PhD in Heredity, Development and Disease - Development in Leeds United Kingdom | University of Leeds

Pursuing a research degree in the Faculty of Biological Sciences allows you to cultivate expertise as an autonomous researcher in your selected discipline. Guided by your principal supervisor and additional co-supervisors, you'll engage in pioneering investigations addressing specific biological challenges while joining a vibrant research network employing diverse methodologies to solve contemporary scientific inquiries. During your doctoral studies, you'll not only deepen your subject-specific expertise but also enhance your capabilities through structured training initiatives, seminar participation, and conference engagements.

Our research team focuses on understanding the regulatory mechanisms that govern development from fertilization to complex adult organisms with sophisticated behaviors. We explore evolutionary and developmental processes, along with their genetic and cellular foundations, using model organisms including Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Tribolium castaneum (IAH, REI, AP, AB), as well as honeybees and aphids (ED). For instance, the rhythmic, clock-like expression of segmentation genes in flour beetles bears remarkable resemblance to regulatory gene patterns observed during the formation of repetitive structures in human development (AP).