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School of Life Sciences Studentship (Neuroscience) (2025)

What you get

This School-funded position covers ºìÐÓÊÓƵ (UK) tuition fees and a stipend at standard UKRI rates for 3.5 years. Applicants with overseas fee status need to provide evidence of how they will fund the difference between ºìÐÓÊÓƵ and International tuition fees (approx. £20k per year). 

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Project 1

Course: Neuroscience PhD : ºìÐÓÊÓƵ

Supervisors: Prof Claudio R. Alonso & Dr Beth Nicholls

Project Title: The impact of climate change on neural development and function

Project Description:

Climate change is expected to have two main consequences: elevate average global temperatures and increase the likelihood of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and extreme cold. These effects are likely to be particularly acute on species unable to control internal body temperatures, such as insects where climate change can have major consequences on the biochemical functions of the cell. In neurons, for example, communication relies on ion channels, and the molecular conformations of these channels are highly dependent on temperature: how would neural function and behaviour be altered by climate change?

 This project investigates this question focusing on the impact of climate change on the neural generation of movement, a critical, simple and universal form of behaviour. For this we will use Drosophila, the fruit fly, where we can combine precise temperature treatments with an unmatched ability to explore underlying neural mechanisms.

 The project will be structured into three main units. Firstly, we will map the impact of temperature on movement patterns across Drosophila developmental stages (embryos/larvae/pupae/young-old adults) in female/male specimens. For this we will conduct laboratory experiments emulating three realistic conditions: (i) pre-climate change (IPCC 1850-1900 “baseline” temperatures), (ii) current/recent conditions (IPCC period 2011-2025) and (iii) mid-term future (IPCC predictions for 2050-2100). Secondly, we will explore underlying mechanisms by testing the roles of specific non-coding RNAs and proteincoding genes in modulating temperature responses, focusing on molecules with high neural expression. The last unit will seek to determine generality, extending the Drosophila work into the bumble bee Bombus terrestris audax, to examine temperature impact on neural function and behaviour in an economically important organism.

Our work will thus establish the mechanisms and impact of temperature variations on insect movement and survival across key climate periods, developmental stages, ages and sexes advancing current models on the biological impact of climate change on neural development, function and behaviour.

 Contact: Claudio R. Alonso / c.alonso@sussex.ac.uk / /lifesci/alonsolab/

Eligibility

Candidates should have or expect to obtain a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree. An MSc degree will be advantageous. You may also be considered for the position if you have other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing. 

Candidates for whom English is not their first language will require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall or equivalent proficiency - English language requirements 

Applications are particularly welcomed from candidates with protected characteristics – e.g., from Black and other ethnic minorities who are under-represented in postgraduate research at our institution. 

Deadline

25 June 2025 23:45

How to apply

Please submit a formal application via the Postgraduate application system attaching a CV, degree transcripts and certificates, and two academic referees. A research proposal is not required. Instead, please upload a personal statement describing your skills and experience, motivation for Doctoral Research, future goals, and why you are applying to this project. 

On the application system, please select ‘funding obtained’ and complete the text boxes with “as stated in the advert”. Please state the supervisor’s name where required. If you apply to more than one project in the same course, please upload a personal statement for each project and list all supervisors.

Sponsors

 In the School of Life Sciences we strive to understand the mechanisms that drive biological and chemical processes and to develop innovative and diverse approaches to enhance human health, technology and the environment. We undertake multidisciplinary research, teaching and engagement across a wide range of subjects, from Chemistry through Cellular and Molecular Biosciences to Conservation Biology. 

The School comprises five Departments: Biochemistry & Biomedicine, Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Neuroscience, Ecology & Evolution and Chemistry. We also house the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which works to deliver the bench-to-bedside translation of our discoveries. The breadth and depth of our cutting-edge research and innovative teaching practice is delivered by a diverse community who work across boundaries to deliver excellence, engage with real world problems and produce impact. 

We pride ourselves on our world-leading research and have a strong research economy, with approximately 50% of our income stemming from research and an active grant portfolio of over £50 million. We host or form part of three University Centres of Excellence: the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Sussex Neuroscience and Sussex Sustainability Research Programme. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90.6 % of our Biological Sciences outputs and 84.8% of our Chemistry outputs were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We are proud that in both areas, 100% of our Impact cases were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.

The School is committed to the University’s core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and aim to provide a friendly and supportive environment for all who work, study and visit the School of Life Sciences. In recognition of our work in gender equality we are proud to hold an  Silver Award.

Contact us

For queries about the application process, please see the online application guide or contact Emma Chorley: lifesci-rec@sussex.ac.uk 

For enquiries about the project, please contact the supervisor.