Caroline Dean

[4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship; tuition fees covered directly to the University; stipend of £21,805 for 2026/27; Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year.] PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia, based in the Ding laboratory at the John Innes Centre, on how RNA behaves in plant cells during cold conditions. This project focuses on COOLAIR, a family of antisense long non-coding RNAs produced from the FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) locus, a key regulator of vernalization and flowering time in winter annual plants. The student will use cutting-edge plant RNA imaging and advanced fluorescence microscopy to visualise COOLAIR inside Arabidopsis cells and study how different RNA isoforms are spatially organised. The work will investigate changes in RNA localisation under constant and fluctuating winter temperatures, including freezing events, and will use natural genetic variation and mutants affecting COOLAIR transcription and processing to uncover mechanisms of RNA localisation and their impact on FLC regulation and flowering. The project has broader significance for understanding plant adaptation to increasingly variable climates, with relevance to Brassica crops as the FLC/COOLAIR system is highly conserved. Training will be provided in RNA biology, molecular biology, plant genetics, advanced microscopy, quantitative image analysis, and bioinformatics. The successful applicant will join a world-leading plant science research environment and benefit from complementary expertise from Prof Yiliang Ding, Dr Susan Duncan, and collaboration with Prof Caroline Dean. The studentship is a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP award and includes payment of tuition fees, a stipend to cover living expenses, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year. Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, a first-class or 2(i) Honours degree, or equivalent, in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Plant Science, Genetics, or a related discipline. Informal enquiries are welcomed by email. Application deadline: 30 November 2026.