Genomics PhD

Genomics is the study of genomes, the complete complement of genetic material in each cell of an organism, and it lies at the heart of many of our research programmes in biology, medicine and health. Our research covers genomic structure, function and evolution, employing on-going developments in high-throughput experimental techniques such as next-generation sequencing.<br/><br/>Our PhD/MPhil Genomics programme enables you to undertake a research project in an aspect of genomics that will advance the field. We have many international experts in genomics at Manchester and cutting edge facilities to enable your research.<br/><br/>Our facilities enable genome sequencing for individual or population studies, genome engineering, single cell analyses, as well as high-throughput functional assays such as RNA-Seq that can characterise and quantify the RNA products found in cells or tissues, and epigenomic assays to identify chromatin modifications. Data from these applications provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand how the genome encodes the function of cells, tissues and organisms. Our genomics PhD students are using these genomic technologies and data to tackle major problems in biology, medicine and health research. <br/><br/>In the field of Genomic Medicine, Manchester has one of the UKs leading centres for genomic medicine as part of the internationally pioneering 100,000 Genomes Project. Our researchers such as Professors Bill Newman and Graeme Black have identified numerous genes associated with a variety of genetic diseases and have been at the forefront of developing next generation sequencing technologies for molecular diagnosis throughout the NHS.<br/><br/>Manchester also has considerable expertise in computational and molecular bioscience where our experts undertake big data analysis and develop software, algorithms and pipelines for application in biology and biomedicine, as well integrating advanced techniques for studying relevant molecules. This includes world leaders in non-coding RNA biology ( Professor Sam Griffiths-Jones ), evolutionary genomics ( Professor Daniela Delneri ) and proteomics ( Professor Simon Hubbard ), as well structure prediction and modelling of the effects of genetic variations of protein structure and function ( Professor Simon Lovell ).<br/><br/>Our Evolution, systems and genomics domain has 130 research groups associated with it, with almost 700 researcher members and approximately £50 million in live grant funding at any one time. With such a diversity of expertise you are guaranteed to find an expert subject supervisor for your research, as well as being immersed in a vibrant, diverse and supportive environment.