Funded opportunities

Please read the studentship adverts for eligibility criteria, funding and application process.

College of Life Sciences studentships – 4 projects, 2 studentships:

The College of Life Sciences are looking for two successful candidates, each to undertake one of these four projects.

All projects:

• Start date: 4 January 2027
• Closing date: 5 October 2026
• Supervisors Project 1: Dr Gráinne Whelehan and Professor Louise Goff
• Supervisors Project 2: Dr Jessica Lewis and Dr Andrew Millard
• Supervisors Project 3: Dr Dalia Tsimpida and Professor Louise Goff
• Supervisors Project 4: Dr Katie Gallagher and Dr Sarah Seaton

Project 1 (Population Health Sciences): Exploring ethnic differences in adipose tissue composition and characteristics after weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes.

Project 2 (Genetics): Dissection of the usage and function of unique genome architecture encoded by Burkholderia phage Matilda.

Project 3 (Population Health Sciences): Diet, insulin resistance and hearing loss in England: investigating a socioeconomic pathway in older adults

Project 4 (Healthcare): Perinatal palliative care in practice: an ethnographic study

Population Health Sciences - Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions for Multiple Long‑Term Conditions Using Network and Component Network Meta‑Analysis

• Supervisors: Dr Ellesha Smith and Professor Laura Gray
• Start date: 4 January 2027
• Closing date: 4 October 2026

Healthcare - Exploring the role of Health Innovation Networks in facilitating the implementation, scale and spread of a digitally enabled integrated kidney care model in primary care

• Supervisor: Professor Gregory Maniatopoulos
• Start date: 21 September 2026
• Closing date: Closed

Population Health Sciences - The co-design of an educational toolkit to support behaviour change and CGM engagement in adults living with type 2 diabetes

• Supervisors: Dr Michelle Hadjiconstantinou and Professor Pratik Choudhary
• Start date: 1 October 2026
• Closing date: Closed

Cardiovascular Sciences - Reducing cardiovascular mortality in vascular surgical patients with PAD

• Supervisors: Professor Rob Sayers and Dr Sharmin Shabnam
• Start date: 4 January 2027
• Closing date: Closed

Self-funded projects

Open to overseas applicants who can fund their own study or hold their own external sponsorship. For further information about the available projects please click on the subject page links. Projects open until filled unless stated.

Population Health Sciences 

• Dr Rupert Major: Patient support for decision making in relation to arterio-venous fistula formation before dialysis and ligation after a successful transplant: a mixed-methods study (open to UK and overseas
• Professor Pratik Choudhary: Evaluating the ethnic differences of physical activity on blood glucose
• Louise Hull: Identifying research priorities to advance the application of implementation science to lifestyle intervention research
• Dr Tim Lucas: To understand how women’s health during pregnancy is affected by heatwaves and how 24-hour behaviours and technological interventions can reduce these risks
• Dr Thomas Wilkinson: Optimising the measurement of muscle and physical function in clinical trials of people living with obesity
• Professor David Wright: PhD in Pharmacy Practice - Longitudinal Placements within the Undergraduate Pharmacy Degree: Defining the value

Respiratory Sciences

• Dr John E. Pearl: Survey of clinical non-tuberculous mycobacteria isolates for mycobacteriophages: their presence, diversity and potential role in disease
• Dr Natalie Garton: Rhodococcus equi lipid bodies: Targeting the pathogen’s fat reserves for infection control
• Professor Andrea Cooper: Stratification of TB risk by immunophenotyping and expression of key diagnostic markers
• Professor Galina Mukamolova: Development of novel therapeutic strategies to target Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence

Healthcare

• Professor Joseph Manning: Reducing pressure injury in critically Ill hospitalised infants, children and young people: An intervention bundle development and feasibility testing study
• Professor Joseph Manning: Paediatric to Adult intenSive care tranSition for chronicAlly critically ill younG pEople: The PASSAGE Study
• Professor David Wright: PhD in Pharmacy Practice - Longitudinal Placements within the Undergraduate Pharmacy Degree: Defining the value

Cardiovascular Sciences

Dr Katy Roach: Developing Translational Models of Fibro-calcific Remodelling to Evaluate Novel Therapies in Aortic Stenosis

Engineering: AI-enabled workflow for live organoid microscopy and analysis

• Supervisor: Dr Himanshu Kaul
• Start date: 21 September 2026
• Closing date: now closed

TARGET Studentships

• Start date: 1 October 2026
• Closing date: now closed

EPSRC DigitalMetal CDT studentships

• Start date: January 2026 onwards
• Closing date: open for home students and limited places for outstanding international applicants.

Media and Communications: Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space (LCHS)

• Supervisors: Dr Ben Parsons, Keith Mitchell (National Archives)
• Start date: 21 September 2026
• Closing date: now closed

School of Business - Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space (LCHS)

• Supervisor: Dr Raúl González Muñoz
• Closing date:  now closed
• Start date: 21 September 2026

School of Business - Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space (LCHS) 

• Supervisor: Professor Ana Cristina Costa
• Closing date: now closed
• Start date: 21 September 2026

PhD studentships funded by Research Councils open for September 2026 entry

BBSRC MIBTP

• Closed

ESRC Midlands Graduate School

• closed

CENTA

• Closed

TARGET CDT

• Closed

STFC

• Closed

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Landscape Awards

• Closed

MRC AIM DTP

• Closed