Three year PhD studentship: Examining mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer effect of exercise

***Please note - The deadline for applications to be received is 12 NOON (GMT) on 12th February 2015***

Applications are invited for a full-time University studentship in the Department for Health to work on a project that will be undertaken in collaboration with the Royal United Hospital (RUH) Bath.

The successful candidate will conduct their research primarily under the supervision of Dr James Turner in the Department for Health. Professor Dylan Thompson (Department for Health) and Dr Mark Beresford (Department of Oncology, RUH Bath) will also be on the supervisory team.


Background

More than one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime resulting in 330,000 new cases in the UK each year. A third of these cases are thought to be preventable by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Accumulating evidence suggest that even for people diagnosed with cancer a healthy lifestyle is beneficial. For example, some research suggests that fitter patients respond better to treatment while other work has shown that exercise undertaken during therapy results in fewer side effects. However, exercise is not “prescribed” by oncologists as part of routine care in part because mechanisms underlying the possible treatment-facilitating benefits are not understood.

Download a detailed summary of the research background at http://www.bath.ac.uk/health/documents/anti-cancer-effect-exercise-studentship.pdf


The project

This studentship will examine mechanisms that might explain how leading a healthy lifestyle (being physically active) reduces the risk of certain cancers. In addition, work will examine factors that are associated with better treatment outcomes in patients.

Leading to a number of publications and the completion of a PhD, the appointed candidate will undertake a systematic programme of research such as:
- experimental/observational studies (examining immune responses to bouts of exercise)
- cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (recruit relevant populations for cohort analysis)
- evaluate preventative interventions or interventions used adjunctively to routine cancer treatment
- examine immune processes/mechanisms using advanced immunological and cell culture techniques.

The successful applicant will gain expertise in a number of biochemical and immunological techniques, including multi-parameter flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent-spot assays and polymerase chain reaction.

In addition to gaining a repertoire of contemporary and advanced skills important for an academic or industrial career in science, the successful candidate will start to establish a track record in a research area that will remain a worldwide priority for the foreseeable future.

Working with colleagues of Dr Turner, Professor Thompson and Dr Beresford in the UK and Europe, there is scope to travel to other laboratories to learn new techniques and to build on collaborations.


Funding requirements

The successful candidate should:
- fulfil the entrance requirements for a Department for Health MPhil and PhD (http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/pg/programmes/scho-for-heal-mphi/)
- have a strong understanding of exercise physiology (and ideally immunology) along with associated research methods (recruitment of study participants, biochemical/immunological laboratory analysis, and statistical methodologies).
- Have excellent communication (oral and written) and teamwork skills.
- An ability to successfully recruit participants for research studies, and an understanding and appreciation of the issues and difficulties with
undertaking research in patient groups and on sensitive subjects.

Desirable criteria:
- Experience of collecting data for research studies that examine physiological processes in humans (cardiorespiratory fitness testing, body composition, physical activity assessment, dietary monitoring, blood sample analysis).
- Ability to contribute towards the design of research studies and experience of writing research ethics applications.
- Experience of working in a clinical setting or with patient groups.
- Experience of conducting statistical analysis using software packages (SPSS; Statistical Package for the Social Sciences).


How to apply

Applicants should apply online (http://www.bath.ac.uk/hss/graduate-school/research-programmes/how-to-apply/) to study for a full time MPhil and PhD in the Department for Health. It is important to quote the project title (PhD in Examining mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer effect of exercise) on your application.

The application form will refer to a formal proposal. As this studentship is to work on a specific project, your proposal should outline how you might start to address the core research goals outlined above.

The application will also ask you to complete a funding request form (http://www.bath.ac.uk/hss/graduate-school/research-programmes/funding/#apply). Use this to explain your experience and reasons for applying for this studentship.