evolutionary biology PhD Projects, Programs & Scholarships

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Evolutionary biology is underpinned by models for the evolution of species and their traits. The growing body of phylogenetic information, as well as increases in computational power allows us to develop and test novel models and theories of evolution.

Using synthetic biology to understand the evolution of antibiotic resistance

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Dr M Lagator, Dr C Knight

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Imagine an architect, tasked with converting an old stadium into a building with a different function, without demolishing it.

Combining Synthetic Biology and Modelling to Understand and Predict Evolution

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Dr M Lagator, Dr J-M Schwartz

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Mutations, and their effects on organismal fitness, lie at the heart of understanding and predicting evolution. Because of its central role in determining evolutionary outcomes, much experimental and theoretical effort has been put into describing the fitness effects of mutations.

Genomics, bioinformatics and evolution of inherited chromosomal integrated human herpesvirus 6.

Free University of Berlin
Institute of Virology

Dr A Aswad, Prof B Kaufer

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

We are inviting applications for a 3-4 year PhD student in the area of bioinformatics and evolutionary genomics of endogenous Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6).

Predicting the future: the paradox of transgenerational non-genetic inheritance in evolution (MAKLAKOVUBIO20ARIES)

University of East Anglia
School of Biological Sciences

Dr A Maklakov, Prof T Chapman, Dr S Immler

Application Deadline: 7 January 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND. Parental environments can affect offspring performance over many generations.

Evolutionary genetics of antibiotic resistance

University of Queensland
School of Biological Sciences

Dr J Engelstaedter

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

The Engelstaedter lab at The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) invites applications for a PhD position in microbial evolution.

Cancer evolution, drift and microenvironment selection

The Francis Crick Institute
PhD Programme

Dr C Swanton

Application Deadline: 12 November 2019

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

TRACERx is a 10-year longitudinal study of lung cancer evolution from diagnosis to cure or cancer relapse and death implementing DNA and RNA multi-region deep sequencing data with clinical outcome, imaging and immune microenvironmental analysis using imaging mass cytometry in over 700 patients.

Learning to communicate: How do pheromones work in social and solitary bees and how did they evolve?

University of Leeds
Faculty of Biological Sciences

Research Group: School of Biology

Dr E.J.. Duncan

Application Deadline: 6 January 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Honeybees, bumblebees and other bee species are facing a multitude of threats from disease, pesticide exposure and loss of habitat.

University of St Andrews
School of Biology

Coral niche construction

Research Group: Centre for Biological Diversity

Dr M Dornelas, Prof K N Laland

Application Deadline: 1 December 2019

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Coral reefs are one of the ecosystems with the highest concentration of biological diversity on the planet. In 1% of the sea they harbor over 25% of marine species.

Evolution of antimicrobial resistance

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Prof S Lovell

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The increasing prevalence of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) is one of the key health challenges of the 21st centuryThe emergence of AMR is inherently an evolutionary problem.