Two PhD opportunities on theoretical biology at The University of Sheffield

About

We are seeking PhD candidates who are passionate about exploring scientific questions at the intersection of physics, biology, and data science to join our new research team in “Physics of Life” at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sheffield. Our group focuses on discovering the physical principles that govern living and biological systems.

Lab website: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/mps/people/all-academic-staff/mehmet-can-ucar

Project 1: Collective morphodynamics in the central nervous system

This project aims to understand how cells in the central nervous system efficiently fill space during development -a process critical for optimizing functions like sensory information processing and fluid transport. However, we still don’t fully understand how seemingly independent components, like neurons, glial cells, and vascular structures, work together to achieve optimal tissue coverage. By unraveling these mechanisms, we hope to uncover the physical rules of this optimal arrangement, much like solving the puzzle of the perfect tetris game!

Project Scope:

This multidisciplinary PhD project will combine mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis of experimental data from collaborations with the Siegert group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, experts in high-resolution imaging and reconstruction of neural tissues (see https://ist.ac.at/en/research/siegert-group/).

Leveraging computational tools such as machine learning and topological data analysis, we will identify patterns in experimental data and link them to predictive models and simulations based on physical principles. The project’s primary goals are:

(1) Understanding the relationship between evolving shapes and morphologies of individual cells and their strategies for tissue-scale optimization.

(2) Identifying interactions between different cell and tissue types, such as microglia, neurons, and blood vessels.

(3) Discovering general physical mechanisms that enable multi-component cellular systems to optimize space-filling.

Project 2: Self-organized guidance in collective cell migration

Coordinated cell movement is essential for processes such as morphogenesis, immune response, and cancer invasion. While long-range, pre-patterned chemical or mechanical signals are often assumed to guide collective cell migration, evidence for such cues in living organisms is limited. Instead, recent studies highlight the importance of locally self-generated cues in directing cell movement. However, the physical principles underlying this self-organized guidance remain largely unexplored.

This project aims to quantitatively explore robust migration patterns of diverse cell populations by self-organized cues. We recently found that immune cells dynamically shape the chemical cues they follow, while providing directional cues for the efficient migration of other cell types. In this project we will outline general principles of this effective coupling between cell populations across various systems. Initial tests will focus on immune cell populations from Dr. Jonna Alanko’s group (University of Turku) and neural crest cell migration data from Dr. Anestis Tsakiridis (University of Sheffield). The goal of this multidisciplinary PhD project is to establish a new theoretical framework with quantitative predictions for multicellular patterning through self-organized cues.

Elegibility

We’re looking for candidates with at least a 2:1 Honours degree, ideally in Physics, or in related fields such as Applied Mathematics, Quantitative Biology, Computer Science, or Data Science. If you’re interested in this research but unsure about your qualifications, feel free to reach out!

Deadlines

For project 1 applications are accepted all year round. For project 2 the deadline is Wednesday, January 29, 2025.

Sources and more details:

• https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/collective-morphodynamics-in-the-central-nervous-system/?p177755
• https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/self-organized-guidance-in-collective-cell-migration-s3-5-mps-ucar/?p177971