FULLY FUNDED PhD - Can We Keep Stem Cells Young? Engineering the Glycocalyx to Preserve Stemness

About the Project

To apply, please click institution website.

Project Description

Start date: 01 October 2026

We are seeking enthusiastic candidates to join three fully funded PhD studentships offered at the Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment (CeMi) at the University of Glasgow under the themes Stromal Cell Biology, Stemness, Senescence and Non-Animal Technologies.

The CeMi is a unique multidisciplinary research environment that brings together researchers from the School of Molecular Biosciences and the School of Engineering. Our research is focussed on understanding the interactions between materials, proteins and cells to engineer and control cell behaviour. More about our research can be found at: https://glasgow.thecemi.org/ and https://www.mainstream-hub.org.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold enormous promise for regenerative medicine, yet maintaining their identity and functional health in culture remains a major challenge. Over time, MSCs lose potency, accumulate stress, and drift away from their native state, limiting their clinical potential.

This project will focus on the MSC glycocalyx, the complex, sugar-rich layer coating the cell surface. Glycans form a dynamic interface that responds to environmental cues and regulates how cells sense and interact with their surroundings. In MSCs, emerging evidence suggests that the glycocalyx plays a central role in controlling cell fate decisions and differentiation. However, despite this, glycans remain largely unexplored as targets for actively preserving stemness and cellular health in vitro.

We hypothesise that culture-induced remodelling of the glycocalyx is a key driver of MSC stemness loss. This PhD project will investigate (i) how changes in glycosylation are linked to senescence and loss of stem cell identity, and (ii) how the glycocalyx can be engineered to preserve pluripotency during in vitro expansion. The student will combine cutting-edge approaches in glycoengineering, cell biology, glycomics, and transcriptomics to uncover how specific glycan structures regulate signalling pathways controlling self-renewal, differentiation, and stress responses.

The student will work on a highly interdisciplinary project at the interface of glycobiology and stem cell engineering, offering the opportunity to develop new strategies to stabilise stem cell identity. The successful candidate will contribute to a growing field with strong translational potential, gaining expertise in cell culture, cell engineering, imaging and quantitative analysis, with applications in regenerative medicine and cell therapy.

Eligibility requirements: The student will have obtained, or be expected to obtain, a minimum of an upper second class undergraduate degree in a biological sciences and biomedical engineering (or related) degree. A relevant Masters degree is desirable but not essential. Funding is available for UK/home students only.

To apply please provide a CV and covering letter outlining your suitability and motivation for pursuing this PhD, and the names and contact details of two people we can contact to provide references.

For more information about this project please contact: miguel.pineda@glasgow.ac.uk