We have 5,885 PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Discipline

Discipline

All disciplines

Location

Location

All locations

Institution

Institution

All Institutions

PhD Type

PhD Type

All PhD Types

Funding

Funding

All Funding

Subject

Funding Type

PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

We have 5,885 PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

More details

Soil adaptation of Aspergillus species through Bar-Seq and transcriptomics

Soil is the principal environmental reservoir for many Aspergillus species, yet it is a highly heterogeneous and stressful habitat. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr N van Rhijn
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Evolution and novel CRISPR-Cas9 tools for antifungal resistance in fungal pathogens

Antifungal resistance is an increasing threat to human health, particularly as the number of available antifungal drug classes remains limited. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr N van Rhijn
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

EASTBIO - The hidden role of acrocentric short arms in genome instability

The short arms of acrocentric chromosomes 13, 14, 15, 21 and 22 are among the least understood regions of the human genome. They consist of highly repetitive DNA (rDNA arrays, satellite repeats and segmental duplications), meaning much of their sequence is missing from canonical references like hg38. Read more
 Supervisors: Prof C Semple, Dr AM Mikulasova
 16 November 2026  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Deciphering tick-borne arbovirus neuropathogenesis using human brain and blood-brain barrier models

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), like many tick-borne arboviruses, is an emerging RNA virus of growing public health concern across Europe and Asia, with rising incidence driven by the expansion of tick vectors and its recent detection in the UK. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr N Goonawardane
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Modelling West Nile Virus risk in the UK: a community ecological approach

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne disease that cycles between birds and mosquitoes, causing a range of symptoms including severe neurological illness in rare cases. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof M Bonsall
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Building an ethically engaged network of partners for progressing innovation in pathogen genomic surveillance for public health

Threats from infectious disease have generated complex scientific, ethical and structural challenges for global (public) health. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr K Lythgoe
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Understanding how host–virus genetic interactions shape immune cell phenotypes

Viral infections are ubiquitous in nature and are a major driver of host evolution. The outcome of infection is shaped by interactions between host and viral genomes, yet the mechanisms by which genetic variation in both species influences immune responses remain poorly understood. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr K Lythgoe
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Utilising within-host variation of viruses for precision epidemiology: phylogenetics, advanced statistics, modelling, and software engineering

Viral outbreaks, for example due to spillovers from one species to another, the emergence and spread of new variants, or the introduction of known viruses into new settings, can be devasting. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr K Lythgoe
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Deciphering G-Quadruplex function in transposon DNA nuclear import and transposition

Transposons are mobile DNA sequences capable of moving to new genomic locations and can dynamically shape genome evolution. However, the mechanisms that govern their successful integration into host genomes remain poorly understood. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr J Cho
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Communication and epigenetic memory in forest trees under attack

Many plants emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which elicit physiological responses in neighbouring plants and interacting organisms. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof J MacKay
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Live imaging 3D signalling waves

Signal diffusion only goes so far. To transmit information over large distances, cells can use excitable signalling, producing waves that travel across tissues (e.g. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr H Ford
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Engineering plant oxygenase enzymes for improved growth and stress response characteristics

Population increase needs to be met with increased agricultural productivity. The Green Revolution, which led to major increases in productivity in the 20th century, included breeding and widespread adoption of semidwarf cultivars in crops such as rice, which led to lodging-resistant plants. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr E Flashman
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

How can genetic variation shape individual differences in learning and memory

Why do individuals learn, remember and behave differently? Even individuals of the same species, raised in similar environments, can differ strikingly in how they perceive the world, form memories and respond to experience. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr C Treiber
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Water out of thin air: developing technological solutions to water scarcity

This PhD will run in partnership with the Department of Biology and Soft Robotics. The aim is to develop technological solutions to the growing problem of water scarcity by drawing inspiration from the living world. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr C Thorogood
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

When can ecological theory predict community responses to environmental change?

The impact of environmental change on a given species will be mediated by the complex wider network of interactions within the community. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr C Terry
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Evolutionary and behavioural ecology of birds

Organisms face environments that change on multiple spatial and temporal scales. From the slow, decadal, pace of climate change, to short-term extreme climatic events, from major latitudinal gradients to sharp small-scale environmental gradients to the constant flux of social environments. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof B Sheldon
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Can we rewrite cell fate? Decoding the molecular logic of the early embryo

How does an embryo know what each cell should become? One of the most fundamental problems in biology is how a single fertilised egg reliably generates cells with different identities. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof A Aboobaker
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of viral transmission and antiviral evolution

Why do viruses cross host species boundaries? And how have past infectious with viruses shaped immune responses? Animal genomes are littered with the remnants of ancient viral infections. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof A Katzourakis
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Researching key challenges in biodiversity conservation, statecraft, and intersections between the two

We are looking for PhD proposals which could fit within the new Recanati-Kaplan Minerva Institute at Pembroke College, Oxford, which supports both the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and the Strategy, Statecraft, and Technology (Changing Character of War) Centre. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof A Dickman
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Decoding cross-kingdom RNA communication in an ancient mutualistic plant–fungal symbiosis

Extracellular RNA (exRNA) is emerging as a powerful mode of communication between organisms across the tree of life. Read more
 Supervisor: Dr R Roth
 6 January 2027  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

A Supramolecular Approach to Advanced Materials Through Computational Design

Context. There is an important global need to design new materials with improved safety and advanced functionality for defence and civilian applications. Read more
 Supervisors: Prof S J Dalgarno, Dr M Little, Prof M Paterson
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
More details

Developing a Crystal Design Framework to Accelerate the Discovery of Advanced Materials

Context. Accelerating the development of crystalline materials requires more accurate evaluation of the structural landscapes of the ingredients during early-stage development. Read more
 Supervisors: Prof S J Dalgarno, Dr M Little, Prof M Paterson
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
More details

Organic Solvent Membrane Separation via Conjugated Polymer Nanofilms

Project Description. Motivation and scope:​ This project targets the replacement of energy-intensive distillation with membrane-based separation for hydrocarbon mixtures, focusing on alkane/aromatic and olefin/paraffin systems. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof Shen Jie Shen
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Nanofluidic Iontronics for Neuromorphic Computing and Intelligent Sensing

Biological systems use ions and molecular interactions to sense their surroundings, transmit signals, and support learning. Artificial nanochannels offer an opportunity to reproduce aspects of these functions by controlling ion transport within confined spaces. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof Shen Jie Shen
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Functionalized 2D membranes for divalent metal ion separation

Divalent metal ions, such as nickel and cobalt are essential components of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, making their efficient recovery increasingly important for sustainable battery production and recycling. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof Shen Jie Shen
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Next-Generation Smart Devices Based on Halide Perovskites

Halide perovskites possess unique ionic and electronic properties that make them promising materials for future smart technologies. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof Nripan Mathews Mathews
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Enzymatic recycling of polyester plastics from design to real-world application

A fully-funded opportunity is available to join Prof. John McGeehan’s new Engineering Biology Research Group in the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham focussed on the design and engineering of enzymes for plastic recycling. Read more
 Supervisors: Prof J McGeehan, Prof J McDonald
 Year round applications  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
More details

Autonomous Robotic Inspection and Intelligent Defect Detection and Triage

About the Project. Precision manufacturing increasingly requires reliable automated inspection of challenging surfaces, including polished metallic components, coated parts and transparent optical materials. Read more
 Supervisors: Dr A Halimi, Ms M Koskinopoulou, Dr R Carter
 15 November 2026  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
More details

Bioleaching Superalloy Waste: A New Circular Route to Critical Mineral Recovery A sustainable process for Tantalum recovery from superalloy waste processes

Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof F P A Alamdari
 23 November 2026  PhD Research Project  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
More details

Freeform light routing in photonic circuits

Supervisory team. Professor Marian Florescu. Integrated photonic circuits need compact interconnects that can route light around bends and between components without being constrained by a periodic layout. Read more
 Supervisor: Prof M Florescu
 26 July 2027  PhD Research Project  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)