PhD opportunity in Stem Cell Biology

We welcome applications to our PhD Programme – apply before the deadline on 6th November 2026 1700 GMT

From Stem Cells to Cancer Immunotherapy: Engineering Human Blood and Immune-Cell Development

We are pleased to announce this exciting postgraduate opportunity within the Stem Cell Biology research group for intake in October 2027!

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 6th November 2026 at 17:00 GMT.

Gloved hands holding a p200 pipette
Images created by electron microscope of blood cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (credit to T.Allen & G.Lacaud).

PhD project details

In this 4-year PhD project, you will investigate how human stem cells make blood and immune cells and use this knowledge to develop new platforms for their scalable production. A particular focus will be the haemogenic endothelium, a specialised population of endothelial cells that generates blood progenitors during embryonic development through the endothelial-to-haematopoietic transition (EHT). You will investigate the developmental signals, culture conditions and molecular pathways that control EHT and determine whether emerging blood progenitors acquire T-cell and other immune-cell potential. By manipulating these pathways, the project aims to improve the efficiency and reproducibility of human blood-cell production and direct differentiation towards immune-cell populations with potential applications in cancer therapy.

Georges Lacaud

Georges is a Senior Group Leader at the CRUK Manchester Institute where he leads the Stem Cell Biology group. His research focuses on the regulation of normal haematopoiesis to better understand the development of leukaemia and other blood cancers. He joined the CRUK Manchester Institute in 2003, and was awarded a Professorship in Stem Cell Biology at The University of Manchester in 2018.

Stem Cell Biology

The Stem Cell Biology group are particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms of development and maintenance of leukaemia and identifying and validating new therapeutic targets. Another focus of their work is to uncover the mechanisms of normal haematopoietic development to recapitulate this process in vitro for the generation of therapeutic immune cells.

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.rnrnThis vital combination of training and support helps our students develop as independent scientists with excellent career prospects.

PhD project details
Georges Lacaud
Stem Cell Biology
Being a student at the CRUK Manchester Institute

Key objectives

This multidisciplinary project sits at the interface of developmental biology, stem-cell engineering and cancer immunotherapy and will provide training in a broad range of cutting-edge technologies. These will include human pluripotent stem-cell and haemogenic endothelial culture, T-cell and immune-cell differentiation, high-dimensional and spectral flow cytometry, functional haematopoietic and immune-cell assays, high-throughput compound and pathway screening, genome engineering, single-cell transcriptomics and multi-omics, and in vivo models. The successful student will join a highly collaborative research environment and contribute to an ambitious programme seeking to understand and engineer human blood-cell fate. Ultimately, the project aims to establish robust and scalable approaches for producing next-generation off-the-shelf immune-cell therapies for both haematological and solid cancers.

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 GMT hrs on the closing date of 6th November 2026.

Any questions? Use this form to contact our student team

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.