帝国理工学院PhD position in Defining the Immune Functions of Lung Pericytes and Their Dysregulation申请条件要求-申请方
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帝国理工学院
PhD直招介绍
About the Project
A 3 Year Fully-Funded (non-clinical) PhD Studentship at Imperial College London
Expected start date: 01/10/2026
We wish to appoint a non-medical PhD student to carry out a project on the role of pericytes during asthma. Pericytes are structural cells surrounding endothelial cells around blood vessels. Pericyte dysfunction or loss has been documented in numerous cardiovascular disorders such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and cancer. The importance of pericytes during chronic lung diseases such as asthma and COPD remains elusive with very few studies analysing their role.
This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious student to conduct interdisciplinary research using both advanced transgenic mouse models as well as patient samples. The PhD student will be registered at Imperial College in the National Heart and Lung Institute, and the work will be carried at the Hammersmith campus.
The National Heart and Lung Institute, funding this studentship, is located within the Main Campus at South Kensington, the Brompton Campus, and Hammersmith/White City Campus. All students benefit from a full programme of training in research and transferable skills organised through the Graduate School, the quality of which has been recognised several times at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.
The Project
Defining the Immune Functions of Lung Pericytes and Their Dysregulation in Asthma
This persistent inflammation in the airways, along with tissue remodelling and vascular changes, are fundamental components of chronic lung diseases such as asthma. Whilst the inflammatory cascade, including mast cells, eosinophils and Th2 cells, is well established, not much is known about the structural cells supporting the maintenance of blood vessels. Pericytes are mural cells that are directly in contact with the endothelial cells in several tissues, including the pulmonary capillary and post-capillary network. Pericytes’ primary functions are to regulate blood flow, angiogenesis and recent evidence suggests a role in immune surveillance.
The proposed challenging project is to define the role of pericytes in the lungs. Recently, the Joulia lab has demonstrated that upon allergen-induced inflammation, the subsequent immune cell activation leads to pericyte damage and loss of lung vascular function (Joulia et al. JCI 2024). These results strongly suggest that chronic airway inflammation is linked to vascular damage which has major clinical implications. However, the extent of pericyte involvement in the disease pathology is unclear and their immune functions are not well characterised.
Aim of project:
In this project, the PhD student will decipher the role of pericytes in the lungs during asthma. The hypothesis is that pericytes regulate inflammation and tissue organisation by producing chemokines and extracellular matrix (ECM). We will answer the following questions:
What are lung pericytes and how do they interact with immune cells?
Are chemokines and ECM produced by pericytes critical during allergic airway disease?
Where and how do human lung pericytes influence asthma pathophysiology?
This project will employ the latest imaging tools such as single-cell spatial transcriptomics, 3D multiplex confocal imaging and complex mouse models.
Impact:
Pericytes are abundantly present between the vasculature and the airway interface. However, there is limited existing information about them, and exploring their functions during inflammation will not only enable better understanding of the disease but also how to effectively develop pharmacological interventions. These research aims will provide, for the first time, an atlas of pericyte populations and their interactions in health and asthmatic inflammation.
Supervisors:
Dr Régis Joulia, National Heart and Lung Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London (primary supervisor)
Dr. Graeme Birdsey, National Heart and Lung Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London (secondary supervisor)
帝国理工学院 PhD position in Defining the Immune Functions of Lung Pericytes and Their Dysregulation项目有没有奖学金，是不是全奖Phd招生，下面我们一起看一下【大学名称】Phd的奖学金资助情况
项目资助情况
Funding Notes
The award is funded by the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) and available for three years’ full-time study, providing tuition fees (Home rate), stipend (£22,780 per annum) and a small amount of consumables.
For overseas fee-paying students, the fee waived would be at the Home rate and successful applicants will need to pay the difference in the tuition fee if assessed as overseas.
帝国理工学院Phd申请条件和要求都有哪些？PhD position in Defining the Immune Functions of Lung Pericytes and Their Dysregulation项目是不是全奖？有没有奖学金？下面我们一起看一下帝国理工学院申请Phd直招需要具备哪些条件和要求，以及托福、雅思语言成绩要到多少才能申请。
申请要求
Entry requirements
A strong academic track record with a 2:1 or higher in a relevant undergraduate degree, or its equivalent if outside the UK. A Masters in a relevant field (statistics, biostatistics or epidemiology) is desirable. Proven experience/knowledge in one or more of the following is desirable: previous knowledge of immunology and vascular biology with practical experience in imaging, cell culture, flow cytometry and complex data analysis. The lab will provide all the necessary training for each approach. The successful candidate will work in a highly interdisciplinary environment and should be able to work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Following interview, the selected candidate will need to apply and be accepted for a place on the PhD programme at Imperial College London.
The skills gained in lab of the supervisors will be invaluable for the next generation of researchers, especially as bioinformatics becomes essential for modern scientific research. Beyond providing the necessary scientific training, we are committed to equipping the student with key professional skills, including effective presentation, work organisation, and fostering awareness of equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and a positive research environment culture.
Applicants whose secondary level education has not been conducted in English should also demonstrate evidence of appropriate English language proficiency normally defined as IELTS: 6.5 (overall score with not less than 6.0 in any of the individual elements).
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