platform for live imaging of cell–cell interactions at subcellular resolution. Using lineage-specific fluorescent reporter fish, we have observed close interactions between oncogene-expressing cells and innate immune cells in vivo and demonstrate that host innate immune cells support early tumour development. However, direct contacts and interactions between emerging oncogene-expressing cells and their immediate neighbours have not yet been visualised in vivo, despite the likelihood that these interactions influence mutant cell progression, either positively or negatively. This project aims to address this gap by generating a suite of proximity-labelling transgenic zebrafish tools including the synNotch system for live imaging of neighbouring cell interactions at tumour initiation. These tools will provide broadly applicable resources for uncovering fundamental mechanisms of cell–cell communication in both development and tumourigenesis.

biology.ed.ac.uk/eastbio/how-to-apply

UKRI-funded studentships are available globally, covering UK tuition fees, a living stipend, and an annual £5,000 research grant for the first three PhD years. EASTBIO DTP limits international students to 30%. Eligibility criteria are as per UKRI guidance.

Apply now:

• Visit the EASTBIO Webpage to download necessary documents.
• Submit your completed application, EDI survey, and academic transcripts to CIR.Postgraduate@ed.ac.uk by the deadline.
• Ensure references are sent to the same email using the provided form.

EASTBIO will hold online Q&A sessions in November/December 2025. Check the EASTBIO How to Apply webpage for details. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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