Targeting small cell lung cancer plasticity and heterogeneity to tackle metastasis and drug resistance
Closing date: 03/04/2026
CRUK Black Leaders in Cancer Non-Clinical PhD Scholarship: Targeting small cell lung cancer plasticity and heterogeneity to tackle metastasis and drug resistance
Lead Supervisors: Prof. Angeliki Malliri
Co-Supervisors: Dr Kathryn Simpson, Dr Colin Lindsay, Prof. Caroline Dive
Applications Deadline: 12:00pm Friday 3rd April 2026
Interviews: Friday 8th May 2026
Start date: September 2026
Project Keywords: Small Cell Lung Cancer, Tumour heterogeneity, Growth Factor Signalling
Research Opportunity: Non-Clinical Studentship leading to the award of PhD
Project Outline
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is among the most aggressive cancers. Approximately 80% of patients present with metastatic disease at which stage treatment options are limited, and median survival <1 year. A key reason for the aggressiveness of this disease is tumour plasticity (wherein cells change their phenotypes) leading to tumour heterogeneity (the tumour comprises diverse phenotypes). Most tumours contain mostly neuroendocrine (NE) cells mixed with a minority of a nonneuroendocrine (non-NE) population. Transition from NE to non-NE states generates this mix, and cooperation between the two populations is required for invasion and metastasis as well as drug resistance.
There is limited understanding of what triggers this transition because standard cell lines mostly utilised to study SCLC possess little plasticity. Our team leverages unique patient-derived circulating tumour cell explant (CDX) models that retain spontaneous NE to non-NE transition, providing a powerful platform to uncover mechanisms that drive SCLC progression. Our pilot data highlight a central role for growth-factor stimulation and the downstream signalling mediator RAC1 in driving NE to non-NE transition. This studentship will explore how growth-factor– RAC1 signalling initiates and propagates the NE to non-NE transition, enabling invasion, metastasis and drug resistance of SCLC cells. To this end, the student will implement cellular assays to follow fate switching, kinome profiling to implicate critical kinases that are actionable, and proximity labelling and allied proteomics to explore the RAC1 signalosome.
Training thus spans molecular and cell biology, flow cytometry and microscopy, proteomics, and data-driven screening within a collaborative and inclusive supervisory environment, all within stateof- the-art laboratory and office space. The training offered by the studentship will also deliver broad transferable skills for a successful PhD and a career in cancer research.
Applications for this project are now open. Please submit your application on The University of Manchester application portal and also on the Windsor Fellowship website.
About Prof. Angeliki Malliri (project Lead Supervisor)
Angeliki completed her bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Patras, Greece and obtained her PhD from the University of Crete, Greece. She worked as a postdoctoral scientist at the CRUK Beatson Institute in Glasgow and the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.
She established her independent research group in 2004 at CRUK Manchester Institute and moved to the Division of Cancer Sciences of the University of Manchester in March 2024. A focus of her laboratory has been the mechanisms controlling and mediating cell migration and invasion, definitive characteristics of malignant cells essential for metastasis. For this, they have been concentrating on Rho-like GTPases and in particular the Rho-like GTPase Rac1 because of its importance in cytoskeletal organization, cell polarity, adhesion and extracellular matrix remodelling required for migration and invasion.
Key information
Before submitting an application, please ensure you have read the information below about the funding arrangements and eligibility for Non-Clinical Studentships.
We also encourage you to get in contact with the lead supervisor to discuss the project and any particulars.
Further information is available on the Non-Clinical PhD Studentships webpage.
Our Non-Clinical PhD Studentships are usually funded for four years, with funding covering:
- Project running costs
- University tuition fees university tuition fees (at the UK rate, with some scholarships available for high-performing EU/International candidates)
- An annual stipend of £22,113 to help with living costs
Studentships are highly competitive and so we encourage you to contact any supervisors who you are interested in working with before applying for our Non- Clinical PhD Studentships.
International Candidates
The University of Manchester aims to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK.
We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries to high-performing EU and international candidates, covering PhD fees only. Bursaries do not include financial support for visa/health surcharges.
We assess each EU and international candidate’s suitability for a bursary at the application and interview stages.
This programme is aimed at students from Black heritage backgrounds pursuing a PhD in cancer-related fields. This scheme is open to people who self-identify as being from a Black heritage background, including a mixed background, for example: Black African, Black Caribbean, Black Other, Mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black backgrounds). You will need to summit an initial application to the Windsor Fellowship.
The funding for this studentship covers students with UK Home tuition fee status only. However, the CRUK Manchester Centre are able to offer a number of overseas fee scholarships to candidates deemed appointable at interview. These scholarships cover fees only and do not cover health/visa surcharge costs.
The standard CRUK Manchester Centre PhD programme and studentship academic eligibility criteria are:
- A first or upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent from a non-UK university) in a relevant subject.
- Appropriate research experience as part of, or outside of, an undergraduate or masters degree course in a relevant subject.
- Appropriate English language skills.
Applications for this programme are now open. Please follow the steps below to complete your application:
Step 1: Contact the MCRC Training team to discuss your suitability for your chosen project.
Step 2: Visit the Windsor Fellowship website for further details and to log your application.
Step 3: Please then submit a full application for a Black Leaders in Cancer PhD on The University of Manchester application portal and also on the Windsor Fellowship website.
Key dates
- Applications open: Monday 2nd February 2026
- Application deadline: 12:00pm Friday 3rd April 2026
- Interviews: Friday 8th May 2026
- Start date: September 2026
Useful Links
Submit your application
Interested in applying for this opportunity? Submit your application on The University of Manchester application portal.
CRUK Black Leaders in Cancer PhD Scholarship programme
By helping candidates from Black heritage backgrounds build their career in cancer research-related fields, this exciting programme is designed to make an immediate and tangible impact on the diversity of the research workforce.
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