Cell Matrix Research PhD – (M.Phil.)

PhD programmes are based on individual research projects that last 3 or 4 years, working with a specific academic supervisor (principle investigators). Applicants are specifically matched with a principle investigator based on their research interests and background.

The molecular mechanisms that determine survival, differentiation and movement in multicellular organisms are dependent on interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Cells in tissues are structurally and functionally integrated with their surrounding ECM via numerous dynamic connections. On the intracellular face of these linkages, adhesion receptors tether the contractile cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane and compartmentalise cytoplasmic signalling events, while at the extracellular face, the same receptors direct the deposition of the ECM itself. Such membrane-proximal functions in turn trigger distal processes, such as alterations in the direction of cell movement and the regulation of cell fate, and the construction of ECM networks and consequent shaping of higher order tissue structure. An understanding of the molecular events that underpin ECM function would therefore help elucidate some of the key organising principles of multicellular life.