Employment Opportunities
PhD studentship at the Dept of Twin Research, KCL
The Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, is looking for a PhD student to examine the genetic epidemiology of age related hearing impairment (ARHI) as well as the influence of methylation in monozygotic twins discordant for ARHI. You will also liaise with Dr S Dawson from the UCL Ear Institute.
You will be based at the Department of Twin Research which is located at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. ARHI is a significant health and social problem, yet compared to other complex traits causing disability, it has been little studied. While the condition is known to be heritable and several environmental factors are recognised, there are many genetic loci yet to be identified and the interplay between genetic variants and the environment has not been fully explored. Healthy volunteer twins form a natural experiment and are amenable to a number of study designs which are among the most powerful investigative tools available. This PhD studentship will build on the existing program of research into hearing loss and allow full exploration of the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to variation in expression of ARHI in older females. Replication of polymorphisms reported as associated with ARHI phenotypes will be performed including recent genome-wide associations. We will then focus on analysis of gene-environment interactions (GxE) using quantitative genetic techniques and discordant twin analysis, and specific GxE of candidate genes, for example, NAT2. Lastly you will be analysing and interpretating novel methylation data and seeing how methylation and epigenetics influence the aging process, both looking at differences within twin pairs and at population effects.
For further information on this studentship please contact Dr Frances Williams
A fully completed application form is requires. Please follow the link to the King’s College Website on http://www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/apply/research.htlm for the application form, eligibility criteria and any other relevant documents. Please not that due to funding availability this post is only open to UK and EU applicants.
Duration: 3 years full time
Closing date: Monday, 18th January 2010
Interviews to be held beginning of February
Reference Number: 09/TRGEU/S-02