genetic PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Haematology: Oncogenic reprogramming of immune cells; novel mechanism for drug resistance in leukaemia

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Under pathogenic challenges, cells of the haematopoietic system become epigenetically reprogrammed and establish immune memory. Read more

Supervisor: Dr P Laslo

The use of Drosophila melanogaster to identify novel therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease

Supervisors: Dr M Georgiou, Dr Z Zhu

Since 2003, our understanding of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have improved considerably, however, in that time only one new drug treatment has been approved. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

The Survivin Interactome in Health and Disease

Supervisor: Dr S Wheatley

Survivin is a small protein that is essential for life but that also contributes to disease, most notably cancer, in which its abnormal overexpression is linked to therapeutic resistance and metastasis. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Epigenomic transcriptomic mechanisms underlying human neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

This project aims to use high throughput sequencing technologies and molecular approaches to understand how RNA epitranscriptomic processes contribute to susceptibility to human disorders of the brain. Read more

Supervisor: Dr HM Knight

Detecting human and veterinary parasitic diseases in snail and slug intermediate hosts

Supervisors: Dr C M Wade, Dr A Davison

Gastropod-borne parasitic diseases affect over 300 million people worldwide and make up several of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) listed by the World Health Organisation. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Exosome biogenesis and organelle trafficking in neurodegeneration.

Supervisors: Dr A Hume, Dr DS Scott, Dr F Dajas-Bailador

Scientific summary. Intracellular transport pathways are fundamental for cell structure and function. Due to their longevity, complex morphology (long axonal and dendritic extensions) and requirement to maintain synaptic transmission, neurons are heavily dependent upon intracellular transport. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Adaptation to environmental change in animals: ecology, evolution and genomics.

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

How are animals able to live in different environments, with different temperatures, energetic demands, diet, predators, parasites or pH? Thanks to advances in gene sequencing technology, we are in a remarkable period of discovery about the genomic basis of adaptation and how this depends on the intricacies of ecology and environment. Read more

Supervisor: Dr A MacColl

Overcoming replication stress–defining new mechanism from archaea to human

Supervisors: Dr E Bolt, Prof T Allers

How cells respond to DNA replication stresses (e.g., DNA replication collapse, stalling or hyper-activity) is critical for their survival, and is a hallmark of cancers. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

University of Greenwich School of Pharmacy (Medway Campus)

Selection and evaluation of new universal influenza vaccine candidates using monoclonal antibodies and digitally designed HA and NA libraries & pseudotype virus screens

Universal influenza vaccines are a major global R&D vaccine priority. The Temperton (ORCID. Read more

Supervisors: Dr N Temperton, Dr S Scott, Prof J Heeney

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

University of Kent Medway School of Pharmacy

Selection and evaluation of new universal influenza vaccine candidates using monoclonal antibodies and digitally designed HA and NA libraries & pseudotype virus screens

Universal influenza vaccines are a major global R&D vaccine priority. The Temperton (ORCID. Read more

Supervisors: Dr N Temperton, Dr S Scott, Prof J Heeney

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Genetics: Unravelling the Norrin/beta-catenin signaling pathway and its role in retinal angiogenesis and blindness

Supervisors: Dr C Toomes, Dr J Bond, Dr S Bell

Our previous work on the genetic analysis of individuals with the inherited retinal disease Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR), has helped identify a new angiogenesis pathway, the Norrin/beta-catenin pathway. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Haematology: Oncogenic mechanisms causing malignant transformation of B cells and plasma cells

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Cancers of B cells and plasma cells, lymphomas and multiple myeloma, can be very aggressive, and often the cancer rapidly reoccurs after standard therapy. Read more

Supervisor: Prof U Klein

Immunotherapy: Manipulating T cell metabolism to improve anti-tumour immunity

Supervisors: Dr M Lorger, Dr R Salmond

The induction of immune responses to tumours can provide long-lasting protection from cancer. In this regard, T cells can suppress tumour growth by directly killing cancer cells and by producing inflammatory cytokines. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Haematology: Oncogenic reprogramming of immune cells

Supervisors: Dr F Errington-Mais, Dr P Laslo

Under pathogenic challenges, cells of the innate system become epigenetically reprogrammed and establish immune memory. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only