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Biophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships
We have 153 Biophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships
A PhD in Biophysics would provide you with the chance to research and develop equipment and methods to improve our understanding of Biology or improve the lives of patients. Your research may involve developing bioengineered materials, creating drug delivery systems, or innovating new detection methods. These projects often involve both time in the laboratory and time spent using software for the design aspects of the work.
What’s it like to do a PhD in Biophysics?
Doing a PhD in Biophysics, you’ll develop a wide variety of skills from bioinformatics such as programming, statistics, and data science to skills in the laboratory. The interdisciplinary nature of the subject means you’ll be reading literature spanning many topics and will gain a range of knowledge.
Some typical research topics in Biophysics include:
- Development of novel microscopy and bioimaging techniques
- Development or improvement of drug delivery systems
- Production of novel therapeutics
- Innovating bioengineered materials
- Understanding a biological process through modelling and techniques more commonly used in physics.
Biophysics programmes are mostly fully-funded, either through the university or a doctoral training programme. The projects are generally advertised, with the main research aim determined by the supervisor.
It is uncommon to propose your own project in Biophysics as you must find a supervisor with interests that fit your project that also has sufficient equipment/software for your work, and you’ll need to find funding to cover PhD and bench fees.
In a general day, you’ll be working on or tweaking your design in software such as MATLAB, doing some experimental work in the laboratory, and talking to your supervisor and colleagues about your work.
At the end of your final year, you’ll create an original thesis of around 60,000 words, which you’ll defend during your viva exam.
Entry requirements
The entry requirements for most Biophysics PhD programmes involve a Masters in a relevant subject including Physics, Engineering or Chemistry with at least a Merit or Distinction. If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need to show that you have the right level of language proficiency.
PhD in Biophysics funding options
The Research Council responsible for funding Biophysics PhDs in the UK is the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). They provide fully-funded studentships including a stipend for living costs, a consumables budget for bench fees and a tuition fee waiver. Students don’t apply directly to the BBSRC, you apply for advertised projects with this funding attached.
It’s uncommon for Biophysics PhD students to be ‘self-funded’ due to the additional bench fees. However, if you were planning to fund yourself it might be achievable (depending on your project) through the UK government’s PhD loan and part-time work.
“The role of RNA-protein interactions in biological condensates: a molecular dynamics approach”
The role of RNA-protein interactions in biological condensates. Application deadline. October 20, 2024. Applications are invited via the 'Evolve' website, through the link https://evolve-programme.eu/apply/. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Spinal cord neuronal pathways for pain and itch
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Project outline: The dorsal horn of the spinal cord plays an important role in processing sensory information that is perceived as pain and itch, but despite its importance we know little about the organisation of neural circuits in this region. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Functional MRI of visual predictions in cortex
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Project outline: Perception is an active and dynamic process. Read more
Developing an advanced microscopy platform to characterise neuronal internalisation and spreading of pathological protein aggregates
Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial. PhD studentship in advanced fluorescence microscopy to study Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, Imperial College London. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Investigating the prognostic value of spatial immunophenotypes in lung cancer
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Project description. Tumour microenvironments (TMEs) profoundly influence cancer progression and shape the response to anti-cancer therapy. Read more
PhD Opportunity - The role of peripheral glial cytoplasmic mRNA localisation regulating synaptic plasticity of adjacent neurones in health and disease
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Project description. Synaptic plasticity is the key molecular process that regulates memory and learning. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Understanding how phototropin blue light receptor kinase signal from the plant plasma membrane
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Project description. The ability to enhance photosynthetic capacity remains a recognised bottleneck to improving plant productivity. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Regulation of plant nuclear architecture by light
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Outline & aim. Light is essential for plant growth, development and photoprotection. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Molecular mechanics of clustering and gating in plant ion channels
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Outline & aim. The organisation of ion channels in eukaryotic membranes is intimately connected with their activity, but the mechanics of the connections are, in general, poorly understood. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Developing novel, combined strategies for peripheral nerve repair
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Outline & aim. Peripheral nerve injuries are frequently seen following trauma or malignancy, with an incidence of 300000 cases in Europe following trauma alone. Read more
Exploring the TMEM206 proton-gated chloride channel as a new therapeutic target in ischaemic-mediated capillary disfunction
Commercial partner: Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford (NNRCO). Mammalian cells respond to alterations in extracellular pH (pHe) with mechanisms that are aimed at re-establishing cellular homeostasis. Read more
The mechanisms of control of the TMEM16A channel by the lysosomal NPC1 protein: a new role for the lysosome in the control of cell excitability
Commercial partner: Autifony Therapeutics. Ion channels are transmembrane proteins that form pores, allowing charged ions to cross the hydrophobic environment of the cell membrane. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Mechanics of multifactorial stress responses in plants – How do abiotic stress signals integrate with pathogen immunity?
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Outline. Plants have the innate ability to respond to pathogens together with multiple abiotic stress challenges, but such responses often come at a cost to plant productivity and water use. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Examining novel CO2-sensing mechanisms in plants to improve water use efficiency
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Outline. Elevated carbon dioxide concentration in air is a major consequence of global climate change. Read more
PhD Opportunity - Enhancing Plants’ Responses to Environmental Stress
'TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK INSTITUTION WEBSITE'. Outline & aim. This project will discover how plants integrate light and temperature signals to respond to challenges induced by climate change. Read more