Publisher
source

University of Exeter

PhD Studentship: Sequencing babies: understanding penetrance of childhood epilepsy to inform newborn screening University of Exeter in United Kingdom

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Epileptology

Funding

Available

Deadline

Oct 21, 2026

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Country

United Kingdom

University

University of Exeter

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Keywords

Epileptology
Biology
Neuropsychology
Medical Science
Salud Pública
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Newborn Screening
Genomic
Statistics

About this position

[Four-year MRC-funded studentship with UK/Home tuition fees, a Doctoral Stipend matching the UK Research Council National Minimum (£21,805 per annum for 2026/27, updated yearly), and up to £5,000 per annum for research training and support costs.]

The University of Exeter is offering a PhD studentship through the GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme on “Sequencing babies: understanding penetrance of childhood epilepsy to inform newborn screening.” This project sits within a wider MRC-funded partnership offering up to 18 studentships across biomedical disciplines, with a planned start date of October 2027.

The project addresses an important and fast-moving question in human genomics: as some countries move toward sequencing babies at birth, which genes and variants should be included in newborn genome screening? The successful PhD student will use large clinical and population datasets to study the prevalence and penetrance of variants linked to monogenic epilepsy and other neurodevelopmental disorders. By exploring genotype-phenotype correlations, the work aims to improve understanding of variant-associated risk and provide evidence that can help shape future newborn screening policies.

This is a four-year funded studentship. Funding includes UK/Home tuition fees, a Doctoral Stipend matching the UK Research Council National Minimum (£21,805 per annum for 2026/27, updated annually), and up to £5,000 per year for research training and support costs. The opportunity is open to UK and international students.

Applicants should be interested in biomedical research involving genomics, variant interpretation, and the analysis of large datasets. The project is part of a competitive landscape programme, so candidates will be considered alongside other projects in the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Award cohort.

Application deadline: 21 October 2026.

Institution: University of Exeter

Application link: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=5953

Funding details

Available

What's required

The studentship is available to UK and international students. The project is competition-based within the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Award studentships. No specific degree classification, subject background, or language test requirements are stated in the posting.

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