PhD Studentship in Childhood Cancer Immunogenomic Predictors of Tumour Immune Microenvironment and Treatment-related Brain Injury in Medulloblastoma

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) at the UKRI non‑clinical rate (£21,805 for 2026/27). The studentship also includes a Research Training and Support Grant of £5,000 per year for research costs, training and conference travel. International applicants may apply but must fund the difference between home and international tuition fees

Overview

Craniospinal radiotherapy is a cornerstone of treatment for childhood medulloblastoma but can cause brain injury that leads to long‑term neurocognitive difficulties in survivors. These outcomes vary widely and are only partially explained by clinical factors. We hypothesise that immune biology contributes to susceptibility to treatment‑related brain injury.

This PhD project will investigate how inherited immune traits influence tumour immune microenvironment states and vulnerability to neurocognitive injury following treatment. The student will analyse human germline genomic datasets to identify immune‑related variants and pathway‑level burden associated with neurocognitive outcomes, and relate these to tumour immune signatures derived from transcriptomic and methylation data.

An established paediatric‑equivalent mouse cranial radiotherapy model will be used to derive diffusion tensor MRI and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker datasets for the study of treatment‑related brain injury. Integrated cross-species analyses will identify conserved immune mechanisms underlying radiation‑induced brain injury and long‑term cognitive vulnerability.

The student will receive interdisciplinary training in statistical genetics, tumour immune profiling, neuroimaging analysis and multimodal data integration within a collaborative survivorship‑focused research environment.

Number Of Awards 1

Start Date 20th September 2026

Award Duration 4 years

Application Closing Date 23rd May 2026

Sponsor Newcastle University, Faculty of Medical Sciences 

Supervisors

Dr Debbie Hicks, Professor Steve Clifford, Dr Dean Thompson

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant subject such as biomedical sciences, genetics, neuroscience, immunology or bioinformatics. A Masters degree with a strong research training component would be advantageous.

The project involves quantitative and computational data analysis. Prior experience with coding, genetics or bioinformatics is helpful but not essential, as training will be provided. The studentship is open to home and international applicants and covers tuition fees at the home rate plus a full stipend. International applicants must fund the difference between home and international fees.

Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the University’s English language requirements (IELTS 6.5 overall, with at least 5.5 in each sub‑skill, or equivalent). International applicants may require an ATAS clearance certificate (Academic Technology Approval Scheme).

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted via the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

Select Postgraduate Research as the Type of Study, Full Time as the Mode of Study and 2026 as the Year of Entry. Enter programme code 8440F, leave the Research Area blank and select PhD Translational and Clinical Research (FT).

Upload a Personal Statement outlining how your interests and experience relate to the project and enter the studentship reference code TC128 in the Studentship/Partnership Reference field. When prompted for a research proposal, select Write Proposal and enter the project title from this advert. A research proposal is not required. You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact Details

debbie.hicks@newcastle.ac.uk 

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