We are a supportive and collaborative interdisciplinary research group based in the Conway Institute and associated with the School of Medicine in University College Dublin. We are broadly interested in understanding how mutations in cancer alter molecular interaction networks and in identifying ways to target these alterations therapeutically. You can read more about our research interests here.
We are always interested in supporting applications for fellowships from applicants with an interest in our research. If you are interested in joining the lab, please send Colm an email with details of your research interests.
For postdoctoral candidates, it’s worth investigating following schemes:
For PhD students:
We currently have funding for a PhD student to join the lab. The PhD studentship will cover EU tuition fees and a tax-free stipend of €22,000 per year. Due to the funding source, this position is only available to students from the EU/EEA/UK/Switzerland. This will be a fully dry-lab role, and we are especially interested in hearing from applicants with a strong background in machine learning, genetics or some combination of the two. We have two potential projects on offer.
Understanding why the mutation of some genes causes phenotypic defects while others are well tolerated is crucial both for understanding the genetic variation observed in human populations and for the development of new therapeutic approaches for inherited disease. Particularly important in this context are gene duplicates (paralogs). Because of their shared origin, pairs of paralogs often perform similar functions and therefore may compensate for each other’s loss. However 80% of Mendelian disease genes have identifiable paralogs. This suggests that the loss of these genes cannot be adequately compensated for by a paralog. The goal of the PhD will be to understand why certain paralogs cause disease when mutated and more generally how paralogs contribute to human genetic robustness. We are particularly interested in integrative/systems approaches to address this.
In recent work we have explored how paralogs influence the response of cancer cells to genetic perturbation (1) and how they shape the evolution of tumour genomes (2). We have also explored, using proteomic approaches, how mutation/deletion of one paralog can alter the abundance of another (3). This PhD project will move beyond cancer to look more generally at the role of paralogs in health and disease.
Applicants should typically have a primary degree in genetics, bioinformatics, or computer science. If you’re not in this category, feel free to send me a mail to discuss.
Expertise in any of the below areas would be a plus:
Please send an email to Colm with CV and Cover Letter. Informal enquiries are also welcome.