Postgraduate research

Funded opportunities

Listed below are the funded studentship opportunities which are currently accepting research student applications.

College of Life Sciences

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

Cardiovascular Sciences: 4 Year MRes/PhD Programme

Start date: 22 September 2025
Closing date: 28 February 2025

Cardiovascular Sciences: Mediators of loin pain in IgA nephropathy

Supervisors: Professor Jonathan Barratt, Dr Haresh Selvaskandan, Dr Róisín Thomas
Start date: As soon as possible.
Closing date: 18 February 2025

Cardiovascular Sciences: Adapting and implementing a digital health platform for patients with chronic kidney disease

Supervisor: Dr Matthew Graham-Brown
Start date: 1 June 2025
Closing date: 20 February 2025

Population Health Sciences: Human health impact of exposure to environmental chemicals

Professor Anna Hansell
Start date: 22 September 2025
Closing date: 9 February 2025

Population Health Sciences: Assessment of Flame Retardant Exposure Pathways in Households in the UK

Supervisors: Professor Anna Hansell and Dr Rebecca Cordell
Start date: 22 September 2025
Closing date: 9 February 2025

Respiratory Sciences/Institute of Public Health Investigating bacteriophage therapy to treat pleural infection

Supervisors: Professor Dominick Shaw and Dr Spyridon Megremis
Start date: 22 September 2025
Closing date: 28 February 2025

Respiratory Sciences/Institute of Public Health Multi-modular patient-derived lung organoids to aid precision medicine

Supervisors: Professor Chris Brightling and Dr Himanshu Kaul
Start date: 22 September 2025
Closing date: 28 February 2025

Leicestershire Healthcare Inequalities Improvement DTP Studentships

Start date: 1 October 2025
Closing date: 7 February 2025

The Leicester Lifestyle and Health Research Group

Start date: 22 September 2025
Closing date: 21 February 2025

Molecular and Cell Biology PhD for January 2025 Master's students

Available for 2026 entry for students who register on the University of Leicester Master's MSc Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology or MSc Molecular Genetics January 2025 intake.

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 Sharmin Shabnam: Personalising thresholds of risk factor control for prevention of cardiovascular disease in subjects with diabetes
Dr Dimitrios Papamargaritis: Harnessing mechanistic technologies and real-world clinical data to advance the interdisciplinary field of obesity and cancer prevention
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)

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 Debi Bhattacharya: Development and evaluation of a theory and evidence-based model for normalising Self-Administration of Medicines (SAM) in hospital
Professor Joseph Manning: Paediatric to Adult intenSive care tranSition for chronicAlly critically ill younG pEople: The PASSAGE Study
Dr Linda Birt: Advance care planning conversations in care home, understanding resident and family experiences
Dr Sion Scott: An intervention to facilitate deprescribing for people with intellectual disability