PhD Studentship: Discovery and functional testing of Alzheimer’s disease risk–resilience pathways in human iPSC microglia

The GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme is offering up to 18 MRC funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2027.

These four-year studentships provide funding for fees and stipend at the rate set by the UKRI, as well as other research training and support costs, and are available to UK and International students.

This project is in competition for place with the projects across the MRC GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Award studentships.  There are a total of 18 studentships available across the partnership.  

Late onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) risk is shaped by microglial genes, particularly the TREM2 signalling axis. The coding mutation TREM2 R47H increases disease risk, while the coding mutation in the downstream signalling molecule PLCG2 P522R appears protective. This inverse relationship provides a powerful genetic entry point to identify pathways that drive vulnerability or resilience genome wide. This project will use computational methods to discover molecular pathways showing opposite patterns across risk- and protective-variant human iPSC-derived microglia. The student will prioritise pathways, perturb candidate genes, and test whether these alter microglial effects on neuronal functions relevant to LOAD pathogenesis.

These studentships are funded through GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme and consist of UK tuition fees, as well as a Doctoral Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£21, 805 p.a. for 2026/27, updated each year).

Additional research training and support funding of up to £5,000 per annum is also available.

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