PhD opportunity in Leukaemia Immunology & Transplantation group

Now open for applications – close on 28 November 2025 at 1700 hrs

"Inducing leukaemic differentiation to prevent post-transplant relapse"

We are pleased to announce this exciting postgraduate opportunity within the Leukaemia Immunology & Transplantation 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 28 November 2025 at 17:00 hrs

Head shot of Mark Williams

PhD project details

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only curative therapy for many patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML); however disease relapse remains the most common cause of death due to failure of donor T cells to eradicate residual leukaemia. Differentiation induced in AML cells by small molecule inhibitors may promote immunological clearance of residual leukaemia cells. We have shown that particular small molecule inhibitors induce leukaemic differentiation, producing the necessary co-stimulatory molecules and cytokines needed to ensure robust T-cell activation and differentiation. In this project, the student will expand these findings to support their translation into clinical trials.

Mark Williams

Mark is an MRC funded Clinician Scientist who leads the Leukaemia Immunology & Transplantation group and undertakes clinical practice in stem cell transplantation. His goal is to elucidate the mechanisms of immune evasion and devise novel therapeutic strategies to treat or prevent leukaemia recurrence.

Leukaemia Immunology & Transplantation

The group study a blood cancer treatment called allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This is a complex therapy that involves treating patients with chemo/radiotherapy before infusing blood-forming stem cells harvested from a donor. Donor immune cells then eliminate residual leukaemia, a process termed the graft-versus-leukaemia effect. Stem cell transplantation can cure patients with blood cancers that would recur if managed with chemotherapy alone, but disease relapse is common and remains the leading cause of death. We believe that a better understanding of how this treatment works and why it fails will improve transplant outcomes and inform the development of novel immunotherapies for blood cancers.

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.

PhD project details
Mark Williams
Leukaemia Immunology & Transplantation
Being a student at the CRUK Manchester Institute

About you

We are looking for a hard-working, focused, ambitious person to join our friendly, interactive and excellent team. Our laboratory makes use of an extremely broad range of in vitro and in vivo techniques to study interactions between leukaemia and donor immune cells, with the aim of developing novel therapies for patients. Our activities span cutting-edge single cell sequencing and epigenetic approaches, through to murine models, biomarker development and clinical trials. We would be particularly happy to receive applications from individuals with a strong academic track record and Masters-level and/or other laboratory research experience in leukaemia, cancer biology or immunology.

Ready to apply?

To apply for this studentship please complete the online application through our secure PhD Student Recruitment portal, which you can access by clicking the “Apply Now” button.

All applications will be considered equally irrespective of ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender, religion/belief, age and nationality. To help the CRUK Manchester Institute monitor equality, diversity and inclusion, you will be asked to complete and submit an EDI monitoring form during the application process. Equal opportunities information will not be shared and will not form any part of the selection process or divulged to members of the selecting, recruiting or interview panels.

Please ensure you submit your application before 1700 hrs (BST) on the closing date.

Closing date: 28 November 2025

Informal enquiries

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.