About the Project
Could what we eat reshape the crosstalk between our gut, muscles and heart as we age? This exciting PhD harnesses cutting-edge metabolomics to decode the nutrition-gut-muscle-heart axis, uncovering biomarkers of healthy ageing and novel targets to prevent age-related cardiovasucal and cardiometabolic disease.
Background and rationale
Ageing brings profound changes in body composition, muscle strength (sarcopenia) and cardiovascular function, and diet is one of the most powerful modifiable factors shaping these trajectories. Growing evidence points to a bidirectional "gut-muscle-heart axis", in which nutrients and gut-microbial metabolites (such as short-chain fatty acids, bile acids and trimethylamine-N-oxide) influence muscle metabolism, anabolic resistance and cardiac health. How these signals integrate across organs during ageing remains poorly understood.
Aims
This project will characterise how nutrition and gut-derived metabolites regulate the muscle-heart connection across the lifespan, and identify molecular signatures of healthy versus accelerated biological ageing. The goal is to reveal mechanistic pathways and candidate biomarkers that could underpin new dietary and therapeutic strategies for age-related disease.
What you will do
You will apply state-of-the-art untargeted and targeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS) and quantitative biomarker analysis to biological samples (e.g., plasma, skeletal muscle, faecal and cardiac material from established human cohorts and/or pre-clinical models), integrating multi-omic datasets using advanced bioinformatics and machine-learning approaches.
You will be collecting data from partipcaitn across and healthy and disease population, set up experiments, generate and analyse data, and interpret findings in the context of nutrition, physiology and biology.
Training and collaboration
You will join a vibrant, multidisciplinary team spanning nutrition, metabolism, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular science, with access to world-class mass spectrometry and bioinformatics facilities. You will receive comprehensive training in analytical chemistry, omics data science, statistics and scientific communication, and benefit from collaborations across the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and external partners. Full researcher-development and transferable-skills training is provided.
Project structure
Year 1 focuses on training in metabolomics/proteomics workflows, study design and a focused literature review, alongside pilot data generation. Years 2-3 are dedicated to core experimental work, multi-omic data integration and independent research leading to high-impact publications and thesis chapters. Throughout, you will present at group meetings and international conferences and contribute to public engagement.This is an outstanding opportunity for an ambitious, internationally-minded student to build a competitive, cross-disciplinary skill set at the interface of nutrition, omics technologies and ageing research.
Criteria
A first or upper second-class UK honours degree (2:1 or above), or international equivalent, in a relevant discipline (e.g., biochemistry, nutrition, physiology, biomedical/biological sciences, pharmacology or analytical chemistry); a relevant Master’s degree is desirable. We welcome motivated candidates with an interest in metabolomics, proteomics and ageing biology - laboratory and/or data-analysis experience is advantageous. International applicants must meet the University’s English language requirements (typically IELTS 6.5 overall, or equivalent).
In the first instance, please email your CV, a cover letter, and the project title and reference number (FindAPhD ref: p169718) to Dr Masoud Isanejad at M.Isanejad@liverpool.ac.uk. Informal enquiries are warmly welcomed. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit a formal application through the University of Liverpool Application Portal; informal applications are reviewed by the supervisory team before a formal application is requested.
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