The Francis Crick Institute
1 week ago
PhD in In Situ Structure of the Replication Machinery in a Vertebrate Nucleus The Francis Crick Institute in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Biochemistry
Funding
Funded PhD project. Successful applicants will receive a non-taxable annual stipend of £27,715 plus payment of university tuition fees. Students of all nationalities are eligible to apply.
Deadline
Nov 2, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
University
The Francis Crick Institute

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About this position
PhD opportunity at The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
This funded PhD project with Dr Alessandro Costa focuses on the in situ structure of the replication machinery inside a vertebrate nucleus. The project sits at the intersection of molecular biology, biochemistry, and structural biology, with a strong emphasis on DNA replication initiation, chromatin-associated replication complexes, and the structural mechanisms that control replication once per cell cycle.
The research aims to understand how the eukaryotic replication machinery assembles and activates in metazoan cells, using methods that preserve the intact replication environment. The student will work with correlative microscopy, cryo-FIB milling, cryo-tomography, fluorescence microscopy, and the Xenopus egg extract system. The project also includes a substantial computational component involving cryo-tomogram reconstruction, subtomogram averaging, and atomic modelling.
Training will include expression and purification of eukaryotic proteins, fluorescent labelling, reconstitution of replicating nuclei, and validation experiments using site-directed mutagenesis and fluorescence-based DNA duplication assays. This is a strong fit for applicants interested in fundamental cellular processes, DNA replication, and advanced structural methods.
Eligibility highlights: experience in molecular biology and biochemistry is required; prior knowledge of cell biology, cryo-electron microscopy, or coding is helpful but not essential.
Funding: fully funded PhD with an annual non-taxable stipend of £27,715 plus university tuition fees. Students of all nationalities may apply.
Application note: the post includes a lab-specific question asking applicants to describe a moment when understanding a molecular mechanism changed how they viewed a biological process.
Location: London, United Kingdom.
Funding details
Funded PhD project. Successful applicants will receive a non-taxable annual stipend of £27,715 plus payment of university tuition fees. Students of all nationalities are eligible to apply.
What's required
Suitable for a student with a keen interest in molecular mechanisms of fundamental cellular processes. Experience in molecular biology and biochemistry is required. Knowledge of cell biology, cryo-electron microscopy, and/or coding is not necessary but will be an advantage.
How to apply
Review the project details and prepare an application for the 2027 Crick PhD project. Address the lab-specific question in your application and submit through the FindAPhD/Crick application route.
More information can be found here
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