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6 November 2025
About the Project
About the Project
Butterfly wings are natural wonders, covered in colourful scales that are used for signaling, thermoregulation and to help with aerodynamic performance. This beauty and wonder extends beyond the visible, with each scale being intricately patterned on the sub-micron level. These nanostructures are essential for the properties of the scales, including producing structural colour.
This project will investigate how these nanostructures are formed from a genetic and developmental perspective. Previous genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis has identified several genes/proteins that differ between scales of different morphologies, specifically those with nanostructures that produce a blue colour and those that lack this colour/structure. These include membrane, actin and cuticle bound proteins, some of which have functions in bristle formation in Drosophila melanogaster, interesting as bristles and scales are developmentally homologous. The PhD student will investigate the role of these genes in both Drosophila bristle and cuticle formation and butterfly wing scale formation. The student will be trained in a range of techniques including fluorescent confocal microscopy to localize and image specific proteins during development, electron microscopy to image scale and bristle nanostructures and genetic manipulation techniques such as CRISPR/Cas and RNAi.
Co-supervisors: Dr Kyra Campbell (School of Biosciences), Dr Andrew Parnell (Department of Physics), Prof. Jason King (School of Biosciences).
About the DTP
This studentship is offered as part of the Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (YBDTP).
What is on offer
What is on offer
Appointed candidates will be fully funded for 4 years:
Tax-free annual stipend at the standard UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26 entry).
Tuition fees – These are paid directly to the host institution.
A Research Training and Support Grant that covers research costs and travel to attend conferences etc.
Open to: International (including EU) and UK (home) students
Not all projects will be funded; the DTP will appoint a limited number of candidates via a competitive process.
How to apply – Expression of Interest
To apply for a studentship from the Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership to undertake this project, please complete an expression of interest form for October 2026 recruitment here: View Website
Application deadline: 5pm (UK time), Wednesday 7th January 2026
To submit your application, complete the Expression of Interest form. You can apply for up to two YBDTP projects (which can be at different universities).
If you have any questions about the application process, please email YBDTP@leeds.ac.uk
If you have any questions about the project you are interested in, please email Dr Nicola Nadeau.
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