Funded PhD: Decoding Cancer’s Extracellular Signalling Fields
Posted by mmerino, on 4 November 2026
Location: LIVERPOOL
Closing Date: 27 November 2026
We are recruiting a PhD student to join the Merino Lab at the University of Liverpool through the MRC North West Doctoral Programme in Medical Sciences (NW-DMS), co-supervised with Prof Dan Palmer.
How do liver cancer states become dependent on extracellular signalling?
This project will combine human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue, 3D tumour spheroids and in vivo Drosophila genetics to investigate state-selective dependence on SMOC-regulated extracellular signalling and the fundamental mechanisms that shape morphogen fields.
The project provides an opportunity to move between human cancer biology and mechanistic developmental biology, using complementary approaches spanning spatial signalling, imaging, 3D models and genetics.
The studentship is open to UK and international applicants and is awarded competitively through the MRC NW-DMS programme.
Application deadline: 27 November 2026
Start: October 2027
Interested candidates are very welcome to contact Dr Marisa Merino at marisa.merino@liverpool.ac.uk before applying.
Full project details and application information:
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/mrc-nw-dms-dla-programme-state-selective-dependence-on-smoc-regulated-extracellular-signalling-in-hepatocellular-carcinoma/?p201596
Closing Date: 27 November 2026
Scientific fields: Cell biology, Growth control, Signalling, Patterning
Model systems: Drosophila, Human, Cell culture
Duration: Fixed term
Minimum qualifications: At least an upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.
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