PhD Studentship: Understanding the Function of NFXL1: A Transcription Factor Implicated in Speech and Language Development

3 Year, full-time PhD studentship (Nigel Groome Studentship)

Eligibility: Home UK/EU and International applicants

Bursary p.a.: Bursary equivalent to UKRI national minimum stipend plus fees (current 2023/24 bursary rate is £18,622)

University fees and bench fees: University fees and bench fees will be met by the University for the 3 years of the funded Studentship. Visa and associated costs are not funded. International applicants can visit https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/isat/ for further information.

Closing date:  26 January 2024

Interviews: Tbc

Start date:  September 2024

Project Title: Understanding the function of NFXL1: a transcription factor implicated in speech and language development

Director of Studies: Dr Barbara Jennings

Supervisors: Prof Dianne Newbury; Dr Esther Becker (University of Oxford).

Requirements:

Entry requirements: Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. EU Applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.5 to 7.0 and no score below 6.0 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre. 

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs of teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.

Project Description:

Previous studies revealed that the NFXL1 gene is associated with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in human populations. NFXL1 is highly expressed in the cerebellum of the brain and is predicted to encode a transcription factor. Although there is an association of NFXL1 with language acquisition in humans, it is conserved across evolution to fruit flies (Drosophila) where it is expressed in a subset of cells in the developing brain. This observation indicates a common role for NFXL1 in brain development across evolution, justifying further investigation in established model organisms including Drosophila and mice. 

To date, there has been very little characterization of NFXL1. The aim of this project is to determine how NFXL1 functions in the developing brain. The student will take advantage of genetic tools available to rapidly study NFXL1 function in Drosophila and bioinformatic approaches to investigate these functions in mammals.

This PhD project will involve work with a multi-disciplinary team. Barbara Jennings will direct studies in Drosophila, taking advantage of existing genetic tools to analyze NFXL1 function at the molecular level. Dianne Newbury will supervise bioinformatic analyses of the temporal and spatial expression of NFXL1 and the identification of target genes in the developing human brain. Esther Becker will supervise investigations in the developing mouse cerebellum providing mammalian insight at the organism and cellular level. The project will also be supported by staff in the Oxford Brookes Centres for Functional Genomics and Bioimaging. 

Contact: [email protected]

How to apply: Applicants should visit the project webpage to download instructions on how to submit an online application, under 'How to apply' button on the Oxford Brookes vacancy page. You will be routed to this when you click on the above “Apply” button. Enquiries about the application process can be sent to: [email protected]

Advertised competitively alongside our current Nigel Groome PhD studentship advertisements for Biological and Medical Sciences. Part time MPhil/PhD study will be exceptionally considered (Home Fee status applicants only).