University of Leeds Immunology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Innovative Biological Scaffolds for Regenerative Replacement of Dysfunctional Heart Valves

Supervisor: Dr H.E. Berry

The School of Biomedical Sciences invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2024/25. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Investigation of host-virus interactions

Supervisors: Dr M Stacey, Dr J N Barr

The School of Molecular and Cellular Biology invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2024/25 in the area of molecular virology. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Targeting protein acetylation to reduce microglia activation in neurodegenerative disorders

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

The School of Biomedical Sciences invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2024/25. Read more

Supervisor: Prof I Wood

Manipulation of neuroimmune responses and behaviour by infectious agents

Supervisors: Dr G Mcconkey, Dr S Clapcote

This project is available exclusively to self-funded students who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2023/24. The project focuses on how infectious agents modify the individuals that they infect and how neuroimmune responses to infection moderate behaviour changes in warm-blooded animals and humans. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Uncovering the links between the environmental sensor, AHR, and the development of breast cancer

Supervisors: Dr C Gorrini, Dr A Zhuravleva

The School of Molecular and Cellular Biology invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2024/25. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

NIHR Leeds BRC: Utilising genetic and genomic predictors of vasculitis and disease/treatment complications for application in routine clinical practice

Supervisors: Prof A Morgan, Dr MM Iles, Dr R Mujica-Mota

There is substantial interest in using genetic biomarkers to predict those most at risk of disease and treatment complications; this is one of the focuses of Our Future Health, a national study aiming to recruit 5M participants ( https://ourfuturehealth.org.uk/ ). Read more

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

NIHR Leeds BRC: Unravelling the pre-clinical immunology of the IL-23/1L-17 axis in axial inflammation in psoriatic arthritis towards optimal disease prevention

Supervisors: Prof D McGonagle, Dr H Marzo-Ortego, Dr T Macleod

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are key disorders within the seronegative spondylarthropathy (SpA) that was first described in… Read more

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

NIHR Leeds BRC: The role of target organs in initiation of autoimmunity in systemic lupus erythematosus

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

Autoimmune diseases such as SLE have traditionally been understood to result from aberrant haematopoietic adaptive immune system that targets normal tissues such as the skin and joints. Read more

Supervisor: Dr E Vital

NIHR Leeds BRC: An interferon diagnostic to inform early detection and prevention strategies in Ana positive CTDs

Supervisors: Dr F Del Galdo, Dr R Ross

Type I interferons (IFN) play a role in a wide range of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), and strong evidence suggests that measurement of IFN activity could have clinical value, although testing has not progressed into clinical settings. Read more

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

Epigenetics and Cancer: Determining how Mistakes in V(D)J Recombination Trigger Leukaemias and Lymphomas

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

V(D)J recombination is essential to produce an effective adaptive immune system but since the reaction involves breakage and rejoining of DNA, it is highly dangerous and errors have long been thought to lead to leukaemias and lymphomas. Read more

Supervisor: Dr J Boyes

Cancer: Investigation of accentuated mitochondrial ROS and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in cystic fibrosis and colorectal carcinoma.

Supervisors: Prof D Peckham, Prof D Jayne, Dr S Savic, Miss LR Caley

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with an accentuated inflammatory response to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), increased resting energy expenditure and a higher than expected prevalence of gastrointestinal and other malignancies. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

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

Open Day(s) 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

Cancer Biology: The role of Wnt signaling in glioblastoma therapeutic resistance

Supervisors: Dr G Mavria, Dr S Bell, Dr C Toomes

Glioblastoma is a deadly brain tumour treated with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy with patient survival of 6-15 months. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Cancer: Understanding the immunosuppressive role of fibroblast and macrophages in Breast cancer

Supervisors: Dr F Errington-Mais, Dr V Jennings

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) preferentially infect and kill cancer cells, and their clinical efficacy has been demonstrated against a number of different cancers. The most clinically advanced OV is a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus (T-VEC) which expresses GMCSF to aid the development of anti-tumour immune responses; T-VEC is approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Cancer: Complex 3D modelling of the tumour microenvironment for immunotherapy combination screening

Supervisors: Dr MA Volpato, Dr F Errington-Mais

Cancer immunotherapy holds significant promise for the treatment of a range of cancers. Read more

Open Day(s) Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only