Machine Learning approaches to infer the regulation of cell division
- Primary Supervisor: Dr Peter Thorpe
- Co-supervisor(s): Dr Radu Zabet
- Studentship Funding: Awaiting CSC Funding Decision
- Application Deadline: 29th January 2026
- PhD Programme: PhD Biological Sciences
Project Overview
Phosphorylation of proteins is the most prominent form of regulation in eukaryotic cells. Phosphate can be added to specific amino acid residues by kinases and can then be removed by phosphatases – making this a reversible chemical modification. The large, negatively charged phosphate group has the potential to change the structure and function substrate proteins. For example, phosphorylation controls the cell cycle to drive cell division and to respond to stress. Interestingly, abnormal phosphorylation of proteins can lead to cell cycle progression errors and are a trademark of cancer. Understanding phospho-regulatory networks (PRNs) is key to understanding the regulation of many cellular processes including cell division. However, individual kinases typically phosphorylate many different proteins and phosphatases are similarly non-specific. Therefore, deciphering PRNs cannot easily be achieved with standard genetic techniques. To address this, we aim to use large amounts of phospho-proteomics data – snapshots of the phosphorylation status of all proteins at a given moment, available from public databases – coupled with Artificial Intelligence approaches to infer PRNs within eukaryotic cells. We focus on data from human, mouse and yeast datasets, for which there are sufficiently large datasets, with an emphasis of cell cycle control and cancer.
Research Environment
PhD project titled " Using Artificial eXplainable Intelligence to infer the regulation of cell division" will be conducted in the groups of Dr Peter Thorpe and Dr. Radu Zabet, based in the Mile End and Whitechapel campuses, respectively, of Queen Mary University of London. Members of these groups use experimental, theoretical and computational approaches to investigate regulation within eukaryotic cells, with an emphasis on cancer biology and cell cycle control.
Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.
Keywords: Machine Learning, Phospho-regulation.
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 29th 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 Computational Biology, Computer Science, Bioinformatics and Data Science.
Knowledge of Machine Learning, Coding (e.g. Python or R), Data handling 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 1st 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 29th 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 Peter Thorpe
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.