PhD Studentships in College of Life Sciences

The College of Life Sciences is offering two studentships from four projects within Population Health Sciences, Genetics and Healthcare. Please review all four projects below. 

Project 1 - Population Health Sciences

Supervisors:

• Dr Gráinne Whelehan
• Professor Louise Goff

Exploring ethnic differences in adipose tissue composition and characteristics after weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) disproportionately affects individuals of Black African and Caribbean (BA) ethnicity in the UK, who develop the condition at lower levels of overall adiposity than White European (WE) populations [1]. Paradoxically, BA populations tend to exhibit a more favourable adiposity distribution, with lower visceral and hepatic fat [2], challenging prevailing models that link ectopic fat accumulation to the development and remission of T2D. Intensive dietary weight-loss interventions, particularly total diet replacement (TDR), have demonstrated substantial success in inducing T2D remission in predominantly WE populations [3]. However, emerging real-world data from the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme suggest that glycaemic improvements and remission rates may be significantly lower in BA populations, for reasons that remain unclear [4].

This project aims to investigate whether ethnic differences in metabolic response to intensive weight loss are driven by differences in weight loss magnitude, changes in adipose tissue distribution, or intrinsic characteristics of adipose tissue. Using a two-group observational design, the study will compare BA and WE men and women with T2D undergoing a 12-week intensive weight-loss intervention targeting approximately 10% body-weight reduction.

The primary objective is to compare changes in glycaemic control (HbA1c) between ethnic groups following the intervention. Secondary objectives include examining changes in total body weight, body composition (fat mass and fat-free mass), and ectopic fat depots—specifically visceral, hepatic, and pancreatic fat—quantified using gold-standard magnetic resonance imaging. In parallel, subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies will be analysed to characterise adipocyte size, tissue metabolites, adipokines, and inflammatory cytokine profiles, providing mechanistic insight into ethnic differences in adipose tissue function. Additional assessments will include substrate utilisation, basal metabolic rate, and cardiometabolic risk markers.

By integrating deep phenotyping with an established NHS weight-loss model, this study will directly test whether reductions in ectopic fat and adipose tissue remodelling underpin glycaemic improvements equally across ethnicities. The findings will help clarify whether current remission strategies optimally address the pathophysiology of T2D in BA populations or whether alternative, more targeted approaches are required.

This project will address a critical gap in our understanding of type 2 diabetes remission across diverse populations. Current remission strategies are largely based on evidence derived from White European populations and assume that reductions in ectopic fat are the primary driver of metabolic recovery. By directly testing this paradigm in Black African and Caribbean populations, this study has the potential to redefine current concepts of diabetes remission and identify novel mechanisms underlying ethnic differences in treatment response. The findings will provide evidence needed to inform NHS diabetes remission services, support the development of precision medicine approaches tailored to biological diversity, and reduce long-standing inequalities in diabetes outcomes. Ultimately, this work could contribute to more effective and equitable remission strategies for populations disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes.

References

1. Goff, L.M., Ethnicity and type 2 diabetes in the UK. Diabetic Medicine, 2019. 36(8): p. 927-938.

2. Whelehan, G., et al., Ethnic differences in the relationship between ectopic fat deposition and insulin sensitivity in Black African and White European men across a spectrum of glucose tolerance. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2024. 26(11): p. 5211-5221.

3. Lean, M.E.J., et al., Primary care-led weight management for remission of type 2 diabetes (DiRECT): an open-label, cluster-randomised trial. The Lancet, 2018. 391(10120): p. 541-551.

4. Valabhji, J., et al., Early findings from the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme: a prospective evaluation of real-world implementation. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024. 12(9): p. 653-663.

Project 2 - Genetic

Supervisors:

• Dr Jessica Lewis
• Dr Andrew Millard

Dissection of the usage and function of unique genome architecture encoded by Burkholderia phage Matilda.

 
References

Project 3 - Population Health Sciences

Supervisors:

• Dr Dalia Tsimpida
• Professor Louise Goff

Diet, insulin resistance and hearing loss in England: investigating a socioeconomic pathway in older adults.

Hearing loss affects over nine million adults in England and is strongly patterned by socioeconomic position: those in the most disadvantaged groups are up to twice as likely to experience hearing decline in later life.¹ The mechanisms underlying this inequality remain poorly understood. This project investigates diet as a potential, modifiable pathway.

The inner ear requires a continuous glucose supply to function. Poor glycaemic control damages the small blood vessels supplying the cochlea, impairing the auditory cells that depend on them.² Diets high in refined carbohydrates promote this process by driving insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, both established mechanisms of cochlear vascular injury.³ As dietary quality is itself socially patterned - poorer diets being more prevalent among lower socioeconomic groups - this project examines whether the dietary-metabolic pathway helps account for the socioeconomic gradient in hearing loss, a question not previously addressed in a UK population.⁴^ˏ⁵

The project draws on the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)⁶, a nationally representative cohort of adults aged 50 and over, which combines objective audiometric assessment, biomarker data (including HbA1c) and dietary measures across multiple waves. The analysis proceeds in three stages: first, construction and validation of a dietary metabolic risk index against HbA1c and BMI; second, mixed-effects modelling to test whether this index predicts hearing decline independent of key confounders; and third, causal mediation analysis to determine whether the dietary-metabolic pathway accounts for part of the socioeconomic gradient in hearing loss, with stratified analyses by deprivation, sex and age.

This is the first study to integrate the social epidemiology of hearing loss with nutritional epidemiology within a UK longitudinal cohort. The student will be supervised by Dr Dalia Tsimpida, whose research established socioeconomic inequalities in hearing health using ELSA, and Professor Louise Goff, whose work has demonstrated the role of dietary composition in modulating insulin sensitivity. Together, this supervisory team combines expertise in hearing health inequalities and nutritional physiology.

The findings will generate the first evidence on dietary-metabolic pathways to hearing health inequalities in England, with implications for NHS Health Checks, dietary guidance, and strategies to reduce hearing health inequalities.

References

1. Tsimpida D, Kontopantelis E, Ashcroft DM, Panagioti M. Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with hearing loss in older adults: a cross-sectional study of ELSA. BMJ Open 2019;9:e031030.
2. Kang SH, Jung DJ, Cho KH, et al. Association between HbA1c level and hearing impairment in a nondiabetic adult population. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders 2016;14:129–134.
3. Goff LM, Bell JD, So P-W, Dornhorst A, Frost GS. Veganism and its relationship with insulin resistance and intramyocellular lipid. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005;59:291–298.
4. Gopinath B, Flood VM, Rochtchina E, et al. Dietary glycaemic load is a predictor of age-related hearing loss in older adults. Journal of Nutrition 2010;140:2207–2212.
5. Horikawa C, Kodama S, Fujihara K, et al. Haemoglobin A1c and hearing impairment: longitudinal analysis using a large occupational health check-up data of Japan. BMJ Open 2018;8:e016873.
6. Steptoe A, Breeze E, Banks J, Nazroo J. Cohort Profile: The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. International Journal of Epidemiology 2013;42(6):1640–1648.

Project 4 - Healthcare

Supervisors:

• Dr Katie Gallagher
• Dr Sarah Seaton

Perinatal palliative care in practice: an ethnographic study.

In 2023, ~1200 babies died during the neonatal period (the first 28 days of life), equivalent to 2.9 deaths per 1000 live births (Office for National Statistics, 2025) and accounting for the majority of deaths in children under 5 years in the UK. National neonatal data illustrates the impact of ethnicity upon neonatal mortality rates, with the highest rates seen in babies of Pakistani, Black African and Bangladeshi ethnicity when compared to babies of white ethnicity. This is compounded by deprivation across all ethnic groups.

The main causes of neonatal death are complications of prematurity, congenital anomalies, infections or complications arising during labour. For many families whose baby is diagnosed with a congenital anomaly, this diagnosis will have been made during pregnancy. Prenatal diagnosis can have significant emotional and psychological impact on families, potentially resulting in post-traumatic distress and depression for the mother. Even after counselling for fetal anomaly, parents consistently report the need for supplementary information to help them understand the diagnosis and deal with uncertainty. For parents who opt for palliative care following the birth of their baby, variation exists across hospital trusts in the range of care choices and location of care options available, reflecting inconsistencies in service provision and access to resources.

This project proposes ethnography to explore what perinatal palliative care looks like in practice focusing on information sharing, parental support, and decision making. It would explore care practices for families from different ethnic and sociodemographic backgrounds, to identify potential health inequities in the provision of perinatal palliative care. It would be conducted in one NHS Trust in an ethnically diverse part of England to ensure adequate representation of families from different backgrounds.

The research would provide the first insight into perinatal palliative care in practice, allowing us to work with relevant stakeholders to develop guidance for national implementation, considering outcomes on parental mental health, care choices for the baby following birth, and health inequalities. It would shape the future of perinatal palliative care provision to ensure that all families receive adequate and equitable support during one of the most challenging times of their lives.

References

• Office of National Statistics. Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2023-2024 Available from: www.ons.gov.uk
• Tambe P, Sammons HM, Choonara I. Why do young children die in the UK? A comparison with Sweden. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2015;100:928-31.
• Gallimore ID, Matthews RJ, Page GL, et al. on behalf of the MBRRACE-UK collaboration. MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Mortality Surveilliance: UK Perinatal Deaths of Babies Born in 2024 – State of the Nation Report. Leicester: TIMMS, School of Healthcare, University of Leicester 2026
• World Health Organisation. Palliative Care 2020 Available from: https://www.who.int.
• Harnden F, Lanoue J, Modi N et al. Data-driven approach to understanding neonatal palliative care needs in England and Wales: a population-based study 2015–2020. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2023;108(5):540-544

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Please select your preferred project and include:

Correct supervisor name and your preferred project title on your online application form under the section 'supervisors/project'

Follow the application advice under How to Apply below before submitting your application using the link at the bottom of the web page.

Please ensure you choose the correct PhD Apply Now link (Project 1 and 3: Population Health Sciences PhD. Project 2: Genetics PhD. Project 4: Healthcare PhD.