2.2 PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

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

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) is a family of transcription factors that play a crucial role in regulating various cellular processes; primarily related to immune responses, inflammation, and cell survival. Read more

Supervisor: Dr G Hall

Structural insights into genome control by cohesin

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

Our basic goal is to understand how chromatin structure influences gene regulation. Chromatin is generally repressive in nature but its structure is manipulated by cells in a regulated way to determine which genes are potentially transcriptionally active and which genes remain repressed in a given cell type. Read more

Supervisor: Prof D Panne

Structural and functional analysis of the protein complexes which regulate cell fate decisions to identify novel cancer therapies

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

Whether a cell dies or not has profound consequences on health and disease. In healthy tissue, cells that acquire high levels of genetic damage are safely removed via a process of programmed cell death. Read more

Supervisor: Dr JF Fox

Transcriptional kinases in cancer and developmental disorders

Supervisor: Dr MT Tellier

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are protein kinases performing essential functions in regulation of cell cycle and transcription. Read more

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

Epigenetics of early human development: From molecular mechanisms to regenerative medicine

Supervisors: Dr Y Markaki, Prof J Schwabe, Dr JH Hodgkinson

The 46th chromosome in XX female mammals, the second X, has to be switched off. That way females equalize gene dosage of X-linked genes with XY males. Read more

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

Join Our Quest to Unravel the Secrets of Eukaryotic Genomes!

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

We're on the lookout for passionate PhD students who are eager to delve deep into the mysteries of our DNA. Our quest? To understand the subtle changes that determine how our genes function, both in sickness and in health. Read more

Supervisor: Dr T Schalch

Structural investigation of oncogenic splicing factors

Supervisors: Dr C Dominguez, Prof I Eperon, Prof A Hudson

More than 90% of human genes can and do express multiple proteins. This is achieved by a process called alternative RNA splicing, which is an essential step in gene expression in mammals. Read more

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

Targeting senescence to ameliorate ageing and treat cancer and other age-related diseases

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

Ageing is a biological process that affects all humans. Despite the scientific advances of the past decades, the mechanisms that lead to ageing are not fully understood. Read more

Supervisor: Prof S Macip

Investigating the roles that G protein coupled receptors play in hypertension

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

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute a very large family of heptahelical, integral membrane proteins that mediate a wide variety of physiological processes ranging from the transmission of light and odorant signals to the mediation of neurotransmission and hormonal actions. Read more

Supervisor: Dr J Willets

Cancer biology: identification of new treatment options for EML4-ALK driven lung cancer through understanding mechanisms of cell division and migration.

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

Lung cancer is the largest cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK and worldwide. While little progress has been made in long-term survival rates, we now have a good understanding of the genetic drivers raising the prospect of earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments. Read more

Supervisor: Prof A Fry

Understanding the link between fibrosis, inflammation, and breast cancer initiation

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

Understanding the fundamental molecular events that result in tumour initiation is critical to the prevention and treatment of human cancers. Read more

Supervisor: Dr C Switzer

Understanding gene regulation by HDAC1 complexes in development and cancer

Supervisor: Prof S Cowley

Packaging DNA into nucleosomes helps protect the long fragile genomes of eukaryotic species. However, in doing so it becomes an ever-present physical barrier to the machinery required for its replication, repair and transcription. Read more

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

Understanding centrosome assembly in healthy and cancerous tissue with imaging

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

This is an opportunity for a scientist to join the lab of Dr Robert Mahen in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of Leicester. Read more

Supervisor: Dr R Mahen

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust BRC Translational Research (Non-Clinical) PhD Studentships

AI-assisted diagnosis, surgical planning & implant design for craniofacial patient care

Craniofacial diseases, particularly in craniosynostosis cases, present significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Read more

Supervisors: Dr S Schievano, Prof O Jeelani

15 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Harper Adams University Department of Agriculture and Environment

“Cultivating Change: Navigating the Social and Ethical Landscape of AI in Agriculture.”

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into agriculture marks a pivotal shift towards more efficient, sustainable, and resilient farming practices (Patrício & Rieder, 2018). Read more

Supervisor: Dr DI Iakovidis

17 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Harper Adams University Department of Agriculture and Environment

Optimising Transient Carbohydrate Partitioning in Wheat to Improve Climate Resilience

Elucidating the diversity and flexibility of plant metabolism is a key avenue of research in the pursuit of malleable traits to enhance plant productivity (Paul, 2021). Read more

Supervisor: Dr AWL Watson-Lazowski

17 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Harper Adams University Department of Agriculture and Environment

Leveraging metabolomics to reduce copper toxicity in dairy cattle

Successful candidates will receive a yearly stipend (paid monthly) set at the UKRI rate - for 2024/5 this will be £19,237. Read more

Supervisor: Dr J McCaughern

17 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Harper Adams University Food, Land & Agribusiness

How does agricultural crime affect the psychological health of farmers: a longitudinal exploration of the impact of victimisation on UK farmers

Agricultural crime is a fact of life for British farmers. While no official figures exist for this type of crime, key rural stakeholders such as NFU Mutual publish regular indicators of the level of the problem. Read more

Supervisor: Dr K Smith

17 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Harper Adams University Department of Agriculture and Environment

Circular production of phosphorous fertiliser – anaerobic digestate matrix effects on recovery efficacy

Introduction to research area. The application of animal slurries and anaerobic digestates to land to provide crop nutrients is facing ever increasing regulatory constraints influencing how they are stored and spread to land. Read more

Supervisor: Dr MK Kirby

17 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

University of Nottingham School of Life Sciences

Last chance to apply

Optimising novel pre- and rehabilitation strategies to improve the physiological resilience of older surgical patients

PhD Description. In addition to rehabilitation, which has long been employed as method to enhance recovery from clinical stress events, there is burgeoning clinical and research interest in prehabilitation, an approach employed to prepare individuals for these events. Read more

Supervisor: Dr B Phillips

22 April 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

University of Nottingham School of Life Sciences

Last chance to apply

Exploring the multi-organ benefits of Rapamune in relation to ageing physiology

PhD Description. Drug repurposing is an emerging avenue of research in the field of Geroscience; a field whose stated aim is to “accelerate research into the basic mechanisms driving ageing which could lead to improved clinical interventions”. Read more

Supervisor: Prof P Atherton

22 April 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

University of Nottingham School of Life Sciences

Last chance to apply

Exploring the role of habitual physical activity in driving physiological ageing

PhD Description. Robust evidence regarding the biological mechanisms responsible for the health benefits of physical activity, and the detrimental impacts of inactivity is lacking. Read more

Supervisor: Prof P Greenhaff

22 April 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

University of Leeds Faculty of Medicine and Health

NIHR Leeds BRC: Multimodal predictive modelling of outcome in patients with gastrointestinal cancer

Worldwide, cancer of the upper (oesophagus, stomach) and lower gastrointestinal (colon and rectum) tract is newly diagnosed in 3.6 million patients every year and 2.2 million patients die from this disease every year. Read more

Supervisors: Dr H Grabsch, Dr N West, Dr D Magee

26 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Microfluidic technologies applied to respiratory diseases

Supervisors: Prof D Lamprou, Prof M Tunney

Subject area. 3D Printing, lab-on-a-chip, Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Technology. In Preclinical studies, a large number of molecules and biomolecules, in a very short time, have to be evaluated in terms of efficacy and toxicity. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Novel strategies and innovative technologies to produce amorphous solid dispersion

Supervisor: Prof D Lamprou

Poor drug solubility presents a major challenge in drug product development of oral solid dosage (OSD) forms. However, many new development compounds exhibit poor solubility and only a few of them reach market approval. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Microfluidic Encapsulation of biologics into Nanomedicines

Supervisor: Prof D Lamprou

Progress in drug design has led to the development of new peptides, proteins, and drug molecules. However, the limited ability to deliver selectively these molecules at well-defined dosing regimens and without invoking drug-resistance remains a significant challenge. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Harper Adams University Department of Agriculture and Environment

Detection and management of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) infecting potatoes in Great Britain

Detection and management of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) infecting potatoes in Great Britain. Award summary. Read more

Supervisor: Dr M Back

3 May 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Heriot-Watt University School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society

Mitigating the impact of environmental stress on the quality and sustainability of malting barley

Climate change is challenging our ability to reliably grow crops. This PhD will be focused on the impact this is having on our capacity to produce a sustainable supply of malted barley for use within the brewing and distilling industries. Read more

Supervisor: Dr R Alexander

30 April 2024 PhD Research Project Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Multipurpose gel formulations containing antiretroviral-loaded lactoferrin nanoparticles and antibiotics for combination HIV prevention and treatment of bacterial vaginosis

Supervisors: Dr S Carmali, Prof K Malcolm

This is an exemplar PhD project co-supervised by Dr. Sheiliza Carmali (School of Pharmacy) and Prof. Karl Malcolm (School or Pharmacy). Read more

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

University of Bradford Faculty of Engineering & Digital Technologies

Waste to Energy and Renewable Energies – Design of Hybrid Energy Systems

The advancement and economic development of any nation depends mostly on its energy structure. As the world population keeps increasing, the demand for electricity also rises. Read more

Supervisor: Prof I Mujtaba

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