Project Description

Primary Supervisor - Professor Yiliang Ding

Plants cannot escape changes in their environment and must continually adjust their growth and development in response to temperature. Successful propagation of winter annual plants relies on vernalization, where prolonged winter cold triggers epigenetic modifications to ensure plants flower in spring. At the heart of this response is FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a gene whose activity is progressively switched off during winter. This process involves COOLAIR, a family of anti-sense, long non-coding RNAs produced from the FLC locus. Although we know that COOLAIR responds dynamically to cold, we understand much less about where these RNA molecules go within individual plant cells and how their location contributes to their function. This PhD will use cutting-edge plant RNA imaging and advanced fluorescence microscopy to visualise COOLAIR within Arabidopsis cells. The student will investigate how different COOLAIR RNA isoforms are spatially organised and how this arrangement changes under constant and fluctuating winter temperatures, including freezing events. Natural genetic variation and mutants affecting COOLAIR transcription and processing will be used to uncover the mechanisms controlling RNA localisation and determine how these influence FLC regulation and flowering. The FLC/COOLAIR system is highly conserved in Brassica crops, giving the work broader relevance to understanding plant adaptation to increasingly variable climates.

The project is highly interdisciplinary and will provide training in RNA biology, molecular biology, plant genetics, advanced microscopy, quantitative image analysis and bioinformatics. The successful applicant will join the Ding laboratory at the John Innes Centre and will be supervised by Prof Yiliang Ding, with day-to-day co-supervision from Dr Susan Duncan and collaboration with Prof Caroline Dean. The student will benefit from complementary expertise in RNA biology, quantitative RNA imaging, vernalization and natural variation within a world-leading plant science research environment.
The student will have, or expect to obtain, a first-class, 2(i) or equivalent Honours degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Plant Science, Genetics or a related discipline.
Informal enquiries are welcomed; for further information please contact Prof Yiliang Ding (Yiliang.Ding@jic.ac.uk).

The Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP) is offering fully funded studentships for October 2027 entry. The programme offers postgraduates the opportunity to undertake a 4-year PhD research project whilst enhancing professional development and research skills through a comprehensive training programme. You will join a vibrant community of world-leading researchers. All NRPDTP students undertake a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS) during their study. The placement offers exciting and invaluable work experience designed to enhance professional development. Full support and advice will be provided by our Professional Internship team.

This project has been shortlisted for funding by the NRPDTP. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th February 2027.

Visit our website for further information on eligibility and how to apply: https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk

Our partners value diverse and inclusive work environments that are positive and supportive. Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background.

To maximise accessibility and attract students from underrepresented groups to our programme we have introduced bespoke templates for applicant Personal and Research statements which will enable every applicant to fully represent themselves through providing suitable examples and evidence. These forms are on the NRPDTP website and must be used for these sections of the application form.

Entry Requirements

At least UK equivalence Bachelors (Honours) 2:1. English Language requirement (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).

Funding

This project is awarded with a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP studentship. The studentship includes payment of tuition fees (directly to the University), a stipend to cover living expenses (2026/27 stipend rate: £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.

References

Montez, M., et al. (2026) Molecular integration of seasonal temperature signals in flowering time control. Nature Reviews Genetics.
DOI: 10.1038/s41576-026-00979-7 Rosa, S., et al. (2016) Mutually exclusive sense–antisense transcription at FLC facilitates environmentally induced gene repression. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13031 Zhu, P., Lister, C. & Dean, C. (2021). Cold-induced Arabidopsis FRIGIDA nuclear condensates for FLC repression. Nature 599, 657–661. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04062-5 Zhao, Y., Zhu, P., Hepworth, J., et al. (2021). Natural temperature fluctuations promote COOLAIR regulation of FLC. Genes & Development 35, 888–898.
DOI: 10.1101/gad.348362.121 Yang M, Zhu P, Cheema J, Bloomer R, Mikulski P, Liu Q, Zhang Y, Dean C, Ding Y. In vivo single-molecule analysis reveals COOLAIR RNA structural diversity. Nature. 2022;609(7926):394-399. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05135-9

Where does RNA go in the cold? Visualing Coolair RNA inside Plant Cells (DING_J27DTP)

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Project Description

Entry Requirements

Funding

References