Molecular mechanisms of DNA repair

• Primary Supervisor: Dr Matthew Day
• Co-supervisor(s):  Dr Roberto Bellelli
• Studentship Funding: Awaiting CSC Funding Decision
• Application Deadline: 28^th January 2026
• PhD Programme: PhD Biological Sciences  
  
  

Project Overview 

This PhD project will focus on elucidating molecular mechanisms of DNA repair in human cells, with particular emphasis on how multi-protein complexes recognise, signal, and repair DNA damage to maintain genome stability. Defects in DNA repair pathways are a major contributor to cancer and other genetic diseases, making this a critical area of study. The project will investigate key repair proteins and their interactions, including scaffold proteins that coordinate the recruitment and activation of repair factors at sites of DNA damage. Ultimately, this work aims to define the molecular principles governing DNA repair, providing a foundation for understanding how genomic integrity is preserved and how its failure contributes to disease.

Using an integrated structural biology approach, you will employ cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and computational modelling (AlphaFold), alongside complementary biophysical techniques to characterise the structure, dynamics, and function of DNA repair complexes, revealing mechanistic insights into complex assembly and regulation before validating these interactions inside cells. By combining structural, biophysical, and computational approaches, alongside validation of these mechanisms inside cells, you will gain comprehensive insight into DNA repair mechanisms, with potential implications for the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting genome maintenance pathways in cancer.

Research Environment

The Day Lab (Blizard Institute) provides access to advanced structural biology facilities for protein production, biophysics (e.g. fluorescence polarisation, ITC, SEC-MALS, X-ray crystallography), and protein and nucleic acid biochemistry. We also have an in house cryo-EM facility, with high-resolution data collection via the LonCEM consortium and computational support from QMUL’s high-performance cluster. The Bellelli Lab (Barts Cancer Institute) offers facilities for mammalian cell culture, CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, and a broad range of cell and molecular biology approaches, supported by advanced microscopy and flow cytometry platforms. The PhD student will receive comprehensive training across these complementary techniques.

Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.

Keywords: DNA repair, Genomic stability, DNA damage response, Cell cycle control, CryoEM, in silico modelling

Funding & Eligibility

Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary.  Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.

Applicants must:

• Be applying for CSC funding.
• Be a citizen and permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China and hold a Chinese passport.
• Satisfy all eligibility criteria set out by the CSC and must refer to the CSC website for full details.
• Apply to QMUL by 28^th January 2026. Late applications will not be considered.
• Submit ALL required documentation, including evidence of their English Language ability ahead of the CSC application deadline.

CSC application rules differ slightly for domestic applicants (students applying from China) and overseas applicants (students applying from overseas). Therefore, ALL applicants are advised to see the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship. 

Entry Requirements

We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Cell Biology or Cancer Studies.

Knowledge of bacterial and eukaryotic protein expression, protein purification, CryoEM, and protein-DNA structure analysis would be highly advantageous but are not required.

You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 1^st March 2026. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.

Please find further details on our English Language requirements page.

How to Apply

Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 28^th January 2026 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.

Applicants are required to submit the following documents:

• Your CV
• Personal Statement
• Evidence of English Language e.g.) IELTS Certificate
• Copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
• References 

Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.

Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Matthew Day

Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk 

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.

Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.

For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.

Apply online