PhD Studentship - Immunotherapy

Job summary

Funding notes

The studentship is fully funded for 4 years and is only available for students eligible for home UK fees. Applicants must have either already obtained or be predicted to secure a first-class MSci degree (at least 2:1) or a BSc (at least a merit) plus an MSc (at least 2:1) in a relevant subject or international equivalents of the relevant first degree and the Masters’ degree, to meet the entry requirements. UCL actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. Applications from candidates under-represented within our research student community: BAME British applicants, applicants with disabilities and older applicants are strongly encouraged.

As a candidate you will be a motivated individual with a keen interest in undertaking research in the field of immunotherapy.

Project description

A 4-year full-time PhD studentship is available from October 2026 in Biotherapeutics and Advanced Therapies Team within the Science, Research and Innovation operational group (SR&I) of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in collaboration with the UCL Department of Chemistry. The student will be required to complete two 3-month rotations in the wider Agency, within their first year allowing them to gain unique insight into public health research.

The project will be supervised by Dr Deepa Rajagopal and Dr. Sandrine Vessillier at MHRA and Professor Vijay Chudasama at UCL. The studentship is anticipated to commence 1st October 2026. The studentship will offer a yearly stipend, currently £22,780 and reviewed annually.

Job description

About the Project

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has shown great success in treating relapsed or refractory blood cancers, with several clinically approved treatments. However, current CAR-T therapies are associated with toxicological challenges, additionally involve complex, costly GMP manufacturing processes, and are associated with potential risks of introduction of viral components. The ErbB family of receptors, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4, play a crucial role in the development and progression of various cancers. Building up on the global success of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, this multi-disciplinary project will investigate mRNA-based in vivo CAR T-cell generation as a potential new approach for targeting T-cells for generation of efficient anti-tumour responses to gain an understanding of the immunotoxicological profile. The proposed project aims to leverage the mRNA platform to assess feasibility of in vivo reprogramming of circulating T-cells with a second- generation, pan ErbB-specific CAR (bearing the promiscuous ErbB ligand) for cancer immunotherapy, evaluating both anti-tumour efficacy and immunotoxicity. The in vivo approach will additionally employ targeting antibodies (Abs) to functionalise the mRNA lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to facilitate uptake and targeted mRNA expression for in vivo therapeutic CAR T-cell induction. Recent studies indicate that the in vivo targeting approach produced CAR-T cells with similar anti-tumour activity to conventional CAR-T-cells and potential therapeutic benefit has been observed in disease conditions such as inflammatory cardiac fibrosis.

The successful candidate will acquire knowledge, expertise with training in a diverse range of laboratory techniques including LNP manufacture and functionalisation for selective targeting; in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo assays for therapeutic efficacy; and toxicological evaluation incorporating cellular, molecular biological and flowcytometry based assays. Furthermore, the student will benefit from the multidisciplinary expertise and supervision of Dr. Deepa Rajagopal, Dr. Sandrine Vessillier, Dr Christopher van der Walle (MHRA) and Professor Vijay Chudasama (UCL), gaining access to multiple laboratories and facilities across the two sites.

The candidate will also gain unique access to both UCL and MHRA / Civil Service training courses and be encouraged to present their work at both national and international conferences.

Main Methods, Techniques and skills to be employed:

• Molecular cloning, in vitro transcription assays, mRNA production and characterisation
• LNP manufacture and characterisation
• Conjugation with targeting antibodies
• Cell culture and flowcytometry
• Various immunological and biochemical assays
• Statistical analysis of data
• Communication skills
• Project management

About MHRA

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom, ensuring that healthcare products meet safety standards and contribute to public health through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.

About S&R

The Science and Research (S&R) function is an operational group of the MHRA based at a state-of-the-art scientific facility in South Mimms Hertfordshire. We are a global leader in the characterisation, standardisation and control of biological medicines with the objective to deliver public health impact via world-leading science, research and innovation. The successful candidate will have the unique experience of undertaking the PhD research at a government facility.

About the Teams

The Immunotherapy team, within the Biotherapeutics and Advanced Therapies Team of S&R, is a multi-skilled team with a range on expertise for investigating efficacy, safety and standardisation of biological medicines. The supervisor at UCL Department of Chemistry within the Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences, is an esteemed scientist leading interdisciplinary research across fields including optogenetics, organic synthesis, chemical biology and materials science. As part of the MHRA and UCL research community, the candidate will gain valuable opportunities for scientific development, collaboration and access to outstanding scientific expertise within both these institutions.

Awarding Institution

The successful candidate will be registered with the Department of Chemistry within the Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences at University College London, one of the UK's top research Universities, a global leader and a centre for teaching and research excellence. UCL Chemistry is recognised as one of the leading chemistry departments in the United Kingdom, ranking second nationally for research impact. Researchers at UCL contribute significantly to advancements across the field, from drug discovery to space exploration, driving key developments in contemporary chemistry.

Person specification

About You

Eligible students will be expected to hold an MSci (at least a 2:1) or a BSc (at least a merit) + MSc (at least a 2:1) or the international equivalents of the relevant first degree and the Masters’ degree. Additional relevant postgraduate or other laboratory work experience relating to the proposed project would be appreciated but not essential.

Please note, this studentship is only available to home students meeting the following criteria:

• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

The candidate will be a motivated individual with a passion for wanting to improve patient outcomes. You will have a keen interest in undertaking research in the fields of immunotherapy and immunology with a focus on engineering and characterisation of novel emerging therapies.

Your key responsibilities will be:

- To undertake the research projects in line with the project aims.

- To communicate effectively, orally and through written media, undertake presentations at scientific meetings and maintain excellent records.

- To interact regularly and effectively with your supervisors and interact appropriately and effectively with other staff.

• To meet the expectations of the study for a PhD by the awarding body (University).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £22,780, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £6,599 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave on entry, rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff. PLUS 8 bank holidays
• Privilege Leave: 1 day
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): One month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months full pay/five months half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allowing staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Civil Service Pension Scheme. Please see the link for further information http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/ For enquiries relating to the Civil Service Pension Schemes please contact MyCSP's Pension Service Centre directly on 0300 123 6666
• Flexible working to ensure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Interest free season ticket loan or bike loan
• Employee Assistance Services and access to the Civil Service Benevolent Fund
• Eligibility to join the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA)
• Variety of staff and Civil Service clubs
• On-going learning and development

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to Apply

Applications must include a CV, personal statement; detailing what you can bring to the project and what you would anticipate achieving from the studentship and the contact details of two referees. Applications should be e-mailed to the MHRA PhD Studentship office at studentship@nibsc.org. Please quote the relevant reference number in your letter. Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Deepa Rajagopal at deepa.rajagopal@mhra.gov.uk.

If you have a disability defined by the Equality Act 2010 (https://www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010) you may apply under the UK Civil Service Guaranteed Interview Scheme provided that you meet all of the qualifications, skills, requirements and experience defined as essential for the studentship. You must submit the Guaranteed Interview Scheme Declaration form with your application: this can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guaranteed-interview-scheme. At interview all applicants will be assessed solely on merit.

UCL actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We strongly encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented within our research student community: BAME British applicants, applicants with disabilities and older applicants.

Any offer of a studentship is conditional upon successful background screening which includes, but is not limited to checks on identity, qualifications and right to study in the UK, as well as formal approval by UCL on the UCL Research: degree Chemistry programme.

Subject areas: Immunology, immunotherapy, mRNA vaccines, CAR T-cell engineering

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : The Resourcing Team
• Email : deepa.rajagopal@mhra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Careers@mhra.gov.uk

Further information

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing Team at Careers@mhra.gov.uk, in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk - info@csc.gov.uk - Civil Service Commission Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ