MRC CASE PhD studentship in statistical genetics
MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre
Institute of Psychiatry
King’s College London

We have funding for a four year MRC CASE PhD studentship in statistical genetics, in collaboration with Professor David Collier at Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, at Erl Wood, Surrey, UK, to develop methods to integrate biomarkers and genetics in the clinical trials pipeline.  

A major challenge for personalized medicine is to identify biomarkers that predict response to therapeutics. This project will focus on genotype information from Phase II clinical trials, identifying the most promising genetic variants to test further in Phase III trials. This research will establish the characteristics of genetic biomarkers that are both predictive and will translate into an economically successful test.  This PhD research will develop and assess approaches for building biomarker prediction models that have clinical utility.  This presents an exciting opportunity to develop cutting edge tools for the analysis of clinical and genetic data that will be applied to on-going studies.

The studentship is for 4 years full time, from September 2013. It includes home fees and a full maintenance stipend of approximately £18,000 per annum.  The project will be jointly supervised by Professor Cathryn Lewis and Dr Mike Weale (KCL) and Professor David Collier and Dr Bonnie Fijal at Eli Lilly.  The student will be part of the Statistical Genetics Unit at KCL, a thriving research group with twenty researchers, and will have the opportunity to spend at least three months in total at Eli Lilly during the studentship.  

Applicants are expected to have obtained a good undergraduate degree at upper second class honours (2:1) or above.  Students should have an academic background in mathematics or statistics, although those from a life sciences background with strong analytical skills are also encouraged to apply.  Full training in statistical genetics will be provided.  Students should have the ability to work independently, with effective written and oral communication skills.

Before applying, please ensure that you are eligible for MRC PhD studentship funding (http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Fundingopportunities/Applicanthandbook/Studentships/Eligibility/index.htm).  Applicants should be UK/EU nationals and resident in the UK for three years prior to starting the PhD.

For enquiries regarding the PhD, please contact Professor Cathryn Lewis ([log in to unmask])  and see http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/research/pgr/phdstudentships/MRC-CASE-PhD-studentship-in-statistical-genetics.aspx.   

Apply online at https://myapplication.kcl.ac.uk/ choosing the SGDP Traditional PhD programme and quote reference “MRC CASE Lilly”.   Please upload a separate personal statement outlining your suitability and why you are interested in pursuing a PhD in this area (leave the Personal Statement and Research Proposal sections of the form blank). 
Deadline for applications is 9am Monday 25th February.  


Cathryn Lewis 
Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Statistics , King's College London 
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/medicine/research/divisions/gmm/Departments/mmg/researchgroups/clewis/sgu/index.aspx
  
Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, KCL School of Medicine 
Tel: 44-(0)20-7188-2601.  Fax: 44-(0)20-7188-2585 
and 
MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, KCL 
Tel: 44-(0)20-7848-0661, Fax: 44-(0)20-7848-0866 

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