PhD Opportunity: Uncovering enhancer control of blood and cardiovascular development using single-cell multi-omics

We are recruiting a PhD student to join the Mok lab at the University of East Anglia (UK) to investigate how gene regulatory enhancers control cell fate decisions during early vertebrate development.

How do cells acquire their identities during embryogenesis? What determines whether a progenitor cell becomes blood, vascular endothelium or cardiac tissue? This project will address these fundamental questions by combining single-cell multi-omics, computational genomics and experimental embryology.

Using the chick embryo as a model system, the successful candidate will combine the latest multi-omics technologies (single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq), advanced bioinformatics, molecular and cell biology, genome-editing such as CRISPR and high-resolution live embryo imaging to understand how cells acquire their identities during early development and the role of non-coding gene-regulatory elements in fate acquisition during blood and cardiovascular formation.

The student will join a collaborative research environment with expertise spanning developmental biology, genomics and bioinformatics, supervised by Gi Fay Mok, Iain Macaulay, Andrea Münsterberg and Wilfried Haerty across UEA and the Earlham Institute. This PhD is funded by the NRP DTP which allocates funds for a 3-month placement of your choice, travel and attend conferences, training workshops and public engagement events. You’ll be joining a fun and inclusive lab where we are diverse, encouraging and supportive.

We welcome applications from enthusiastic candidates with an interest in developmental biology, gene regulation, single-cell genomics or computational biology. So, please do get in touch if you are interested or share amongst your network!

Funding: BBSRC Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (UK and international applicants eligible)

Application deadline: 30 November 2026

Start date: 1 October 2027

Project details and application:
https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/one-cell-at-a-time-uncovering-enhancer-control-of-blood-and-cardiovascular-fate-using-single-cell-multi-omics-mok_u27dtp/

Informal enquiries: g.mok@uea.ac.uk

Information about the PI/lab: https://research-portal.uea.ac.uk/en/persons/gi-fay-geoffrey-mok