PhD Project: Development of a multiclass liquid biopsy for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer remains one of the most common cancers in men, with significant challenges in early diagnosis and risk stratification. Current diagnostic pathways rely heavily on multiple tests, including invasive procedures, and lack the ability to accurately distinguish between indolent and aggressive disease. This PhD project aims to develop a novel liquid biopsy test for the simultaneous detection and grading of prostate cancer. Early detection and accurate stratification of disease can lead to improved patient outcomes by enabling earlier and more appropriate clinical intervention. Liquid biopsy samples will be analysed to profile molecular signatures associated with prostate cancer, and advanced multivariate and machine learning methodologies will be used to develop classification models for cancer detection and grading using molecular and clinical data.

This PhD project will be based in the Radiation and Environmental Science Centre (RESC), Technological University Dublin, which has research interests in the application of biophotonics (such as vibrational spectroscopy) to cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

The project will be supervised by Dr Dinesh Medipally, Prof. Fiona Lyng, Technological University Dublin, and co-supervised by Dr Aidan Meade, Technological University Dublin.

www.tudublin.ie/research-innovation/research/discover-our-research/research-centres/resc/

Student Requirements for this Project • A first class honours or 2.1 honours BSc in Physical or Life Sciences and/or an MSc in a relevant discipline. • Knowledge of, or experience in, vibrational spectroscopy and machine learning techniques. • Excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Funding Agency: Research Ireland Student Stipend per annum: € 25000 Materials & Travel Budget per annum: € 10000 Fees covered by the funding per annum: € 5500 Duration of Funding: 48 months Deadline to submit an application: 20th February 2026

If you are interested in submitting an application for this project, please complete an Expression of Interest. forms.office.com/e/0hCcrv2Gkp