immune 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.

Research interests/description of main research theme. Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynaecological malignancy for women over 50 years old (1).

Investigating how ovarian tumours avoid immune responses in cancer patients

University of Birmingham
Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy

Dr J H Caamano, Dr D Withers

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.

Research interests/description of main research theme. Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynaecological malignancy for women over 50 years old (1).

Determining how immune responses are regulated at mucosal surfaces

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Prof M Travis, Prof D Thornton

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 immune system must be primed to quickly respond to infection, but must also be tightly regulated so it ignores harmless substances and our own tissues.

The nanoscale organisation of immune cell surfaces in health and disease

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Prof D Davis

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.

Super-resolution microscopes, celebrated in the 2014 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, are one of the tools that allow us to study immune cells in unprecedented detail.

EASTBIO: The chicken or the egg; surmounting neonatal immune dysfunction for successful in ovo vaccination

University of Edinburgh
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Prof L Vervelde, Prof J Hope

Application Deadline: 5 June 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.

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies / The Roslin Institute. In ovo vaccination is an alternative approach to post-hatch vaccination of chickens.

Testing the function of immune suppressive cytokines and cells in bone metastasis

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne

Assoc Prof B Parker

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.

Bone metastasis is a common occurrence in breast and prostate cancer that leads to patient morbidity and, in many cases, mortality.

Neutrophils and Chemokine Signalling in the Tumour Immune Micro-environment and Progression

University of Glasgow
College of Medicine, Veterinary and Life Sciences

Dr T Iwata

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.

Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy is promising, however still requires an improvement in response and development of markers to predict the patients who would benefit from this therapy.

Proteolytic network regulating the human innate immune response

University of York
Department of Biology

Dr D Boucher, Prof I Hitchcock

Application Deadline: 30 June 2020

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 innate immune system is our first line of defence against a wide range of bacteria and viruses. Upon infection, immune cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils, will assemble signalling platforms termed inflammasome, to restrict and clear the insult.

Do Altered host-microbial interactions promote oral inflammation during ageing?

The University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Dr J Konkel, Prof A McBain

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.

As we age, the systems of our bodies become less able to function; rendering people increasingly infirm. Ageing affects our immune system, impeding our ability to both fight infection and maintain tolerance.

Expanded potential stem cells for regenerative medicine, immunotherapy, and biotechnology

University of Hong Kong
School of Biomedical Sciences

Prof P Liu

Applications accepted all year round

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.

Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are pluripotent and thus hold great promise in regenerative medicine, studying disease mechanisms and drug discovery.

Reprogramming the innate immune system to fight ovarian cancer

Aberdeen University
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition

Prof M A Vickers, Prof H M Wilson

Application Deadline: 24 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

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 has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

This project is one of 16 four year PhD Studentships funded by Medical Research Scotland (https://www.medicalresearchscotland.org.uk) to be delivered jointly by the named University and External Partner Organisation (EPO).

Development of the hematopoietic/ immune system in the embryo

University of Oxford
Radcliffe Department of Medicine

Prof M DeBruijn

Application Deadline: 24 July 2020

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.

Our aim is to obtain a mechanistic insight into the birth of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in embryonic development and determine the contribution of these cells to the emerging hematopoietic and immune systems of the embryo.

Development of the hematopoietic/ immune system in the embryo

University of Oxford
Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine

Prof M DeBruijn

Application Deadline: 24 July 2020

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.

Our aim is to obtain a mechanistic insight into the birth of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in embryonic development and determine the contribution of these cells to the emerging hematopoietic and immune systems of the embryo.

Investigation of a completely uncharacterised, embryonically lethal gene in immune cell development

University of Warwick
Warwick Medical School

Dr J James, Prof K Sampath

Application Deadline: 7 June 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.

The development of vertebrate animals from a single fertilised cell to the fully formed adult is an astonishingly well-choreographed sequence of events, which is made more remarkable by being so faithfully recapitulated on each attempt.

Nucleic Acid Sensing During Virus Infection – Innate Immunity

University of Oxford
Radcliffe Department of Medicine

Dr J Rehwinkel

Application Deadline: 24 July 2020

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.

Virus infection is a constant threat to the cells of all living organisms. To counter this threat, cellular receptors detect virus presence and activate potent antiviral immune responses.