Four-Year International PhD
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Our Four-year International PhD programme is designed to enable international students to gain additional postgraduate research training during your first year of study, allowing you to prepare for postgraduate research before you progress onto a PhD.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
YEAR 1
- Postgraduate Research studies and up to two subject-specific Postgraduate Taught modules
- Students will also have access to a non-credit-bearing Academic Skills for Research programme delivered by INTO Queen’s.
Annual Progress Review at the end of Year 1, following which, students will continue their PhD studies.
YEARS 2-4
- Completion of postgraduate research degree in relevant area of study.
Research Projects
Queen’s is a research-intensive university, organised to facilitate and promote inter-disciplinary research.
It is our purpose and responsibility to take on major global challenges, and to find answers that will help to build a better society.
As part of the Four-year International PhD programme, students must apply for a research project. Before applying for a research project, students should spend some time researching their options and checking the details of any project they are interested in.
A list of current research projects for entry in September 2024 can be explored below.
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Medical Education
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Andrew Spence “So What Happens After we Simulate?”: A Qualitative Inquiry into the Experiences of Medical Students Following SBE Activities on their Professional Development - Public Health
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Guillermo Lopez Campos Digitalovigilance – Discovery and Management of Adverse Reactions in Digital Health Interventions Dr Gareth McKay Nutrigenomic Investigation of Cognitive Outcomes in the Northern Ireland Cohort of Longitudinal Ageing Professor Amy Jayne McKnight Multiomic Signatures Associated with Healthy Ageing and Age-related Conditions Professor Amy Jayne McKnight Innovative Multiomic Approaches to Improve Early Detection and Diagnosis of Rare Kidney Conditions: A Transdisciplinary Approach Professor Amy Jayne McKnight Improving Diagnosis and Treatment for People Living with Rare Diseases Dr Joe Kane Psychiatric-onset Dementia with Lewy Bodies in a Mental Health Inpatient Cohort - Cancer Research
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Yaser Atlasi Investigating the Epigenetic Basis of Chemotherapy Resistance in Colorectal Cancer Dr Cristina Branco Investigating the Impact of Vascular Remodelling in Risk for Metastasis During Cancer Progression and Treatment Dr Seyed Mehdi Jafarnejad Translational Regulation of Innate Immune Response in Cancers Dr Katrina Lappin Investigating the Impact of Commonly Occurring Blood Cancer Mutations on Innate Immune Signalling Dr Sarah Maguire Identifying Cancer Vaccine Targets in Azacitidine-Treated AML Dr Nick Orr Why Does a Cancer Susceptibility Locus Differentially Influence Risk of Male Versus Female Breast Cancer - Respiratory Medicine
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Anna Krasnodembskaya Exploration of Therapeutic Potential of the Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells Exosomes in Pre-Clinical Models of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) - Immunobiology and Microbes
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Aoife Rodgers Investigating the Role of Gut-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Macrophage Response to Non-Typeable Haemophilus Influenzae and Therapeutic Manipulation by Novel Drug Delivery Systems Dr Aurelie Mousnier Defining the Role of Host Proteins in Rhinovirus Replication Dr Bianca Plouffe Probing the Signal Transduction Mechanisms Involved in Neuroinflammation Induced by Astrocytes in Response to Substance P Professor Cliff Taggart Parasite-Derived Peptides as Regulators of Inflammation and Infection Dr Derek Brazil Elucidating the Mechanisms of GREM1-Mediating Cancer Cell Signalling in Colorectal Cancer Dr Gunnar Schroeder Dissecting the Regulation of Antibacterial Responses of Immune Cells Role by Protein Glycosylation Professor Jose Bengoechea Dissecting the Antimicrobial and Anti-Eukaryotic Weapons of the Human Pathogen Klebsiella Pneumoniae Dr Karim Dib To Investigate the Role of Histamine in the Regulation of Neutrophil Phagocytosis Professor Miguel Valvano Love/Hate Relationship of Achromobacter Species and Human Macrophages: Unravelling a New Model Opportunistic Pathogen Professor Miguel Valvano Exploiting the Protein O'Glycosylation Pathway in Opportunistic Bacteria as a Novel Antimicrobial Target Professor Miguel Valvano Bacterial Lipocalins: Novel Role in Bacterial Protection Against Antibiotic-Induced Membrane Lipid Peroxidation Professor Miguel Valvano Macrophage-Bacteria Interactions in Cystic Fibrosis: The Cellular Microbiology of the Novel Opportunistic Bacterium Achromobacter Species Professor Ultan Power Elucidation of Innate Immune Responses to Respiratory Virus Infection in Airway Epithelium as a Function of Age Dr Yvonne Dombrowski Using the Immune System to Repair Tissue Damage in the Brain Dr Yvonne Dombrowski Generating and Validating a Novel Human 3D-Brain Cell Culture System as a tool for Neuro-Immune Research Professor Paul Moynagh Deciphering the Role of the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Pellino-2 in COPD
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Oral Health
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Gary Mitchell Exploring the Oral health care needs of older people Living with neurodegenerative Disease at homE (PRELUDE) Professor Gerry McKenna Addressing Oral Health for Older Adults in Care Homes Dr Chen Situ Exploring the Potential Oral Health Benefits of Indigenous Medicinal Plants as Alternatives to Antimicrobials - Eye Health
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr David Wright Optimising Delivery of Ophthalmology Services Dr Ruth Hogg Identifying Novel Biomarkers and Risk Factors for Age-Related Eye Disease - Drug Delivery and Biomaterials
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Eneko Larrañeta 3D-printed Implantable Long-acting Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Chronic Conditions Dr Eneko Larrañeta Development of 3D-Printed Intra-Oral Devices for the Treatment of Dry-Mouth Professor Raj Thakur Innovative Long-acting Drug Delivery Systems for Treating Ocular Diseases Professor Dimitrios Lamprou 3D Printed Based Drug Delivery Systems for Local Treatment of the Oral Cavity Dr James Burrows Regulation of CaaX Protein Processing Dr James Burrows Does One Size Fit All for Antimicrobial Delivery Via Nanoparticles? Professor Michael Tunney Relationship Between Antibiotic Therapy and Development of Antimicrobial Resistance in Patients with Bronchiectasis and COPD Professor Dimitrios Lamprou 4D Printing Technologies in Cancer Therapeutics Professor Dimitrios Lamprou Design and Evaluation of a Bone-on a-Chip Microfluidic Device Professor David Jones Design of Novel Mucoadhesive Lubricants for the Treatment of Xerostomia and Xerostomia-induced Infection Professor David Jones Development of Novel Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Platforms Containing Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Agents Designed for the Improved Treatment of Periodontal Disease Professor David Jones Development of Novel Topical Strategies for the Treatment of Xerostomia Professor Karl Malcolm Dip-coating Using Silicone Elastomer Dispersions as a Strategy for Preparing Reservoir-type silicone Elastomer Vaginal Rings for HIV prevention Professor Karl Malcolm Novel Statin Formulations for Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis - Nanomedicine and Biotherapeutics
Primary Supervisor Research Project Dr Emma McErlean Peptide-based Nanoparticles for Brain-targeted Gene Delivery Dr Matthew Wylie Infection-responsive coatings for the prevention of medical device-associated infections Dr Matthew Wylie Designing Next-generation Urinary Catheter Materials for Clean Intermittent Self-catheterisation Through Control of the Urinary Microbiome Dr Garry Laverty Enzyme-triggered Injectable Peptide Hydrogels for the Prevention of Latent Tuberculosis Dr Garry Laverty Peptide-like Hydrogels as a Long-acting Multipurpose Drug Delivery Platform for Combined Contraception and HIV prevention Dr Garry Laverty Smart Enzyme-triggered Injectable Peptide Hydrogels for the Prevention of Malaria Dr Stephen Kelly Investigating Relationships Between the Gut Microbiome and the Metabolism of Commonly Prescribed Drug Compounds Dr Vicki Kett Nanoparticle Delivery of Antibiotics for Treatment of Pulmonary Infection Dr Roberta Burden Characterisation of Novel Therapeutic Targets for the Treatment of Tumour Metastasis Dr Timofey Skvortsov Bacteriophage Control of Oral Microbiota for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Disease - Cardiovascular Medicine
Primary Supervisor Research Project Professor Adriana Margariti Engineering the Future: Vascularized Cardiac Organoids as a Platform for Studying Diabetic Cardiovascular Complications Dr Denise McDonald Overwriting Blood Vessel Identity to Prevent Coronary Graft Failure Dr Eleni Beli Neuronal vs Vascular Clock Disruption in Early Diabetic Retinopathy
APPLICATION PROCESS
01.
CHOOSE YOUR PHD PROJECT
Browse the research projects listed above and choose the research project relevant to your area of study.
03.
CHECK DEADLINES
We accept applications for PhD study throughout the year and we can offer varied start dates. Check out the timeline below to ensure you apply by the appropriate deadlines.
04.
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
To apply for any postgraduate research programme, you need to use our online application portal.
At the application stage, you will need to provide the following:
- Personal details
- Details of your education to date and degree transcripts
- Indication of your funding plans
- Proof of your English language levels if English is not your first language – find out more about our English language requirements.
- Names and contact details of two referees – one of which should be an academic reference from the institution you most recently studied at
IMPORTANT: During the application process on the Queen's Portal, students/agents should select “Yes” to “Responding to Advertisement” and provide the chosen research project, as detailed above.
INTERVIEW
Following the application deadline, applicants will be invited to attend an online interview with representatives from Queen’s. The purpose of these interviews is to understand your suitability to undertake a four-year PhD at Queen’s. Successful candidates will be issued with offers by 30 September 2024.
TIMELINE
- Application Deadline: 13 September 2024
- Interview: September/ October 2024
- Offers Issued by: October 2024
- Programme start date: 6 January 2025
CONTACT
Should you have any questions about the four-year international PhD, or the research projects listed, please email us at: askmhls@qub.ac.uk