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We have 92 Molecular Biology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Manchester
Molecular Biology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Manchester
We have 92 Molecular Biology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Manchester
Studying a PhD in Molecular Biology would provide you with the chance to guide your own research project. With a strong link to Cell Biology, Molecular Biology projects revolve around understanding the composition, structure, and interaction of molecules within the cell that control its function. These are generally laboratory-based projects.
What’s it like to do a PhD in Molecular Biology?
As a PhD student in Molecular Biology, you’ll develop extensive laboratory skills including DNA sequencing, expression cloning, gene knockout, and DNA or protein arrays. Your understanding of the range of techniques available to you will continually improve as you’ll read the latest publications in the field.
Some typical research topics in Molecular Biology include:
- Understanding the role of a certain protein within a cell
- Investigating DNA repair mechanisms and potential faults
- Studying the difference in post-translational modifications in response to stimuli
- Development of novel therapeutics
- Investigating how proteins act differently in a disease
- Studying DNA replication
A majority of Molecular Biology projects are proposed in advance by the supervisor and are advertised on the university website. Some of these projects are fully-funded by the university or a doctoral training programme, while others require you to self-fund.
Suggesting a project for yourself is uncommon in Molecular Biology, due to the challenge of finding funding to cover PhD and bench fees, as well as having to find a supervisor with suitable equipment and research interests to support your project.
Day-to-day, you’ll be in the laboratory preparing or conducting experiments, analysing previous data, creating figures, and writing up the results, alongside quick chats with your colleagues and supervisors about your work.
In the final year of your PhD, you’ll complete an original thesis of approximately 60,000 words in length and give an oral defence of this during a viva exam.
Entry requirements
The entry requirements for most Molecular Biology PhD programmes involve a Masters in a subject directly related to Biology, 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 Molecular Biology funding options
The research council responsible for funding Molecular Biology 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 Molecular Biology 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.
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Understanding the posttranslational control of inflammatory response.
The incidence of inflammatory disease in the population is rapidly increasing hence the urgent need to validate novel targets and develop efficient anti-inflammatory drugs. Read more
Using synthetic biology to understand the evolution of antibiotic resistance
Imagine an architect, tasked with converting an old stadium into a building with a different function, without demolishing it. Read more
Insights into eye disease: understanding the molecular basis of age-related macular degeneration
Dysregulation of innate immunity has been implicated as playing a key role in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – a major form of blindness in the industrialised world (see [1-5]). Read more
Probing structural ensembles of mechanosensitive channels by EPR spectroscopy, HDX-mass spectrometry, Molecular Dynamics and CryoEM
Mechanosensitive ion channels form pores in the membranes converting mechanical cues into electrical signals. Read more
Evolutionary ‘frenemies’? Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the evolution of endosymbiosis
Symbioses are abundant, taxonomically widespread, ecologically important in a wide-range of habitats, economically important in agricultural systems, and consequently underpin the biodiversity and function of both natural and artificial ecosystems. Read more
Where has all of the carbon gone? Understanding the molecular mechanisms of long-term soil carbon capture
Soils, while unglamorous, form the basis of the terrestrial biosphere and are ultimately the source of the majority of the food that we eat, yet fundamental aspects of how soils form and how they store carbon are poorly understood. Read more
Exploring molecular mechanisms of drug resistance and pathogenicity in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus
A. fumigatus is the primary etiological agent of invasive aspergillosis, a disease that primarily affects individuals who are immunocompromised, and causes 200k life threatening infections annually. Read more
Interrogating molecular switches that control developmental gene expression
The ability of cells and tissues to modulate rates of gene expression is critical for their ability to respond appropriately to cues during development, maintain normal function during ageing, and combat environmental insults and biological agents such as pathogens. Read more
The mechanism of regulation of protein synthesis via eIF2 molecular complexes
Control of protein synthesis is critical for normal metabolism, development and responses to stress. One major pathway is called the integrated stress response (ISR) and centres on translational control of the general protein synthesis factor eIF2B via the phosphorylation of eIF2 [1,2]. Read more
Exploring how cancer cells transmit force into the nucleus to regulate gene expression
Overview. This project will explore the mechanobiology of skin cancer cells and seeks to understand the mechanisms by which force is transmitted from the tumour microenvironment into the nucleus. Read more
The epigenomic, transcriptional and diagnostic architecture of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by exposure to maternal infection
A fundamental unknown in understanding mechanisms of disease, and therefore improving therapy, is how stressors experienced during critical developmental periods influence the genesis or ‘programming’ of adult disease (Estes & McAllister 2016). Read more
Uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying spinal cord regeneration
About 1200 people a year are left paralysed in the UK due to a Spinal Cord Injury (or SCI). This is because injuries involving the central nervous system (CNS) have very poor capacities to regenerate, thus resulting in a permanent loss of function. Read more
Investigation of aortic remodelling in obesity and role of mitochondrial dysfunction
Obesity is a global healthcare and economic burden with currently more than 650 million adults classified as obese (WHO, 2017). Obesity is a common precursor to type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and both are risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. Read more
How do mammalian cells handle mRNA therapeutics: Optimising the molecular basis of manufacture
The use of mRNA to generate vaccines against COVID-19 has cemented the potential for nucleic acids to develop approaches to prevent viral infection and to have wider applications in the treatment of life-threatening cancers (Nature [2021] 589. Read more
(EPSRC DTP) Probing structural ensembles of mechanosensitive channel proteins in membranes by PELDOR/DEER spectroscopy, HDX-mass spectrometry and Molecular Dynamics simulations
Mechanosensitive ion channels form pores in the membranes converting mechanical cues into electrical signals. Read more