Applications Closed – PhD opportunity (#2) in Cancer Dynamics group

Update 7th April – Applications are now closed

"Establishing the impact of cellular and tissue context on malignant transformation"

We are pleased to announce another exciting postgraduate opportunity within the Cancer Dynamics research group for intake in October 2026!

We welcome applications from enthusiastic and ambitious candidates with a strong academic track record to our PhD programme. Applicants should hold or expect to graduate with a First or minimum upper-second class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent from a non-UK university) in a relevant subject and Masters-level and/or other laboratory research experience in cancer. Laboratory research experience as part of, or outside of, a university degree course or a Master-level degree in a relevant subject is advantageous but is not a conditional requirement in making an application.

Applications close on 6 April 2026 at 17:00 hrs BST

How to submit a PhD studentship application
Photograph of Professor Samra Turajlić
Representative MIF images of TRACERx Renal tumor samples with high wGII

PhD project details

The Cancer Dynamics group spans basic, translational and clinical science and study both tumour initiation and progression in the context of renal cell cancer and melanoma.

Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) fully retain the patient’s genotype and can differentiate into multiple tissue lineages. Using these iPSCs, we aim to model tumour initiation in vitro across relevant lineages for individual VHL patients.

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Samra Turajlić

Samra is the Director of Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, a Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Christie and also leads the Cancer Dynamics research group. They apply evolutionary principles to predict the trajectory of individual cancers by studying the forces that shape cancer evolution with the aim of using this knowledge to improve patient outcomes.

Samra Turajlić

Cancer Dynamics

Cancer Dynamics are a multi-disciplinary group of cancer geneticists, computational biologists and clinician scientists who use methods from evolutionary biology to understand the variable natural history of individual cancers, and most critically the emergence of metastases and drug resistance. rnrnThey focus on two cancers, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which is the most common type of kidney tumour, and melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer.

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Being a student at the CRUK Manchester Institute

Here at the CRUK Manchester Institute, our postgraduate students enjoy a supportive environment, while having the opportunity to sink their teeth into a challenging project alongside receiving tailored training in transferable and generic skills.
This vital combination of training and support helps our students develop as independent scientists with excellent career prospects.

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PhD project details
Samra Turajlić
Cancer Dynamics
Being a student at the CRUK Manchester Institute

Research questions

  • Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) fully retain the patient’s genotype and can differentiate into multiple tissue lineages. Using these iPSCs, we aim to model tumour initiation in vitro across relevant lineages for individual VHL patients.
  • Through these models, we seek to elucidate the mechanisms by which specific classes of germline VHL variants determine the tissue specificity of tumour development.
  • The project will involve emerging methods in iPSC differentiation and genome engineering. These methods could then be applied in other cancer predisposition settings.

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Why choose Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute?

The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, an Institute of The University of Manchester, is a world-leading centre for excellence in cancer research. The Institute is core funded by Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org),
the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world.

We are partnered with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe, which is located adjacent to the CRUK MI Manchester Institute in South Manchester. These factors combine to provide an exceptional environment in which to pursue basic, translational and clinical research programmes.

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