Fully-funded PhD Pathology Studentships Michaelmas Term 2026 Start
The Department of Pathology has an excellent reputation in pure biological and biomedical research and is offering fully funded* studentships from October 2026 to work with one of the Research Group Leaders in this large and vibrant Department.
All applications should be made online via the University’s Applicant Portal for a PhD in Pathology (BLPA22). A completed application must be submitted by the closing date below. An application is only complete when all supporting documents, including the 2 academic references, are submitted.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their referees submit their references before the closing date.
The studentships are available to students who qualify for UK HOME FEES ONLY
Please check for eligibility details using this website: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/fees/what-my-fee-status
*Funding will cover the student’s stipend at the current Research Council rate and Home University Fees. The studentship will be funded for 4 years from October 2026.
Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain) the equivalent of a UK upper 2.1 or higher in an undergraduate honours or Masters degree in a relevant subject. The studentship is open to those eligible for the Home rate of University fees. Additionally, the Department requires that by the time of interview all potential students must have fulfilled the language requirements for admission. (http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/blpapdpth/requirements)
Please also explain your motivation why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the qualities and experience you will bring to the role.
Applications from ineligible candidates will not be considered.
Further information about the course can be found here.
Project title: Manipulation of host translation by neurotropic enteric viruses – Dr Valeria Lulla
The Lulla lab is recruiting a motivated and talented PhD student to investigate the manipulation of host translation by neurotropic enteric viruses – enteroviruses and astroviruses.
To establish infection, viruses must repurpose host protein translation to serve the viral protein production. Viruses use different tricks to manipulate host resources to ensure successful replication. We have preliminary data suggesting these processes are differentially regulated in the main sites of infection – the gut and the brain.
This project will explore how translation is organised and manipulated in terminally differentiated cells – the gut epithelia and neurons. You will employ a broad range of molecular virology and cutting-edge technologies, such as single-cell omics, organoid infection models, directed evolution and ribosome profiling, to address fundamental questions of host-pathogen interaction in the tissue-specific environment. Understanding the dynamics of the molecular mechanisms of virus replication will advance the development of accurate models and therapeutic approaches.
This is a great opportunity to advance research on the molecular mechanisms of infection and develop a wide range of technical, computational and communication skills in a vibrant collaborative environment combining 10 virology research laboratories.
Please refer to the lab web page for recent updates: https://www.path.cam.ac.uk/research/virology-division/lulla-group
Closing Date is Wednesday 3rd December 2025
Project title: Neural systems development and cognitive impairments in chromatin-related disorders – a multimodal approach – Dr Kate Baker
Genome-wide diagnostic testing has led to rapid discovery of rare pathogenic variants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This provides a new starting point to discover multi-level mechanisms influencing cognitive development relevant to patients’ lifelong challenges. NDDs arising from pathogenic variants in ~120 chromatin-related genes (CRDs) are individually rare but collectively common, accounting for ~8% of patients with monogenic developmental disorders. The discovery of CRDs yields a major opportunity and challenge for neurodevelopmental science: How does chromatin organisation impact brain development, leading to the complex and variable spectrum of difficulties observed within CRDs?
Our group’s approach is to integrate patients’ deep phenotyping with open-access datasets (clinical, genomic, transcriptomic) to understand how CRDs, collectively, influence brain development and cognition. This PhD will build on current work within our group, in which we have designed and implemented CRD-appropriate phenotyping methods. The PhD will involve collection and analysis of cognitive and neuroimaging (MRI and / or MEG) data from patients with CRD diagnoses, recruited to the BINGO project (https://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/bingo/). The student will select a dimension of the CRD clinical profile (for example language abilities or executive functions), and aim to identify the neural system basis for these specific developmental difficulties within CRDs.
Candidates should have experience of patient-centred research, most likely within neuroscience, psychology or paediatrics. Training will be provided in imaging methods, cognitive neuroscience and genetics, as relevant to the student’s skillset and objectives of their project. There will be opportunities to collaborate with cognitive or cellular neuroscience groups, depending on the student’s research results and future career direction.
Closing Date is Wednesday 3rd December 2025