Available
Project number:
2025_57
Start date:
October 2025
Project themes:
Main supervisor:
Professor of Molecular and Digital Pathology
Co-supervisor:
Dr Christopher Banerji
Additional Information:
Differential geometry for explaining and simulating cellular processes
Background
Cellular differentiation is vital for embryonic development and tissue maintenance, with abnormalities contributing to various diseases, including cancer. This process involves shifts in intracellular transcriptomic dynamics, which can be modelled to simulate biological phenomena like disease progression and treatment responses. C.H. Waddington's 1939 geometric framework illustrated how cells change fate by navigating a landscape of potential energy. Recently, we have applied tools from discrete differential geometry, including Ricci curvature and Ricci flow to simulate and predict gene expression changes during cellular differentiation1,2.
Novelty & Importance
This PhD project seeks to develop these methods for predicting and simulating patient-specific molecular changes during healthy and pathological processes. This research is significant for precision medicine, biomarker discovery, and developing in-silico clinical trials, especially for rare diseases where traditional clinical trials are limited. The ability to simulate realistic molecular dynamics can aid in therapy prioritization and improve treatment outcomes.
Aims & Objectives
The project will explore various aims driven by the candidate’s interests, including:
Enhancing predictions of molecular dynamic trajectories through different formulations of discrete Ricci curvatures and geometric flows.
Developing frameworks to compare dynamic trajectories for biomarker identification using time-varying weighted graph methods.
Investigating the relationship between discrete Ricci curvature and entropy to improve simulation accuracy.
Applying these approaches to various biological contexts, such as tumour progression, treatment responses, and regenerative medicine, ultimately aiming to create digital twins for gene regulatory networks and transcriptomic dynamics.
We are now accepting applications for 1 October 2025
How to apply
Candidates should possess or be expected to achieve a 1st or upper 2nd class degree in a relevant subject including the biosciences, computer science, mathematics, statistics, data science, chemistry, physics, and be enthusiastic about combining their expertise with other disciplines in the field of healthcare.
Important information for International Students:
It is the responsibility of the student to apply for their Student Visa. Please note that the EPSRC DRIVE-Health studentship does not cover the visa application fees or the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) required for access to the National Health Service. The IHS is mandatory for anyone entering the UK on a Student Visa and is currently £776 per year for each year of study. Further detail can be found under the International Students tab below.
Next Steps
- Applications submitted by the closing date of Thursday 30 January 2025 will be considered by the CDT. We will contact shortlisted applicants with information about this part of the recruitment process.
- Candidates will be invited to attend an interview. Interviews are projected to take place in March 2025.
- Project selection will be through a panel interview chaired by either Professor Richard Dobson and Professor Vasa Curcin (CDT Directors) followed by informal discussion with prospective supervisors.
- If you have any questions related to the specific project you are applying for, please contact the main supervisor of the project directly.
For any other questions about the recruitment process, please email us at
