EASTBIO PhD: Small RNA Regulation in the Prostate
Project 2253 · University of St Andrews · School of Mathematics and Statistics
Application workspace
Save this opportunity and prepare around its actual requirements. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at the original source.
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Application deadline
- 2026-11-16 (confirm the exact time with the source)
- Funding
- EASTBIO's general terms cover the home–international tuition-fee difference for international students who successfully receive an EASTBIO studentship. The available materials record an upper limit of 30% for international awards, but the denominator and scope of application are unconfirmed; this cannot establish a quota for this project or be used to estimate an individual applicant’s probability of success. Individual award and fee status remain unconfirmed; check the admission/funding documents.
The research opportunity
EASTBIO PhD: Small RNA Regulation in the Prostate
Research question and doctoral work
Small-RNA regulation has been less studied in prostate tissue than in other settings, while much of the existing prostate work focuses on cancer. This project proposes to use small-RNA, DNA-methylation and germline-variant data from non-malignant prostate samples from about 200 men. MicroRNAs are the likely focus; snoRNAs and tRNAs may be considered where appropriate. Which samples have matched mRNA measurements, and whether repeated samples represent time points or spatial regions, remain to be confirmed.
The doctoral researcher will model how germline variation, methylation and mRNA expression relate to small-RNA expression, distinguish direct from mediated associations, build a catalogue of regulatory features and test it in published datasets and other tissues. Cancer cells may offer a natural experiment that perturbs inferred networks; this is neither established causal validation nor a requirement to engineer new cells. Repeated samples do not increase the number of independent men, and causal interpretation depends on modelling assumptions.
University, supervisors and training
The University of St Andrews awards the degree, and the advert names its School of Mathematics and Statistics. Supervisors are Professor Andy Lynch, in statistics in bioscience, and Dr Giorgos Minas, a lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics. The School describes full-time research as typically three to four years; the EASTBIO studentship is advertised as four years with interdisciplinary training and a professional placement. Confirm the registered School, placement arrangements and supervision split.
Training includes large-data handling, bioinformatics, high-performance computing, advanced statistics and machine learning, alongside biological interpretation and communication with biology audiences. No specific programming language is listed as a prerequisite. See the School PGR information and EASTBIO training overview.
Eligibility, application and deadline
The advert welcomes applicants with mathematics or statistics training, or a biology background with strong quantitative skills. EASTBIO's usual minimum is a relevant degree at 2:1 equivalent; a master's is not required. Separately, the School's general PGR guidance normally expects a good-to-very-good First-class Honours degree (or equivalent) and a first degree in mathematics, statistics or a very closely related subject. This is a general School-level competitive expectation, not a verified absolute threshold for this project; confirm the registered School and how these criteria apply to a quantitative-biology applicant. The applicable English profile is also unconfirmed: saved guidance distinguishes the general PGR minimum, Profile 7-D (IELTS 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each component), from the usual Mathematics/Statistics Profile 5-D (7.0 overall, 6.0 in each component).
Saved project information gives a deadline of 16 November 2026 for 2027 entry. It does not state a closing time or time zone, and does not establish whether applications are still being accepted. The exact-title current project slot has not been independently confirmed, so contact a supervisor before applying. Applicants may select only one EASTBIO project and should submit the EASTBIO form, EDI response ID, academic records, applicable English evidence and two EASTBIO-template references. The St Andrews portal instruction is to select “PhD with internship.” Interviews were expected in the week of 8 March 2027; this is not an individual invitation. See the EASTBIO application guidance.
For research and dataset questions, contact Andy Lynch at andy.lynch@st-andrews.ac.uk or Giorgos Minas at gm256@st-andrews.ac.uk. Rachel Horn, pgrecbiology@st-andrews.ac.uk, handles registration, English, portal and reference queries.
Funding and points to confirm
This is an EASTBIO competition-funded opportunity open to applicants worldwide. The available materials record an upper limit of 30% for international awards, but the denominator and scope of application are unconfirmed; this cannot establish a quota for this project or be used to estimate an individual applicant’s probability of success. Under EASTBIO's general funding terms, successful international studentship-holders have the difference between home and international tuition fees covered. This general rule does not establish an individual's award or fee status; confirm both in the formal admission/funding documents. £21,805 per year is the 2026/27 UKRI reference rate, not a confirmed personal stipend for 2027/28. Visa and IHS costs are excluded. Confirm the current project slot, four-year award, data and computing access, training and travel budget, and placement support. See the EASTBIO international funding FAQ and UKRI student funding guidance.
Research and application brief
Report generated: . This date does not confirm that recruitment remains open.
Information updated: . Recheck the original notice before applying.
Show report contents
EASTBIO PhD: Small RNA Regulation in the Prostate
Research question and application timing
This advertised EASTBIO competition, closing 16 November 2026 for 2027 entry, combines Professor Andy Lynch and Dr Giorgos Minas with profiles from approximately 200 men, including repeated non-malignant prostate samples.
Its attraction is statistical/biological integration beyond tumour-only datasets.
Its central uncertainty is whether networks can distinguish direct regulation from mediated association. The official mentors and research matched in the saved 23 October 2026 material, but an independent exact-title host advert was not located.
Confirm the slot, dataset access and registration before using the network's single application. EastBio international funding eligibility FAQ EASTBIO 2027 application guidance Andy Lynch current official research profile Giorgos Minas official School profile Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology group
Research work and unresolved problem
The dataset is advertised as small-RNA profiles, methylation and germline variants, covering different ages and multiple samples from some men. The likely focus is microRNAs, with snoRNAs/tRNAs where appropriate. Models incorporate methylation, germline variation and mRNA expression, producing a regulatory-feature catalogue validated in published datasets and assessed across tissues. Cancer cells may serve as a proposed natural experiment perturbing inferred networks; this is not a mandated new cell-engineering programme or established causal validation. Andy Lynch current official research profile Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology group Woodcock et al. (2024) prostate genomic evolution Lleshi et al. (2024) cell-free methylation detection
Small RNA may regulate mRNA while germline, methylation and expression relationships run in several directions. The task is therefore network identification and mediation, with possible study of methylation patterns around small-RNA loci.
Ask which mRNA measurements are matched, whether repeat samples represent spatial regions or time, how biological/technical variation is distinguished, and what assumptions orient network edges.
More tissue samples do not create more independent men. External validation, causal interpretation and cancer-versus-benign generalisation are distinct milestones. Andy Lynch current official research profile Woodcock et al. (2024) prostate genomic evolution Lleshi et al. (2024) cell-free methylation detection Swallow Rand Minas Bayesian oscillatory inference author manuscript
Training includes large-data handling, bioinformatics, high-performance computing, advanced statistics/ML, biological interpretation and presentations to biological audiences. No particular language or prior ML mastery is specified. A useful first-year endpoint would be a defensible analysis/validation question rather than a promise to discover a universal prostate mechanism; agree this with supervisors and establish a fallback if matching metadata or external cohorts are incomplete. Andy Lynch current official research profile Giorgos Minas official School profile Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology group Woodcock et al. (2024) prostate genomic evolution
School, subject and doctoral training
St Andrews awards the degree, with the advertised School of Mathematics and Statistics host. Lynch works across Medicine and Mathematics/Statistics; Minas develops statistical/stochastic biological models. SMMB and mathematical biology provide a concrete interdisciplinary setting, with independently listed prostate small-RNA and inference students from different projects. These examples support mentoring context, not identity with this new slot or a completion rate. School Mathematics and Statistics PGR Statistics postgraduate research environment Andy Lynch current official research profile Giorgos Minas official School profile Mathematical biology group methods and mentoring Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology group
QS 2027 overall 115th is not a subject or lab ranking.
The School describes three-to-four-year full-time research, two academics supervising, original thesis/defence and regular meetings; the School’s general PGR page requires a first degree in Mathematics, Statistics or a very closely related subject, and normally a good to very good first class Honours degree (or equivalent). These School-level criteria must be reconciled with this advert’s quantitative biology route and the still-unconfirmed registration arrangement; neither automatic eligibility for biology graduates nor their blanket exclusion is established.
Statistics offers seminars/reading groups and first-year SMSTC/APTS. GRADskills supports broader research development. SMSTC supplies broad foundational courses; APTS organises four residential weeks through institutional registration.
Confirm fees, travel and 2027 scheduling rather than assuming all published 2026 modules are compulsory or available. EastBio training overview School Mathematics and Statistics PGR Statistics postgraduate research environment QS St Andrews institutional profile GRADskills current 2026 postgraduate development Scottish Mathematical Sciences Training Centre Academy for PhD Training in Statistics
EASTBIO adds interdisciplinary/core training and professional placement within four-year funding.
The advert specifies “PhD with internship” in the St Andrews portal; no CASE partner is named. Clarify the actual registered school, local progress reviews, thesis/viva timing, computing access and how internship fits the research. Generic year-round School admissions do not extend the 16 November funding deadline. EASTBIO 2027 application guidance EASTBIO 2027 CASE recruitment timeline EastBio training overview School Mathematics and Statistics PGR University research application process EastBio professional placements
Supervisors and recent paper evidence
Lynch is Professor of Statistics in Bioscience, at St Andrews since 2017 following 15 years at Cambridge, working on cancer-genomic analysis, uncertainty and design. Minas is Lecturer, appointed in 2018, with Athens mathematics and Warwick statistics MSc/PhD/postdoctoral training; his work spans gene-expression analysis, stochastic models and inference. Their complementary strengths support the proposed quantitative biology, but supervisory cadence and access to biological collaborators still need agreement. Andy Lynch current official research profile Giorgos Minas official School profile Mathematical biology group methods and mentoring Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology group
Woodcock et al., Cell Genomics 2024, studies 159 tumour genomes and proposes evolutionary disease types. Selected results/discussion, limitations and contributions were read. Misclassification, mixed/additional trajectories and predominantly White-European ancestry limit generalisation. Lynch oversaw bioinformatic measurements and shared ICGC project direction; Woodcock/Sahli performed the main analysis, while Wedge initiated/supervised.
This supports prostate-genomic collaboration, not independent proof of the advertised approximately-200-men benign small-RNA dataset or its causal model. Woodcock et al. (2024) prostate genomic evolution
Lleshi et al., iScience 2024, connects cell-free methylation features with cancer detection and tissue/transcriptomic comparisons. Results/discussion and contributions were read. Localised-cancer performance and missing adequate clinical follow-up require larger validation; scores may reflect burden rather than aggressiveness. Lynch supported RNA-seq processing/analysis led by Milne-Clark, who wrote ML code; he was not the sole method developer.
This is relevant methylation/expression integration, not an already validated diagnostic or benign-small-RNA regulatory mechanism. Lleshi et al. (2024) cell-free methylation detection
Swallow, Rand and Minas, early online 2024, Bayesian Analysis 2026 issue, uses phase-corrected linear-noise approximation, sensitivity analysis and tempered Bayesian inference in simulated oscillatory systems. The 2024 author manuscript's simulation results/discussion were read; final publication metadata were independently verified, not the final journal body. Identifiability, temporal resolution, multimodality and poor mixing constrain estimation. Minas is last coauthor; individual roles were not located.
This demonstrates inference expertise, not a requirement that the prostate data oscillate or that this particular algorithm be used. Swallow Rand Minas Bayesian oscillatory inference author manuscript Bayesian Analysis final publication status record
Funding and living costs
Under the general rule in EASTBIO's international funding FAQ, international students who successfully receive an EASTBIO studentship have the difference between home and international tuition fees covered. The available materials record an upper limit of 30% for international awards, but the denominator and scope of application are unconfirmed; this cannot establish a quota for this project or be used to estimate an individual applicant’s probability of success. This general rule does not establish that a particular applicant will win an award or confirm their fee status or package; confirm both in the admission/funding documents. £21,805/year is the 2026/27 UKRI benchmark, not a fixed 2027/28 personal rate.
Visa/IHS are excluded; confirm four-year personal award, computing/data access, course travel and placement support. EastBio international funding eligibility FAQ UKRI student funding support EastBio professional placements
The university's 2026/27 US-loan cost-of-attendance maximum totals £22,713 excluding tuition, comprising rent/utilities/food £14,313, travel £2,000, books/computer £1,200 and personal £5,200 over 52 weeks.
It exceeds the same-year benchmark by £908 but is an administrative maximum, not a typical spend prediction. Published 50-week self-catered standard rooms include £7,062, with food/personal expenses and the remaining weeks separate.
These are not guaranteed availability or 2027 quotes; do not add an accommodation quote on top of a budget already containing rent. PGR cost of attendance 2026–2027 Postgraduate accommodation fees UKRI student funding support
Applicant preparation and language
The advert expects statistics/mathematics or biology with strong quantitative skills; biological engagement is required, and HPC/advanced methods are training. EASTBIO normally requires a relevant 2:1 equivalent, not a compulsory master's. The School is competitive and normally expects a strong mathematical/statistical foundation; clarify assessment of the biology route without inventing a mandatory previous degree or coding language. EastBio international funding eligibility FAQ School Mathematics and Statistics PGR Andy Lynch current official research profile Giorgos Minas official School profile
The saved English rules distinguish PGR minimum Profile 7-D: IELTS 6.5/6.0 each, from the School's normal taught-subject equivalent, Maths/Statistics Profile 5-D: 7.0/6.0 each.
Both saved profiles include One Skill Retake. Ask which applies to this PhD with internship/registered school; do not treat the general minimum or an old statistics booklet as a confirmed offer requirement. Evidence may follow as a conditional-offer requirement. St Andrews postgraduate English profile rules Current St Andrews English profile 5-D Current St Andrews English profile 7-D minimum
Career directions and demonstrable skills
Skills can transfer into statistical genomics, research software, biomedical analysis and academic methods research. Demonstrate a personal analysis, uncertainty judgement and clear biological explanation. Group students/former researchers and training bodies indicate pathways, not guaranteed clinical or pharmaceutical employment. An applicant seeking wet-lab discovery or automatic causal answers should discuss the computational scope. Andy Lynch current official research profile Mathematical biology group methods and mentoring Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology group GRADskills current 2026 postgraduate development Academy for PhD Training in Statistics
Next actions and verification questions
Contact andy.lynch@st-andrews.ac.uk about the current slot, dataset/mRNA matching, repeated samples, causal assumptions and external validation. Ask Rachel Horn, pgrecbiology@st-andrews.ac.uk, about registration, English and the local portal.
Select “PhD with internship”, include EASTBIO form, EDI response ID, academic qualifications/transcripts and English evidence if applicable, plus two EASTBIO-template references by 16 November. Referees can be academic or professional and should not be the project supervisors; they can use the portal's automated request or the specified Rachel mailbox. Minas can be contacted at gm256@st-andrews.ac.uk.
The network permits one project only; extra CVs are disregarded under network guidance, so clarify any generic School upload conflict with Rachel. Interviews are expected in the week of 8 March 2027. EastBio international funding eligibility FAQ EASTBIO 2027 application guidance EASTBIO 2027 CASE recruitment timeline University research application process Andy Lynch current official research profile
Known publication records and author scope
Woodcock et al., Cell Genomics 4(3):100511, online 29 February 2024 and issue 13 March; DOI 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100511. Lleshi et al., iScience 27(7):110330, online 20 June 2024 and issue 19 July. Swallow, Rand and Minas, 2024 author version arXiv 2205.05955v3; early online 18 October 2024, Bayesian Analysis 21(1):371–400, issue 1 March 2026; DOI 10.1214/24-BA1471. These are the records already preserved in the Chinese report, not additional studies or new full-text reading.
Evidence and sources
Evidence dates to 23 October 2026. Recruitment, policy, fees and paper assessments retain those earlier checks; the exact-title current slot remains unconfirmed. Paper contributions and author-version/selected-section reading limits refer to that saved research.
Sources
The listing may come from a university or recruitment platform. Check the notice and official sources in the report for current application requirements. View the recruitment source
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