The 1st Tricia Cohen Prize Studentship

The Tricia Cohen Memorial Trust was recently established in memory of the late Professor Lady Tricia Cohen, who carried out her research programme in the Department of Biochemistry for 48 years between 1971 and 2019. Tricia’s key research contributions were to determine the structures of genes coding for protein phosphatases, a family of enzymes that regulate the survival and function of human cells. She also discovered several previously unknown protein phosphatases and defined their functions in cells. The first woman to lead a research team in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Dundee, her work had a major impact globally.

Along with her husband and colleague Sir Philip Cohen, Tricia was appointed one of the two founding Principal Investigators of The Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation Unit (MRC-PPU) at the University of Dundee, where she was its Head of Molecular Biology from 1990-2010. Tricia continued to carry out research in her laboratory at the University until 2019. To read more about her life and career click here and here.

Following Tricia's passing in 2020, the Trust was set up to fund PhD studentships in the area of genetic and molecular aspects of cell regulation, the field in which Tricia was most interested.

We are seeking applications from bright and enthusiastic students with an outstanding academic track record for the inaugural Tricia Cohen Prize Studentship. Applicants are invited to select one of the 12 projects on offer in world class laboratories based in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit and Schools of Life Sciences and Medicine. The entire 4-year PhD studentship will be spent in the laboratory of choice.

Please click here to see the list of available projects.


The studentship will provide a tax-free stipend of £20,000 per annum. The cost of fees will be covered, as well as the cost of attending an international conference during the PhD

APPLY