Biological Sciences (4) Chemistry (6) Medicine (26) Nursing & Health (27)

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

The University of Manchester
3 Year Funded Kennedy Trust IMPACT Inflammation MB-PhD

Kennedy Trust IMPACT Inflammation MB-PhD

Combine the vocational training of a medical degree with the research expertise of a PhD at the University of Manchester.

The Kennedy Trust IMPACT Inflammation MB-PhD is a funded three-year programme for undergraduate medical students who wish to train as clinician scientists.

This training route allows you to intercalate after either year 2 or 3 of the MBChB and spend three years dedicated to completing a PhD, combining medical training with research training in inflammation sciences.

This fully funded programme is now open to applications for September 2025 and applications will close in on Friday 13 December 2024

Find out more

Who is eligible?

This programme is open to current MBChB students that are:

  • Currently studying in Year 3; or
  • Currently studying in Year 2 and already hold a BA/BSc degree with a minimum Upper Second class degree classification in a relevant subject area; or
  • Intercalating after either Year 2 or Year 3 of the MBChB.

Applications from those wishing to intercalate will be subject to permission being received from your current university.

Why apply for the MB-PhD?

You’ll get a head start in your academic career, acquire a host of skills that can be applied in many areas of medicine and learn valuable critical appraisal skills early.

Inflammation is a vast area which can be applied in all aspects of medicine, surgery and general practice. It is specifically linked to areas of medicine such as:

  • Arthritis and rheumatic diseases
  • Immunology
  • Dermatology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Infection
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Orthopaedics
  • Respiratory disease

On completion of the MB-PhD, you’ll graduate as a doctor at the forefront of your field, you’ll have developed invaluable transferable skills and be fully equipped to start a career in clinical research.

Find out more

Key Dates

Deadline for applications: 13 December 2024

Interviews: June 2025



Where will I study?

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Tackle real world challenges, make a difference, and elevate your career with postgraduate research in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at Manchester. From biochemistry to neuroscience, cancer sciences to medicine, audiology to mental health and everything in between, we offer a wide range of postgraduate research projects, programmes and funding which will allow you to immerse yourself in an area of research you’re passionate about.

Why study at Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health?

Ranked the best place to live in the UK (The Economist Global Liveability Index, 2022), Manchester boasts world-class culture, iconic sports, a thriving music and food scene, and much more. It's not just a place to research, it's a place to call home.

Experience PhD life as part of a diverse postgraduate research community of more than 1,000 postgraduate researchers at the 29th most international university in the world (Times Higher Education, 2023).

With 93% of research activity at the University rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' (Research Excellence Framework, 2021), you'll get the chance to have an impact on global health and science challenges.

1000+

postgraduate students

220

PhDs

6

ranked in UK - QS (2025)

Manchester  United Kingdom

main campus

About Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

At Manchester, postgraduate researchers are at the heart of our mission to tackle pressing global challenges in biological, medical and healthcare sciences - and you could be too.

By choosing Manchester for your postgraduate research, you’ll be joining a university with an exceptional research reputation, where 93% of research is world-leading or internationally excellent (REF, 2021) and where your work will have real-world impact.

You’ll research in world-class facilities alongside leading experts at the forefront of innovation, collaborating across disciplines to pioneer new treatments, advance scientific knowledge, and improve healthcare globally.

Supported by our dedicated Doctoral Academy and strong industry links, you'll experience PhD life in a vibrant, welcoming and diverse postgraduate research community.

And you’ll leave with the specialist knowledge, research experience and transferable skills that will shape your future in academia, research or industry.





Main campus

The University of Manchester

Manchester

North West

United Kingdom

PhD saved sucessfully

(International Partnership Studentship) Using white matter network alterations relating to stroke risk to predict cognitive and health outcomes

The project aims to investigate how age-related changes in brain white matter impact upon cognitive and health outcomes. Using advanced software and MRI data from the UK Biobank, the researchers will create effective cross-sectional and longitudinal models of how white matter abnormalities predict cognitive function. Read more
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(MB-PhD) Gene regulatory networks driving metastatic progression in oesophageal adenocarcinoma

Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) incidence is increasing and yet survival rates remain very poor. There are limited treatment options, especially for metastatic disease, which is especially problematic as patients usually present with late stage disease. Read more
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(MB-PhD) MYST Histone Acetyltransferases as Therapeutic Targets in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Cytotoxic chemotherapy has been the standard of care for treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) for the last 50 years. Unfortunately, more often than not, it fails to cure patients, and the 5 years survival rate for all-comers with AML is only around 20%. Read more
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(MB-PhD)Immunomodulation in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a devastating B-cell malignancy for which there is no cure. The development of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) has proved transformative to multiple myeloma care, however, their remain unanswered questions related to the mechanism of action of this important drug class. Read more
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(MRC DTP CASE) Developing a cortical organoid model of genetic autism to understand early brain development

Neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and ADHD affect 4-8% of the paediatric population. These conditions present in the preschool period, are highly heritable and can severely affect quality of life, academic and occupational functioning. Read more
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(MRC DTP CASE) Drug Binding on human G-Protein Coupled Receptors under Tension-Altered Biomechanics in Diseases

Integral membrane proteins (MPs) constitute a significant part of the genome and are targets of ~30% of therapeutics. However, structural and functional understanding of these proteins often lags behind that of their soluble counterparts. Read more
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(MRC DTP) Circadian mechanisms in psoriasis: translating genomic and computational analysis to clinical care.

Despite numerous lines of evidence supporting a role for the circadian clock regulating multiple immunological axes, the dominant cell type driving rhythmic disease expression in psoriasis remains undetermined and there has been no progress on time-of-day regulation of psoriasis. Read more
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(MRC DTP) Combinatorial targeting of multiple disease mechanisms in drug-resistant epilepsy using microRNA inhibitors

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases, affecting ~70 million people worldwide. Epilepsy is characterised by susceptibility to spontaneous seizures, and can also include challenges with cognition, sleep and mental health. Read more
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(MRC DTP) Controlling G-protein coupled receptors to understand and treat obesity

The socioeconomic burden of obesity is ever increasing. Therefore, deciphering the neural substrates that control energy intake, expenditure and partitioning is an important step to developing novel treatments to reduce obesity rates. Read more
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(MRC DTP) Decoding the Brain-Immune Axis: Neuronal Circuitry and Metabolic Impact on Immune Responses

The immune system's response is intricately linked to nutritional status, with fasting and caloric restriction reducing inflammatory damage and extreme dietary perturbations increasing susceptibility to infection and inflammatory disorders. Read more
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(MRC DTP) Developing novel therapeutics to target splicing factor mutant myeloid malignancies

Aberrant RNA splicing is a key pathogenic event in several cancers including blood cancers. Blood cancer patients with splice factor mutations have worse overall survival than splice factor wild-type patients, highlighting the need for better treatment strategies for this group of patients. Read more
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