Projects for 2026

Applications for 26/27 start projects has now closed. If you have any questions about future opportunities then please get in touch using the contacts page.

Leeds Beckett University

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Bitter Taste, Gut Hormones, and Brain Function	Lauren Owen
Novel cryo-correlative light-electron microscopy methodology to investigate ultra-structure of alphavirus replication in neurons	Sareen Galbraith
Disrupted Sleep: Mechanisms Linking Sleep Deprivation, Neurovascular Dysfunction, and Metabolic Pathways	Steven Trangmar
Mapping the Post-Transcriptional Regulatory Landscape of Enhancer RNAs in Cellular Homeostasis: Mechanisms of eRNA Regulation in Normal Physiology	Chinedu A. Anene
Single-Molecule Fluorescence Detection of Early-Stage Dementia Biomarkers	Tara Sabir
Uncovering how SFPQ prevents transcriptional collapse	Jim Boyne

Sheffield Hallam University

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Cellular mechanisms of CO-induced metabolic stress	Mari Herigstad
Characterising the role of the translation initiation factor eIF2B in the regulation of SG dynamics during neuronal stress	Susan Campbell
Extracellular vesicles and the microbiome: from top to bottom	Nick Peake
Unravelling Platelet Interactions with Porphyromonas gingivalis	Prachi Stafford
The Silent Threat in Breast Cancer: A Systems Biology Approach to Decoding Tumour Cell Dormancy and the Drivers of Metastasis	Lewis A Quayle

Teeside University

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Viral-infection-capacity-across-crustaceans-of-economic-importance	Jamie Bojko
Exploring-novel-efflux-pumps-in-environmental-acinetobacter-spp-at-the-genetic-and-structural-level	Bruno Lopes
Extremophilic-polysaccharides-for-vaccine-adjuvant-engineering-and-immunogenicity-expova	Sreejith Raveendran
Neurodegeneration-and-the-social-environment-sex-specific-impacts-on-neural-ageing-and-immune-function-in-drosophila-melanogaster	T Smulders-Srinivasan
Understanding-how-loss-of-dna-damage-response-modulates-immune-signalling-to-drive-immune-cell-localization-and-function-using-ovarian-cancer-3d-models	Sweta Sharma
Microbial-combat-the-dynamic-defence-of-soil-microbiome-in-polluted-environments	Saadlee Shehreen
Glycowrite-custom-designed-fermenter-with-a-novel-cell-free-expression-system-to-control-glycosylation-patterns-on-glycoproteins	Muhammad Safwan Akram

University of Bradford

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Deciphering kinase selectivity and regulation to develop a toolkit for studying the ‘dark’ kinome	Vibhu Jha
Engineered Brain Tumour Implant (EBTI) for Next-Generation Glioblastoma Therapy	Arathyram Ramachandra Kurup Sasikala
Investigating perineuronal net modulation as a mechanism underlying diet induced cognitive impairment	Stuart Dickens
Understanding ESCRT-Mediated Proteostasis pathways for Neurodegenerative Disease Intervention	Sriharsha Kantamneni
Modelling Microplastic Interactions with the Colon Microenvironment Using a Physiologically Relevant Humanised Culture System	Ethan Perkin

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE)
Deciphering the biological role of ESCRT complex proteins in neuronal senescence induced by air pollutants	Jacobo Elies
Development of ultrasound supported antibiofilm drug delivery system	Anant Paradkar
Development of novel Adhirons-based conjugates for use in life science technologies	Klaus Pors

University of Huddersfield

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Establishing structure-function relationships and economic and environmental merits of arabinoxylan materials from integrated biorefineries	Grant Campbell
Persea americana (Avocado) waste biorefinery to generate high value bioactive compounds for anti-inflammatory skin care and wound healing products	Olumayokun Olajide
Integrated bioprocessing and synthetic biology for cultivate meat and food additives application	Chenyu Du
Biochemical and genetic diversity of Ethiopian coffee and its potential contribution to the UK coffee bioeconomy	B Hwang
Sustainable Extraction and Bioactivity of Plant Phenolics in Crop Protectants	Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis

University of Hull

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Unravelling-the-viral-host-interactions-of-cytomegalovirus-within-human-target-cells-underpinning-the-balance-of-lifelong-infections	Stefano Caserta
Understanding-the-molecular-regulation-of-raav-replication-and-assembly	André Voelzmann
Staphylococcus-hominis-mechanisms-of-colonisation-and-skin-microbiome-interaction	Michelle Rudden
Mating-systems-coevolution-and-resistance-evolution	Rob Knell
Integrative-regulation-of-cell-proteostasis-and-adaptation-for-lifelong-metabolic-health	Armin Ardestani
Exploring-host-microbe-interactions-during-aged-skin-barrier-repair	Holly Wilkinson
Engineering-biology-for-the-sustainable-production-of-precision-antibiotics-elucidating-natural-product-biosynthetic-gene-clusters-to-tackle-antimicrobial-resistance	Mauro Rinaldi
Development-and-validation-of-next-generation-sustainable-artificial-blood-vessels-for-modelling-cardiovascular-diseases	Amirpasha Moetazedian
Enhanced pollinator monitoring using novel flash-detection tags and DNA metabarcoding to track solitary bee foraging for pollen and nectar.	James Gilbert

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE)
Understanding-transporter-ligand-specificity-to-enable-sustainable-biomanufacturing-of-high-value-products	Mauro Rinaldi

University of Leeds

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Single-Molecule Nanoinjection to Unveil Cellular functions of long non-coding RNAs	Eric Hewitt
Analysing the glycan coat of neurons with nanopipettes	Paolo Actis
Astrocytes, Endozepines, and Insulin: A Brainstem Pathway for Metabolic Control	Beatrice Maria Filippi
BrainBatch: Harmonising EEG for Population Neuroscience	Faisal Mushtaq
Chikungunya Virus Defective Viral Genomes: Unravelling mechanisms of formation, immune modulation and effect on viral pathogenesis	Andrew Tuplin
Decoding RNA Translation from Direct-FRAC-Seq Data with AI-Enhanced Graphical Models	Luisa Cutillo
Illuminating Ras signalling: Imaging membrane complexes with synthetic protein probes and super-resolution microscopy	Darren Tomlinson
Motor function preservation in ageing	Jessica Kwok
Reprogramming Meiotic Recombination for Accelerated Crop Breeding	Natasha Yelina
Strategies to balance solar energy harvesting and photoprotection in biomembranes from plants and bacteria	Peter Adams
Understanding how the localisation of ribosome populations contributes to translational regulation	Julie Aspden
Understanding protein phosphorylation networks across organisms: an integrated chemical, cell and computational biology approach	Adam Nelson
Understanding the role of DEAD-box helicases in virus infection	Adrian Whitehouse
Unraveling the biology and signalling potential of sparse cell antigens through single-molecule flow cytometry	Aleks Ponjavic
Unravelling the mechanisms of cardiac myosin function in health and disease	Charlie Scarff
Vascular-muscle crosstalk through Piezo1 as a mechanosensor regulating skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise	Scott Bowen
The Role of Cholesterol Homeostasis and Regulation of Drug and Nutrient Uptake by Membrane Efflux Proteins	James Thorne
Artificial Intelligence-Driven Protein Design for Studying Cell Signalling and Chromatin	Elton Zeqiraj
Building the First In Vivo Model of Human Neuron–Microglia Interactions	Marine Krzisch
Engineering Superselective Molecular Probes for Neuronal Glycans	Bruce Turnbull
Molecular footprints of amyloid aggregation in vivo	Frank Sobott
Deconvoluting the sequence determinants for outer membrane protein folding, stability and function	David Brockwell
Making and breaking myosin filaments: How smooth muscle cells modulate their contractile behaviour	Michelle Peckham
Uncovering the molecular dialogue of on-board acting enzymes in natural product biosynthesis	Ryan Seipke
Protein Design for Genome Stability: Targeting Key Interfaces in the DNA Damage Response	Qian Wu
Investigating the structural optimisation of bone through computational biomechanical modelling	Pete Watson
Stopping GLI transcription factors in their tracks: identifying regulators of proteolysis as therapeutic targets	Natalia Riobo-Del Galdo
Decoding and Optimising the Genetics and Structural Biology of Plant Architectural Control for Climate-Resilient Crop Production	Stefan Kepinski
Hijacking Diapause: How Environmental Cues and Pheromones Shape Insect Reproduction in a Changing Climate	Elizabeth Duncan
Illuminating the role of ciliary transport factors outside cilia	Helen Foster
It’s getting hot in here – how heatwaves impact health and ageing	Amanda Bretman
Structure-guided discovery of selective modulators of brain and cancer-associated potassium channels	Jonathan Lippiat

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE)
In situ studies of the mitochondrial respiratory pathway in agriculturally-important pests: an integrated chemical biology and cryo-electron tomography approach.	Ste Muench
Next-gen Synbiotic Foods: Novel Fibre Combinations as Modulators of the Gut Microbiome and Gut–Brain Axis Signalling	Idolo Ifie
Mapping the Gut Guardians: TraDIS-Guided Genetic Insights into Bifidobacterium	Anthony Buckley

University of Sheffield

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Carbon Capture Rice	Julie Gray
Convergence or divergence? Evolution of phagocytosis molecular mechanisms in animal macrophages	Simon Johnson
Deciphering proton shuttling on the surface of biological membranes toward proton translocating channels	Nadav Amdbursky
Decoding the epigenetic language shaping root parasite-host communication	Saima Shahid
Defining the Reproductive and Offspring Developmental Impacts of e-Cigarettes	Adam Watkins
Engineering Stomata: How Shape Informs Function	Andrew Fleming
ER Phone Home: Defence Signalling from the Endoplasmic Reticulum to the Cell Wall.	Jurrian Ton
Evolution of a Gene Regulatory Network Responsible for Avian Flight	Matt Towers
Exploring the role of L,D-transpeptidases in the cell envelope remodelling of Rhizobium leguminosarum during symbiosis with legumes	Stephane Mesnage
From Flies to Fish: Exploring Neural Synchrony in Visual Processing	Mikko Juusola
Genomics and development of an exaggerated sexual trait in stalk-eyed flies	Alison Wright
Harnessing JAK-STAT signalling for optimal innate immune cell function	Gillian Tomlinson
How do cells coordinate nutrient scavenging pathways?	Jason King
How does Keratin switching enable regenerative cell recruitment to sites of injury?	Henry Roehl
How does the Oestrogen receptor globally regulate transcription across the genome during development?	Matt Newton
Integrated purification, formulation, and delivery of next-generation mRNA, circRNA, saRNA medicines	Zoltan Kis
Life and death in the age of vancomycin: visualising how Clostridioides difficile survives antibiotic treatment at the single cell level.	Robert Fagan
Mechanical microenvironment as a regulator of ribosome biogenesis and cell growth	Kai Erdmann
Mechanisms and exploitation of phage host hijacking	Per Bullough
Natural GM: The Role of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Crop Adaptation and Evolution	Luke Dunning
Neuronal compensation for natural circuit perturbations	Andrew Lin
Nuclear Myosin VI supports DNA repair and is a potential therapeutic target	Chris Toseland
Paraspeckle condensates in cell health, stress and disease â€“ what can structural studies tell us?	Tatyana Shelkovnikova
Predicting pathogen evolution: using experimental evolution to understand the impact of phage therapy on Clostridioides difficile	Ellie Harrison
Primed for Protection: Cell Wall Modifications in Plant Defence and Long-Term Immunity	Sam Amsbury
Rewiring photosynthesis to improve CO2 fixation using synthetic biology	Matt Johnson
Signalling complexes and cell wall changes during plant reproduction	Lisa Smith
Tackling ageing in the gut: investigating the contribution of macrophages in the intestinal stem cell niche to gut maintenance and repair	Catarina Henriques
The Functional Role of rRNA Modifications in Ectoderm Differentiation	Emma Thomson
The genetic and developmental control of complex nanostructure formation in butterfly wing scales	Nicola Nadeau
The integrated stress response in ageing: the actions of ATF4	Mirre Simons
The needle in the haystack â€“ single molecule detection of extracellular vesicles in complex biological contexts	Tim Craggs
The role of keratin networks in cell division in tissues under tension	Helen Matthews
The role of long non-coding RNAs in guard cell function and development	Stuart Casson
The role of singlet exciton fission in photosynthesis	Jenny Clark

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE)
Human Stem Cell-Based Approaches for Neurotoxicity Testing of Environmental Contaminants	Ivana Barbaric
Deciphering the mechanism of apicoplast genome organisation in Plasmodium falciparum	Indrajit Lahiri
Decoding Condensin Regulation: Single-Molecule Tools to Target IDR Interactions	Erin Cutts
Plant protection products as accidental drivers of antimicrobial resistance in agriculture.	Ellie Harrison
Developing cyanobacteria for enhanced light-driven biotechnology	Andrew Hitcock

University of York

Click on the project title to view the full description on the FindAPhD website.

Project	Primary supervisor
Chemical-warfare-in-the-rhizosphere-unpicking-the-defensive-role-of-plant-root-exudates-against-the-bacterial-pathogen-ralstonia-solanacearum	Andrea Harper
Investigating-the-co2-concentrating-mechanism-in-haptophyte-algae	Charlotte Walker
Pseudoknot-or-riboswitch-structures-and-dynamics-of-viral-rna-elements-that-control-programmed-ribosomal-frameshifting	Chris Hill
Real-time-single-molecule-imaging-of-pathological-translation-events-in-viral-infection	Christoph Baumman
Life-pushed-to-extremes-probing-the-mechanisms-of-chromosome-segregation-in-thermophilic-archaea	Daniela Barilla
Variation-in-how-plants-absorb-metals-from-nutritious-vegetables-to-phytomining	Daphne Ezer
Death-hunters-impact-of-cell-death-modalities-on-phagocyte-proteostasis-and-innate-signalling	Dave Boucher
How-do-plants-feel-the-cool-of-evening-and-use-it-to-time-growth	Seth Davis
Epigenetics-and-evolution-at-the-frontline-of-plant-chemical-defence	Benjamin Lichman
Making-sense-of-antigenic-variation-in-trypanosomes-a-nuclear-factory-with-a-switching-and-replication-problem	Joana Correiafaria
New-ccl5-prosthesis-and-photo-crosslinking-approach-for-functional-analysis-of-low-density-endogenous-ccr5-receptors	Nathalie Signoret
Holding-on-investigating-the-contribution-of-attached-leishmania-parasite-forms-in-human-infections	Nicola Baker
Predicting-the-next-pandemic-by-enhancing-viral-surveillance	Daniel Jeffares
Deciphering-phagosome-biology-during-leishmania-infection-with-ultrasensitive-proteomics	Elmarie Myburgh
Breaking-the-surface-of-pseudomonas-elucidation-of-the-biochemical-basis-of-pseudaminic-acid-transport-and-catabolism-in-bacteria	Gavin Thomas
Space-matters-how-does-gsk3-orchestrate-glial-development-and-function	Ines Hahn
Fire-in-the-neighbourhood-investigating-how-environment-and-experience-shape-inflammatory-responses	James Hewitson
Applying-synthetic-biology-tools-to-the-black-soldier-fly-for-sustainable-food-and-feed-systems	Joshua Ang
Magic-crops-genomics-to-breed-high-yielding-resilient-and-nutritious-amaranth	Katherine Denby
Understanding-caspase-14-how-it-helps-keep-our-skin-healthy-and-heals-wounds	Kim Robinson
Using-plants-for-green-recovery-of-technology-critical-rare-earth-elements-from-wastes	Liz Rylott
Engineering-synthetic-organelles-in-algae-for-biotechnology	Luke Mackinder
Agents-of-change-an-exploration-of-how-viruses-and-viriforms-shape-bacterial-evolution-fitness-and-antibiotic-resistance	Paul Fogg
A-farewell-to-arms-the-trade-off-between-growth-and-defence-in-bacteria	Sean Meaden
Microalgae-as-green-biofactories-for-insect-pheromone-production	Thierry Tonon
AI-driven-bacteriophage-design-to-combat-antibiotic-resistant-pathogens	Oliver Bayfield
Electrochemical-dissection-of-the-succinate-dehydrogenases-that-allow-survival-of-mycobacterium-tuberculosis-during-pathophysiological-oxygen-shifts	Alison Parkin
Chemical-protein-modification-for-isotope-labelling	Chris Spicer
Structural-virology-of-viral-dark-matter-assembly-and-infection-mechanisms-of-archaeal-viruses	Fred Antson
Creating-a-molecular-movie-of-carbon-fixation-by-rubisco-with-time-resolved-cryo-em	Jamie Blaza
Engineering-orthogonal-cytokine-receptor-pairs-via-ring-expanding-protein-bioconjugation-and-chemical-biology	William Unsworth

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE)
Pushing-energy-efficient-urban-farming-to-the-limit-using-plant-circadian-clocks	Daphne Ezer
Purification-of-protein-biologics-via-affinity-tagged-biomolecular-condensates	Michael Plevin
Developing-microbial-upflow-anaerobic-sludge-blanket-uasb-reactors-for-biogas-fuel-and-chemical-production-from-wastewater	Matthew Reilly
Decoding-human-blood-stem-cells-proteomics-and-super-resolution-imaging-of-cellular-adaptation	William Grey
Developing-novel-insecticidal-proteins-for-crop-protection	Federico Sabbadin
Discovering-conserved-transcriptional-networks-driving-plant-immunity	Katherine Denby
A-synthetic-biology-approach-to-local-gene-drives-in-aedes-aegypti	Luke Alphey
Understanding-co2-fluxes-in-algae-to-enhance-biotechnology-applications	Luke Mackinder

Find more information about funding and eligibility on How to apply.