PhD Studentship: Assessing Environmental Endocrine Disruptors with a Human Thyroid–Liver Organ-on-Chip Platform University of Birmingham in United Kingdom

[Funding covers annual stipend, tuition fees (at home-fee level), and Research Training Support Grant. International students eligible for up to 30% of cohort, but funding does not cover relocation or living costs.]

This PhD studentship at the University of Birmingham offers an exciting opportunity to develop and apply a human thyroid–liver organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platform for the assessment of environmental endocrine disruptors. The project is designed to address the urgent need for physiologically relevant, mechanistic alternatives to animal-based testing in environmental toxicology, focusing on the disruption of thyroid hormone function by chemical pollutants found in air, water, soil, and food chains.

Central to the research is the integration of omics and systems toxicology approaches, enabling the investigation of how environmental chemicals, including complex mixtures, impact thyroid hormone homeostasis. The project will optimise a microphysiological chip to capture hormone production, transport, and metabolism in a human-relevant context, simulating environmentally mediated exposures. Key objectives include developing thyroid organoids with follicular structure and TSH-dependent hormone production, co-cultured with liver organoids capable of phase I/II metabolism and thyroid hormone clearance. These organoids will be integrated into a microfluidic chip to model inter-organ crosstalk and dynamic hormone regulation.

Students will apply panels of environmentally relevant chemicals to the chip, evaluating dose–response effects and mechanisms of thyroid disruption. High-throughput omics technologies such as transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics will be used to characterise molecular responses and identify mechanistic biomarkers of endocrine disruption. The anticipated outcome is a reproducible, mechanistically informative thyroid–liver chip that serves as a New Approach Methodology (NAM) for environmental toxicology, advancing the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in animal use.

Academically, the project will contribute to innovation in organ-on-chip technology, endocrine disruption research, and systems-level toxicology, with opportunities for high-impact publications and international conference presentations. The platform also has significant regulatory and industrial applications, including environmental risk assessment and policy development for pollution control.

The studentship is structured over 3.5 years: the first year focuses on literature review, organoid optimisation, and chip design; the second year involves establishing co-culture models, functional validation, and chemical testing; and the final year emphasises omics integration, systems modelling, regulatory discussions, and thesis preparation. By the end of the PhD, the student will deliver a validated thyroid–liver chip platform for predictive, mechanistically informed assessment of environmental endocrine disruptors.

Funding is provided through the CENTA3 DLA, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and covers an annual stipend, tuition fees (at home-fee level), and a Research Training Support Grant. International students are eligible for up to 30% of the cohort, provided they meet the University of Birmingham’s entry requirements. Note that funding does not cover relocation or living costs.

Applicants should hold at least a 2:1 at UK BSc level or a pass at UK MSc level or equivalent. For further details on international requirements, visit the university’s postgraduate admissions page. The application deadline is 7 January 2027. Interested candidates should apply via the CENTA website, ensuring they meet all eligibility criteria.