Grant Wheeler

[Fully funded 4-year PhD CASE studentship with Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership and Inspiralis Limited. Includes full tuition fees, annual stipend (£20,780 for 2025/6), and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year.] This fully funded PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia offers an exciting opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of human neural induction using pluripotent stem cells. The project, supervised by Professor Grant Wheeler and Dr Tim Grocott, aims to model how a healthy nervous system forms in the embryo—a fundamental question for understanding human development, evolution, and the origins of congenital defects and miscarriage. Due to the inaccessibility of human embryos at the implantation stage, the project leverages in vitro models where pluripotent stem cells self-organise into neural tissues. The research will explore how waves of coordinated cell differentiation drive neural induction, using a combination of live time-lapse imaging, molecular analyses, and, optionally, computational modelling. The project is highly interdisciplinary, providing training in molecular, stem cell, and developmental biology, advanced microscopy, and bioinformatics, with the possibility to develop skills in computer modelling. The successful candidate will join a vibrant developmental biology laboratory and become part of the Norwich Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Network, collaborating with other research groups. The studentship is part of the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP), which offers a comprehensive four-year PhD experience, including a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS) to enhance professional development. The funding package covers full tuition fees, an annual stipend of £20,780 (2025/6 rate), and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year. The project is a CASE studentship in partnership with Inspiralis Limited. Applicants must hold at least a UK equivalent Bachelors (Honours) degree with a minimum 2:1 classification and meet English language requirements (IELTS 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each category). The start date is 1 October 2026, and the application deadline is 2 December 2025. For more information or informal enquiries, candidates are encouraged to contact Prof. Grant Wheeler or Dr Tim Grocott. Application details and eligibility criteria are available on the NRPDTP website. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in early February 2026.