Join us
Membership of the Centre is open to principal investigators (and members of their research groups) with a core interest in structural molecular biology in its widest sense. For the purposes of Centre membership, principal investigators are defined as tenured or tenure-track academic members of staff, or holders of externally-funded independent fellowships of equivalent status, at the University of Leeds.
If you are interested in joining please get in touch! Researchers interested in joining us will be invited to discuss membership with the Director, before submitting a formal application that is considered by the Astbury Executive committee. Please contact Lucy Gray for more details.
Postgraduate PhD Programmes
Opportunities to study for a PhD or Masters degrees in the Astbury Centre exist for high quality students. Staff in the Astbury Centre are involved in a number of programmes to provide funding for PhD study:
- We are part of a highly successful BBSRC-funded Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) in Mechanistic Biology (https://www.whiterose-mechanisticbiology-dtp.ac.uk/) with partner Universities in the White Rose consortium. Places are available for candidates with at least a 2.1 degree in any Biological Science, Chemistry, Physics or Related Disciplines. The programme is focussed on important biological questions within the BBSRC’s remit, and will train students in the wide range of techniques in cell biology, biological chemistry and biophysics that are needed to push back the frontiers in these topical areas. Students undertake a full research project selecting from the wide range of topics offered each year by the programme’s supervisors. Students usually devote themselves to their projects for four years, although shorter times may be appropriate for students with a Masters degree in the same area of research after discussion with supervisors. Students receive practical training during their study and gain a deep understanding of modern techniques, their principles and applications through courses and through the Annual Astbury Research Retreat.
- We are also part of an MRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) “Discovery Medicine North (DiMeN)” (http://www.dimen.org.uk/) with partner Universities in the Northern Health Sciences Alliance. Utilising the combined expertise of four world-leading institutions, the Discovery Medicine North (DiMeN) partnership will train the next generation of researchers to tackle the major health problems facing the population. The partnership provides up to 30 fully-funded studentships across the partnership per year, focussing on the complementary themes of: Genetic Influences on Health, Ageing and Disease and Bioinformatics and Personalised Medicine. The programme provides training ranging from single molecule studies to patient studies, and provides training in cutting-edge technologies using state-of-the-art facilities.
- CASE awards. These awards provide funding for PhD study which includes a period spent in industry. Details of specific CASE funded projects will be posted on this site and may also be found either at FindAPhD or phd.leeds.ac.uk.
- Other funding. Some PhD studentships may be available funded by other research councils (EPSRC etc) or by research charities. These will be advertised either at FindAPhD or phd.leeds.ac.uk - contact individual supervisors for details.
Research Fellowships
The Astbury centre actively encourages scientists wishing to apply for their own funding to undertake research at Leeds. There is a wide range of funding opportunities for research fellows, some of which are summarised here.
We recognise this is a very important stage of your career and therefore the Astbury Centre can provide support to help develop your application. We will provide effective mentoring throughout the application process and provide a stimulating research environment for your subsequent integration and development during the fellowship. Visit the fellows page to see our current independently funded fellows.
Postdoctoral Opportunities
Opportunities for postdoctoral researchers often exist within the Astbury Centre. These posts will be advertised nationally in scientific journals and on websites. The following links may be helpful:
In addition, informal enquiries can be made to individual to any of the PIs at any time. We also welcome applications from postdocs wishing to come to the Centre funded by independent fellowship schemes and can offer help and advice in completing such applications.