The Genetic Epidemiology group at the University of Leicester has a three-year Medical Research Council Capacity-building PhD studentship to start in the 2008/9 academic year. The project will focus on aspects of the design and analysis of large scale genetic association studies. A brief outline of the project is given at the end of this advertisement.
We are seeking individuals either:
(1) with statistics or mathematics backgrounds with an interest in developing methodology for genetic epidemiology studies OR;
(2) with a genetics or bioinformatics background, with some experience of quantitative analyses and an interest in developing skills in quantitative analyses and programming in the context of genetic epidemiology studies
The studentship will be under the supervision of Dr. Martin Tobin and Professor Paul Burton (Departments of Health Sciences and Genetics) and will involve collaboration with researchers in and outside Leicester, thus ensuring a rich research environment at the interface of genetics, statistics and biomedicine. Genetic epidemiology is currently a rapidly growing field with excellent postdoctoral employment opportunities. Further information can be obtained by contacting either Martin Tobin ([log in to unmask]) or Paul Burton ([log in to unmask]).
Capacity-building studentships cover full fees for UK/EU students, a research training support grant and conference allowance, a basic stipend of £12,600 per annum and also a recruitment premium of £2,000 per annum (see http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ for further information). The studentship is available to candidates who can demonstrate a relevant connection to the United Kingdom.
Applicants should send a statement of interest (no more than 1 page) and a CV with details of two referees to:
Dr Martin Tobin,
MRC Clinician Scientist Fellow
Genetic Epidemiology Group,
Departments of Health Sciences & Genetics,
2nd Floor,
Adrian Building,
University of Leicester,
University Road,
Leicester LE1 7R
Tel: 0116 2297270
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://tinyurl.com/2yglgn
The closing date for applications is Thursday 12th June 2008.
Project outline
Over the last year, genome-wide association studies have provided significant advances in the understanding of the causes of many common diseases. However, the novel genetic variants so far discovered account for only a tiny proportion of the heritability of these diseases, and much remains to be done to understand the genetic contributions to common diseases. Recent studies have also revealed previously unrecognized small scale structural variation in the human genome which may account for some of the genetic influences on disease risk and which, if not modeled appropriately, may obscure associations due to common variants in the sequence of the genome ("SNPs"). Genetic technologies are being developed to capture more comprehensively information about genomic variation.
The next generation of genetic association studies will require new approaches to the design and analysis of studies, including appropriate modelling of the structure of the genome and of data generated by the next generation of genetic assays. This project will focus on some relevant aspects of the analysis and design. Specifically, there will be opportunities to develop, test, and apply new methods to genome-wide datasets of one or more common diseases. The aim of such methods will be to improve the power to detect genomic variants that influence common diseases.
We welcome applications from students with backgrounds in either genetics or statistics/mathematics or related subjects. We would not expect applicants to be already familiar with genetic epidemiology. The studentship provides an excellent opportunity to initiate a career in genetic epidemiology or statistical genetics, and a willingness to develop new and complimentary knowledge and skills is essential.
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