4 Year GTA - A Biophysical Approach to Uncovering Mechanisms of Circadian Rhythm Regulation

About the Project

Open to UK applicants only

The School of Chemistry has fully-funded Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) studentships available for UK applicants, starting in September 2026.

The opportunities allow successful candidates to pursue their passion for research in the chemical sciences, alongside developing their skills as chemistry lecturers and educators of the future. This includes working toward gaining recognition as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

The GTA involves laboratory demonstrating and other teaching responsibilities in term time, with approximately 80% of your time dedicated to research across the calendar year. These are 4-year positions that include an annual stipend and salary package, full UK tuition fees, and a research and training grant.

Project Highlights

• The project will draw on principles of ligand substitution in inorganic chemistry to explain haem exchange between protein partners.
• Acquisition and assignment of NMR spectra for protein–haem complexes.
• Advanced biophysical approaches—including optical tweezers, small-angle X-ray scattering, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy—will be applied to further elucidate mechanisms of haem-modulated protein activity.

Description

Haem is a small organometallic cofactor that plays a central role in many aspects of cellular biology. Traditionally, its function was considered to be largely confined to haemoproteins, where it acts as a tightly bound prosthetic group. However, emerging evidence has broadened this view considerably. Haem is now recognised to participate more dynamically in cellular processes, acting transiently to modulate the activity and behaviour of a wider range of proteins.

Our research focuses on the protein, PERIOD, a core component of the circadian clock responsible for maintaining 24-hour biological rhythms. PERIOD is capable of binding haem at both its N-terminal and C-terminal domains, yet the functional significance of this interaction in circadian regulation remains unclear. We hypothesise that haem binding induces substantial conformational changes in PERIOD, thereby altering its interactions with other core clock proteins that define circadian timing.

The primary objectives of this project are to characterise the interaction between haem and PERIOD, and to determine the resulting structural and dynamic changes in the protein. Because PERIOD function depends on heterodimer formation with another protein, CRYPTOCHROME, we will also investigate how haem binding influences this key protein–protein interaction.

Our experimental approach will combine a range of biophysical techniques. Haem binding to PERIOD will be quantified using isothermal titration calorimetry and complementary spectroscopic methods. Structural and conformational dynamics will be characterised using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).

The project will provide training in protein expression and purification, as well as in advanced spectroscopic techniques, including NMR data acquisition and assignment. It will also involve access to major research infrastructures in the UK for EPR measurements, and in Europe—including MAX IV (Lund) and the ESRF (Grenoble)—for SAXS experiments. In addition, the project will leverage advanced biophysics instrumentation in Leicester for single-molecule studies, including a Lumicks C-Trap, multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy.

By elucidating how haem modulates the function of a core circadian protein, this work aims to uncover a broader regulatory role for haem in biology—extending beyond circadian timekeeping to processes such as immune function, neurodegeneration, ageing, gas sensing, and ion-channel gating.

Applicants for this PhD should have a strong interest in spectroscopy and other quantitative physical measurement techniques, and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemistry and the life sciences.

Project enquiries Professor Andrew Hudson ah242@le.ac.uk

Application enquiries to Dr Richard Doveston r.g.doveston@leicester.ac.uk(Postgraduate Admissions tutor for the School of Chemistry)

To apply please refer to the application advice and use the application link at https://le.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/funded-opportunities/chemistry-gta

Start 21 September 2026

Funding Notes

GTA Studentships provide funding for 4 years to include:

• Tuition fees at UK rates
• A combined teaching and stipend payment (for 2026/7 this will be £21,805 per year, paid in monthly instalments)
• Research training support grant (RTSG)