Open to PhD applications in:

• Sociological and Anthropological approaches to religion

• Identity formation in Northern Ireland and beyond

• Racism and anti-Semitism

• Social class

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Critical University Studies
• Academic inequalities in higher education
• Academic development (or staff educational development) in post/conflict higher education
• Higher Educations’ responses to the International Decade for People of African Descent
• Higher Educations’ responses to the Sustainable Development Goals
• Critical orientations to creative arts education in higher education

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Mental Health Research (General)
• Social Work
• Digital Mental Health
• Interventions within Health and Social Care
• Dementia Care
• School Based Interventions
• Help-seeking
• Coproduction/participatory research
• Virtual reality and immersive technologies

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Literacy Studies
• Language and New Media
• Language Education and Applied Linguistics

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Youth Transitions
• Inequalities in Educational Attainment
• Post-compulsory education and training
• Literacy programme Evaluation

Open to PhD applications in:

• Autism and Mental Health Difficulties

• Behaviour Analysis

• Effective Education and Inclusion

• The use of technology for effective teaching

I am interested in PhD applications in:

• Impact of childhood adversity
• Child victims in criminal justice system
• Child protection

Open to PhD applications in: 

• Imprisonment
• Criminological Psychology
• Penal Reform
• Reducing Reoffending
• Desistance
• Social media related crimes

Open to PhD applications in:

• Rights of children with disabilities under UNCRC/UNCRPD
• The right to inclusive education
• Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Critical Disability Studies

   

Open to PhD applications in:

• Substance Use
• Mental Health

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Mathematics education, particularly at post-primary level
• Aspects of educational assessment and evaluation, particularly in relation to their theoretical foundations

Open to PhD applications in the field of

•Social policy and ageing
•Social gerontology
•Gender
•Cultural gerontology

Open to PhD applications in:

• Youth offending; Youth justice; young people in conflict with the law

• Offending Careers

• Biographical Research

• Domestic violence

• Experiences of marginalised youth

• Homelessness and housing careers

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Mental health
• Health inequalities
• Human rights

Open to PhD applications in:

• Security, Technology, Borders

• War and Police Continuum: Police in war, and Military in civilian spaces or in Criminal Justice

• Crime and War, and War Crimes

• New forms or expression of social control

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• ABA-focussed PhD in any social important area (on-campus or distant learning options)
• Applicants have to be Board Certified Behaviour Analysts or at least hold a MScABA

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Schools and Conflict
• Faith schools
• Education policy

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Applied behaviour analysis
• Developmental disorders including autism
• Applications of the analysis of verbal behaviour for teaching communication skills
• Effective, values-driven professional training in behaviour analysis
• Socially valid parent-mediated interventions and parental training
• The use of telehealth in the provision of evidence-based interventions
• Behaviour analytic interventions that address wider societal challenges
• The use of high quality systematic reviews in informed decision making and policy changing

Open to PhD applications in:

• School collaboration and school networks
• Educational leadership
• Education in divided societies
• Education in custodial settings

Open to PhD applications in:

• Service user involvement and co-production

• Social work and political conflict

• Trauma perspectives, social work and political conflict

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Health and wellbeing in schools
• Early childhood development

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Educational assessment
• Gender and achievement
• Inequalities in educational achievement
• Assessment policy reform and implementation
• Single-sex and mixed-sex schooling
• Gender and education

Open to PhD applications in:

• Political education (including citizenship education and human rights education)
• Children’s participation rights in school and in community
• Socio-political perspectives on pedagogy
• Curriculum and curriculum development
• Participatory and transformative research

Open to PhD applications in:

• Indigenous language revitalisation and reclamation
• Minoritised and heritage language maintenance
• Materials use in educational contexts
• Language policy and planning
• Critical discourse analysis
• Sociomateriality and education
• Multimodality and interaction

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland
• Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation in Sub-Saharan Africa
• The Emerging Church Movement
• Catholicism on the island of Ireland
• Evangelicalism
• Secularisation and Religious ‘Nones’
• Dealing with the past in Northern Ireland

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Child protection
• Child welfare
• Child maltreatment
• Involving family members and children and young people in child protection and welfare processes
• Service user experiences of the child protection and criminal justice systems
• Assessment and decision-making in work with children and families
• Family group conferencing

Open to PhD applications in:

• Peace and conflict processes
• Political sociology
• Political discourses, protest and violence

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Sociology of Emotions – many areas, but especially in relation to the dynamics of emotions and power; digital sociology of emotion
• Political Sociology of Emotions – especially in relation to party politics, politicians, the state, post-conflict emotions, nationalism, war, Ireland
• Social/Sociological Theory – especially in relation to power, emotion, affect, habitus; process ontologies; relational sociology; processual sociology; new materialism

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Self-harm  - A proposed mixed methods study will appeal to candidates keen to work with a large data set, it utilises data from the Belfast Youth Development Study (BYDS) to advance public health knowledge on self-harm among young people. The Belfast Youth Development Study (BYDS) is a longitudinal cohort study involving over 4000 young people in Northern Ireland – the study spanned ages 11 to 21 years (2001-2011) and included over 40 schools. Over time comprehensive data on substance use, mental health, self-harm, family, schools, neighbourhoods, offending behaviour was Methodology - Phase 1 (quantitative phase) multilevel logistic regression/multilevel models (qualitative phase), the results of the quantitative analysis will be used design an interview schedule which aims to shed light on the nature of the relationship between the predictors and self-harm behaviour.
• Sexual-health  This project aims to focus on sexual activity indicators and how these are shaped by family context , peers , schools , other risky child behaviours and outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood.  These aims will be achieved via secondary analysis of the Belfast Youth Development Study (BYDS), a longitudinal cohort study of over 4000 young people form Belfast, Ballymena and Downpatrick. BYDS collected seven sweeps of data over a ten year period (2001-2011) spanning ages 11-21 years
• Secondary Trauma - The proposed study will use data from the 2018/19 Belfast Youth Development feasibility study (BYDS) which includes a comprehensive range of measures related to trauma and secondary trauma (n = 360). A subsample of these participants (aged 30 years), including those who previously reported a secondary trauma, will be followed up to allow in depth analysis of trauma transmission. 

Open to PhD applications in:

• Intergroup relations in divided societies
• The role of schools in promoting intergroup relations in divided societies

Open to PhD applications in:

• Peacebuilding and reconciliation
• Civil society contributions in conflict and peacebuilding
• Social construction and representation of victims, victims’ advocacy, victims policy
• Group identities and intergroup processes in intractable conflict
• Gender and social justice

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Disability studies
• Transitions to Adult Life
• Children and young people in care
• Care leavers

Open to PhD applications in:

• Outdoor learning
• Education for Sustainable Development and/or relevant Sustainable Development Goals
• Science/biology education
• Teacher Professional Development

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Children’s health and Wellbeing
• Surveys of children and young people
• Working with children and young people to develop surveys

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Children’s Rights and Education
• Children’s Participation in decision-making
• Implementation of the UNCRC

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Adoption, kinship care, leaving care
• Parenting capacity

Open to PhD applications in:

• Epistemic injustice
• Epistemologies of ignorance
• The Capabilities Approach
• Special Educational Needs and Inclusion
• Feminism and Gender
• Irish Medium/Bilingual Education

Open to PhD applications in:

• Young people and political conflict/ conflict legacy
• Children and young people in conflict with the law; youth justice
• Children, young people and violence
• Participatory research

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Conflict and Conflict transformation
• Nationalism and identity politics
• Political extremism
• Adult education

Open to PhD applications in:

• Family formation
• Family wellbeing
• Intimate relationships (marriage; divorce; remarriage; cohabitation; nonresident parenting; dating)
• Fertility (contraception use; sexual behaviour; family size preferences; childlessness)
• Emerging adulthood
• Intergenerational relationships (grandparent; adult-children)
• Race-ethnicity and socioeconomic inequality
• Quantitative analysis including survival analysis and longitudinal methodology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Child development
• Social emotional learning
• Using experimental methodology, systematic review and meta-analysis to generate and better understand evidence of what works

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Adult safeguarding including the investigative processes
• Working with diverse cultures
• Bereavement
• Culturally competent therapeutic interventions

Open to PhD applications in:

• Adverse childhood experiences

• Trauma-informed care

• Social work practice

• Systemic family therapy

• Domestic Violence

• Trauma

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Workplace wellbeing
• Mental health
• Use of linked administrative data

Open to PhD applications in:

• Social movements
• Conflict and peacebuilding
• Nationalism; populism
• LGBTQ activism
• Memory
• Political violence
• Multiculturalism
• Sectarianism

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Religion and education
• Pedagogy and religious education
• Inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue in educational environments

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• TESOL and English Language Learning (ESL, EFL, EAL)
• Academic Discourse and English for Specific Purposes
• Applied Corpus Studies
• Speaking Skills
• English Language Learning and Migration

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Design, implementation and evaluation of educational programmes and social interventions
• Community based participatory research
• Critical thinking
• Educational attainment

Open to PhD applications in:

• Gender based violence/ domestic violence/ intimate partner violence
• International social work
• Impact of neoliberal capitalism on the social work profession

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Adolescent development
• Risk taking behaviours
• Alcohol, drug use and crime
• Adolescent trauma and mental health problems
• Prevention and harm reduction interventions
• Randomised and quasi-experimental trials
• Advanced quantitative methods and longitudinal research

Open to PhD applications in:

• Applied behavior analysis
• Autism and other developmental disabilities
• Self-determination and quality of life issues
• Community-based participatory research
• Technology-based instruction, including virtual reality and digital apps
• Psychosexual development of autistic adolescents
• Practical functional assessment

Open to PhD applications in:

• Improving outcomes for pupils
• Issues related to primary education
• Teacher training
• International and private schools
• Literacy and reading
• Randomised controlled trials

Open to PhD applications in:

• End of life care decision making Psychological impact of living with life-limiting illness Bereavement (experiences, needs assessment, interventions and policy)
• Student social work experiences of placement (inc. failing placement)

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Most areas of children’s and young people’s lives
• Sexuality, gender and sexual health
• Policy making processes, especially community relations in Northern Ireland

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Social role analysis in relation to gendered family life 
• Studies of the emotional quality of social politics, including abortion, breastfeeding, and motherhood
• Interactionist analyses of emotions, roles and social change.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Gender and Social Policy: comparative perspectives
  Gender, Work and Family
  Qualitative research relating to the issue of gender

Open to PhD applications in:

• Cooperative learning
• Peer tutoring
• Randomised controlled trials (both development and exploratory trials)

I am open to accepting applications in relation to the following broad areas, but happy to consider most areas of policing as broadly conceived:

• Police practice and reform
• Stop and search
• Security governance
• Policing and technology

Open to PhD applications in:

• Bilingual/multilingual education
• Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and teacher education
• Teaching science and mathematics to bilingual/multilingual students
• Differential performance of immigrant children on large scale assessments
• Bilingual language policies in nation states
• Literacy development of language minoritized and disadvantaged youth

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Gender and intersectionality
• Gender, (institutional) violence and far right populism
• Migration, minorities and citizenship
• Loss, displacement and the spatial-social nexus
• Cosmopolitanism and nationalism in Europe

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Children and young people in care
• Experiences of care (foster care, kinship care, residential child care, adoption)
• Outcomes and state care (including education, health and placement types)
• Children’s rights and social work
• Relationship based practice
• Early intervention/prevention regarding children on the edge of care

Paul is open to PhD applications in the following areas;

• Child welfare generally
• All aspects/areas related to risk, assessment, and decision-making in social work
• Evidence-based/informed practice
• Knowledge acquisition and utilisation in social work
• Children’s rights, with a particular focus on the participation rights of children in child welfare
• Social work education, training and practice learning

I have a broad interest in PhD applications in the fields of social work practice, mental health services, lived experience of receiving mental health care. I am also interested in supports for those accessing mental health services and their carers, with a developing interest in mindfulness. I am also interested in how emotions are managed in social work practice, particularly in adult services.

Education, see research focus

Open to PhD applications in the fields of…

• Employment
• Education
• Housing
• Social inequalities

Open to PhD applications in the fields of…

• Disability
• Mental Health
• Mental Capacity
• Human Rights
• Social Inclusion

Open to PhD applications in the fields of…

• Victimology
• Transitional justice
• Criminology
• Political violence
• Memory studies
• Criminal justice
• Victims
• Human rights
• Critical criminology
• Narrative criminology

Open to PhD applications in:

• Farm animal welfare
• The development of animal welfare assessment methods
• Human behaviour change for improving animal welfare
• The evolutionary psychology of pet keeping
• Feline welfare e.g. indoor versus outdoor housing
• The impact of infant features in animals on human behaviour and animal welfare

I welcome applications from students wishing to work on topics related to any of my research interests. I am currently focused on the psychology of relief, future thinking and debt, and cross-cultural differences in essentialist thinking.

Open to PhD applications in:

• The human animal bond
• Animal welfare
• Laterality in animals
• Pets and human health

Open to PhD applications in:

• Psychosocial adjustment in chronic conditions
• Arts in health
• Animals and health
• Vaccination hesitancy
• Eating behavior

Open to PhD applications in developmental psychology, educational psychology, psycholinguistics and developmental cognitive neuroscience with a special interest in:

• The measurement of auditory perception in young children
• Early precursors to the development of language or literacy
• Trajectories of neural development for speech and language processing in infancy and early childhood
• Methods for investigating classroom communication

Open to discuss PhD applications in clinical health psychology. Areas of interest include;

• Psychosocial intervention development for post-treatment cancer survivors and carers
• Improving quality of life in advanced illness
• Public health approaches to palliative care
• Psychosocial interventions in spinal deformity

Open to PhD applications in: 

• Auditory perception in relation to coordination / mobility (including in people with visual impairments or Parkinson’s disease)
• Auditory augmented feedback in skill acquisition / rehabilitation
• Skill acquisition in music, particularly in musical improvisation

I am open to PhD projects on addictive behaviours (with a particular focus on alcohol) and mental health research adopting psychosocial approaches to prevention, assessment and intervention. These can utilise quantitative (for example, I have expertise in psychometrics for questionnaire development/validation) or mixed methods.

Open to PhD applications in the field of cultural diversity, immigration and integration, identity politics, educational success and political participation of immigrants and minorities, using a wide range of methods from comparative, multi-level, longitudinal research designs and analyses to experimental and intervention studies.

Open to PhD applications in;

• Psychological trauma
• PTSD, Complex PTSD and Posttraumatic Growth
• The development of Psychosis
• Constructing and assessing mental health measures, test and questionnaires
• Using digital phenotyping and apps in mental health • Systematic reviews, meta-analysis and evidence gap maps in mental health
• Psychometric properties of Mental Health Measures
• Modelling predictors of mental health including: self-conscious emotions (especially shame), physical health & exercise, socio-economic status, childhood adversity & abuse, measurement issues, trauma appraisals, coping styles, etc.

Open to PhD applications in

• Investigating sensory integration for balance control in young and older adults using fNIRS
• The 15 minute city: Speed and gait characteristics in city walking
• Balance control and sensory integration in autism
• Walking in the city in people living with Parkinson's

Professor Turner is open to PhD applications on any aspect of intergroup contact or intergroup relations, but particularly on:

• Promoting confidence in contact among school children
• Developing interventions to promote positive intergroup behaviour
• Nostalgia and intergroup relations

Open to PhD applications in the field of social, political, and/or peace psychology with special interest in,

• Design and evaluation of community interventions to promote social cohesion
• Superordinate, cross-cutting, and alternative forms of identification in divided societies
• Development and maintenance of cross-group friendships

Open to PhD applications that aim to;

• Modelling the psychological predictors of health-related quality of life via reviews of current literature and primary research
• Designing and evaluating interventions to enhance quality of life and modify illness and sick-role behaviours.
• Developing and testing instruments to measure psychological constructs of importance in this area, eg. health-related quality of life

Also open to applications that aim to enhance student learning of statistics.

Open to PhD applications in;

• Visual motion processing
• Perceived duration of visual events
• Identifying cortical loci of motion-induced illusions
• Role of laughter in social interaction

Open to PhD applications in:

• Facial expression of emotion
• Sensorimotor simulation and facial mimicry
• Culture and emotion
• Development of emotional competence

Open to PhD applications in:

• Behavioural neuroscience
• The neural basis of manual interception Sports science
• Interceptive actions by goalkeepers (using a virtual reality simulator)

Open to PhD applications in:

• Clinical and Health Psychology

Open to PhD applications in the areas of;

• Chronic pain rehabilitation

I am particularly interested in supervising PhD projects that apply core principles of developmental and cognitive psychology to better understand classroom learning and provide practitioners with research-based insights.

Potential research areas include, but are not limited to:

• The nature of mind wandering in children and adolescents
• Following instructions in applied settings
• Children's understanding of attentional states
• Children's comprehension of emotion words, and episodic future thinking

I am also open to exploring any aspect of children's cognition with direct application in classroom settings. Additionally, I have a strong interest in research co-created with teachers and educational psychologists, aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Open to PhD applications in:

• Addiction
• Aetiological mechanisms
• Treatment and recovery
• Attentional Bias Psychological Trauma
• PTSD and other co-existing psychological difficulties
• Neuropsychological presentations and neuropsychological and psychosocial outcomes

Open to PhD applications in the area of;

• Individual differences
• Personality
• Developmental Psychology

Open to PhD applications in the areas of;

• Emotion
• Social interaction
• Laughter
• Affective computing
• Virtual Reality interactions
• Emotional and empathic AI

Open to PhD applications in the areas of;

• Mathematical cognition
• Learning in a second language environment
• Bilingualism
• Development of reading skill in a digital environment

I am interested in hearing from students who have an interest in PhD study in areas related to childhood adversity research, and/ or the neurodevelopmental factors in psychotic disorders.

Open to PhD applications in:

• Trauma and Mental Health in Uniformed and Emergency Services

Open to PhD applications in:

• Developmental psychology, particularly aspects of cognitive development including temporal cognition, children's thought about the future, regret and decision making in children.

Open to PhD applications in:

• Social Psychology
• Computer Science

Open to PhD applications in:

• Parenting
• Childhood adversity
• The evaluation of psychosocial interventions

Open to PhD applications in the fields of 

• Alcohol and drug use or dependence
• Trials methodology

Happy to discuss potential projects in advance of application on any topic in the addictions field.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of 

• Social cognition, intuitive thinking (e.g. essentialism)
• Moral cognition
• Empathy and prosocial behaviour in intergroup contexts
• Development of religious acquisition and beliefs

I am also open to related proposals.

Open to PhD applications interested in exploring topics related to:

• Intergroup conflicts and collective trauma
• Political resistance in non-democratic contexts
• Justice processes in post-conflict societies

Open to PhD applications in:

• Development of symbol-symbol associations: Like an onion, there are various layers of mathematical competence. We acquire mathematics knowledge layer by layer. The process begins at the inner layers (the core) and progresses to more complex outer layers. For this project, I am interested in examining how the inner layers of mathematical knowledge are developed and consolidated before moving toward the outer layers. This would allow for the development of targeted interventions to help children integrate prior knowledge with existing knowledge efficiently.
  
• Development of fraction knowledge: Fraction knowledge is the “gatekeeper” for later, more advanced mathematics concepts. Unfortunately, many emergent fraction learners across the globe have difficulty learning fractions. For this project, I will use the developed assessments to pinpoint the types of misconceptions students hold when they are in the early stages of their fraction learning. By exploring the frequency and onset of different types of errors, educators and teachers can identify and refute misconceptions early so that students do not build their core knowledge of fractions on erroneous beliefs.

Open to PhD applications within my research area.

I welcome projects on the expression, measurement, and the interplay of personality, identity, and psychopathology across various contexts, using quantitative methods like psychometrics, latent variable modelling, network analysis.

Examples:

• Personality and identity in the onset of and recovery from, e.g., depersonalisation-derealisation, eating disorders, addictive behaviours.
• Cross-cultural examination of the generalisability and validity of 'Dark' and maladaptive personality models.
• Personality and the 'social cure', i.e., how personality influences the way interpersonal relationships, support, and other social-identity related resources feed into health outcomes.
• Interplay of individual differences and contextual factors in changes to residential mobility.
• Research on personality, identity, and mattering/purpose in life in relation to well-being and performance across various contexts.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of…

• Developmental psychopathology
• Parent-offspring interactions
• Personality and parenting
• Mental health of young people
• Adversity and resilience in families

Open to PhD applications in developmental cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and parenting with a special interest in:

• The development of social cognition
• Early neuromarkers of neurodiversity
• Trajectories of neural development in different populations
• Parents' and caregivers' mental health

I am also open to related proposals.

Open to PhD applications in the field of:

• Biologics
• Immunotherapy
• Tumour microenvironment
• Non-thermal electroporation
• Targeted delivery/Theranostics
• Smart and novel nanomaterials
• Prostate and pancreatic cancer

Open to PhD applications in the field of preclinical oral dose development including targeted

• Drug delivery
• Amorphous solid dispersions
• Hot-Melt Extrusion
• 3D printing
• Continuous processing and PAT.

Open to PhD applications in the field of health services research, primary care, prescribing, medicines optimisation, older people.

Open to PhD applications in the field of pharmaceutical science and engineering.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cancer research
• Personalised medicine
• Biomarkers
• Novel treatment options

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Protease biology
• Inhibitor development (small molecule and biological inhibitors)

Open to PhD applications in the field of the biology, characterisation and therapeutic targeting of mammalian and microbial proteases.

• USP17 as a therapeutic target in cancer
• Targeting bacterial proteases as an antimicrobial strategy
• Endocytosis and trafficking of nanoparticles

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Protein-drug delivery
• Biocatalysis
• Polymer-based protein engineering
• Biomaterials
• Stimuli-responsive or smart materials
• Bio-inspired and biomimetic systems for drug delivery

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Biomaterial design, synthesis and characterisation
• Host-material inflammatory response (cell biology)
• Microbiological evaluation of biomaterials (bacterial biofilm formation)

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Peptide science
• Antibiotic-resistance
• Anti-cancer drug development

Caoimhe’s scientific research is interdisciplinary and built around the key themes of medicinal chemistry and drug transportation. Her research utilises modern biotechnology to understand the expression and activity of key transporter proteins and their role in the pathology of various inflammatory diseases. 

Caoimhe is a member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientist (AAPS), the American Physiological Society and COST Action. Caoimhe is also the proud recipient of Trinity College Post-graduate Scholarship which aims to merit students based on academic merit.

Open to PhD applications in the field of:

• Nanopharmaceuticals
• High-Z radiosensitisers
• Tumour metabolism
• Tumour microenvironment
• Targeted delivery
• Radiopharmaceuticals
• Radiobiology
• Targeted Immunotherapy

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Microneedles/microarray patches
• Minimally-invasive patient monitoring/diagnosis
• Transdermal drug delivery, including biomolecules, vaccine delivery, photodynamic therapy, nanomedicine delivery, HIV treatment and prevention
• Delivery of therapeutics for tropical diseases and rare conditions.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cancer pharmacology
• Breast and Ovarian cancer
• Mechanism of drug action
• Chemoresistance
• Stratification biomarker development
• Cell and molecular biology

Dr Yi Ge’s recent and current research interests and activities, with a focus on the interdisciplinary area at the interfaces of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Science, Biomedical Science, Chemistry and Nanotechnology, mainly include:

• Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine
• Molecular Imprinting and Smart Materaials
• Biosensors and Advanced Sensing Technology
• Theranostics and Drug Delivery

Open to PhD and MRes/MPhil applications in all of the above fields.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Biofilm microbiology
• Antimicrobial discovery
• Bacterial protease biochemistry
• Host pathogen interactions
• Microbial biocatalysis.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Respiratory microbiology and molecular biology
• Antimicrobial discovery and repurposing.

Research projects typically involve:

• Poorly water-soluble and BCS class 2 drug delivery using nanotechnology
• Biopharmaceuticals, peptides, and large molecules drug delivery using nanotechnology
• Physicochemical characterization of formulations
• In vitro cellular testing of drugs and formulations (safety, activity, and proof of concept)

With potential collaborations on in vivo conceptualization and synthesis of ligands for drug targeting.

I am accepting PhD students who have strong computation or programming skills to work on Big Data to evaluate medication use in neonates and children.

Open to PhD applications in the field of primary care, prescribing, older people, medicines optimisation.  Most projects which students undertake are mixed methods in nature i.e using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including trials.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Novel bioactive biomaterials as implants
• Implantable (mucoadhesive) drug delivery systems for application to the oral cavity, vagina and eye
• Novel engineering strategies for improved medical device and dosage form performance

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Proprietary Dispensing
• Responding to Symptoms.

Open to PhD applications in the field of microbiome science and its impact on human health. This includes the influence of microbiomes in different disease states, on various medications, and in the context of infection and AMR.

Open to PhD applications in the field of pharmaceutics, vaccine technology, mucosal and thermal analysis including amorphous and polymorphic systems.

• Novel mucosal delivery of biofilm penetrating antibiotics
• Vaccine delivery via mucosal routes
• Novel spray-dried powders for delivery to the lung

If you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in one of our research areas, and you have already secured your own funding (e.g., government source, charity, industry, research council) or you are Self-Funded, you are encouraged to contact the PI, with full CV and one-page letter of motivation.

Open to PhD applications in the field of peptide-based hydrogel materials as long acting injectables, within drug delivery, biomaterials and as antimicrobials.

Open to PhD applications in the field of 

• Multi-component pharmaceutical materials (including pharmaceutical cocrystals)
• Mechanochemical synthesis
• Enabling formulation strategies and medical device preparation via hot-melt extrusion.

Karl is open to applications for postgraduate research from suitably qualified applicants who meet the University's English language requirements (https://www.qub.ac.uk/International/International-students/Applying/English-language-requirements/), who have secured a source of funding for their studies, and who wish to pursue a research project in a relevant research topic.

• modified release drug delivery systems
• sustained and controlled release
• vaginal drug delivery
• vaginal ring technology
• polymeric drug delivery devices
• injection molding and extrusion technologies
• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• HIV microbicides
• antiretrovirals for HIV prevention
• multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs)
• mucosal vaccination
• silicone elastomers
• polyurethanes
• ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers
• in vitro release testing of drug dosage forms
• protein drug delivery
• long-acting contraceptives
• long-acting injectables
• 3D-printing of drug delivery systems
• bacterial vaginosis (BV)
• estrogen replacement therapy
• cervical ripening
• induction of labour

• Not currently accepting PhD students

Open to PhD applications in the field of:

Chronic airways diseases, to include cystic fibrosis, COPD, bronchiectasis & asthma, with a particular emphasis on:

• Proteases as potential biomarkers and therapeutics targets;
• Ion channel modulation, airways hydration & mucociliary clearance;
• Infection and inflammation.

Open to PhD applications in the field of nano-drug delivery, biopharmaceutics, vaccine technology, repurposing of phosphate-based drugs, nucleic acid therapies and bone repair.

• Development of nanomedicines for cancer
• Design of non-viral delivery systems
• Bioengineering for regenerative therapies

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Drug delivery
• Biomaterials
• Sensor development
• SMART materials and medical device enhancement.
• Polymer and small-molecule synthesis
• Materials characterisation
• Biological and microbiological performance

Not recruiting new PhD students at present due to senior management role in University.

Open to PhD applications in the field of nano-drug delivery, biopharmaceutics, nucleic acid therapies and ex vivo cellular therapies.

• Development of nanomedicines for cancer and neurological diseases
• Design of non-viral delivery systems

Open to PhD applications in the field of:

• Drug nanosuspensions/Nanocrystals
• Mucosal drug delivery
• Bioadhesive materials for drug delivery and patient monitoring
• 3D-printed dosage forms
• Nose-to-Brain drug delivery
• Delivery of therapeutics for neglected diseases and HIV

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Medicines use and optimisation in palliative, hospice and end of life care

Open to PhD applications in the field of drug delivery

• Controlled drug delivery systems for treating a range of chronic disorders
• Small and Biologics delivery using novel platforms such as injectable implants, preformed implants, microparticles and nanoparticles for treating a range of ocular disorders
• Synthesis and characterisation of block copolymers
• Electrospinning based drug delivery systems for improved topical drug delivery
• Thermoresponsive and in situ depot forming hydrogel-based systems 
• Nanoparticles-based to provided improved drug loading and penetration properties across biological barriers  
• Microneedles as minimally invasive delivery systems for transscleral and transcorneal delivery
• Medical devices for ocular and transdermal applications

Open to PhD applications in the following areas:

• Synthetic biology and genetic engineering of bacteriophages and their proteins
• Structural biology of phage enzymes with antibacterial and antibiofilm properties, including endolysins and depolymerases
• Phage therapy
• Viromics and mobilomics
• Microbiome analysis and manipulation
• Microbial bioinformatics

We are looking for dedicated PhD candidates with computer science, materials, and engineering backgrounds who are passionate about improving global medicine access through digital design and advanced engineering technologies.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Molecular and sensor based diagnostics for infection with a focus on chronic respiratory diseases
• Role of the airway microbiome in health and disease
• Bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance and assessment of novel antibiotics and delivery methods.

Research projects in the Wagner group are highly interdisciplinary: they typically involve

• Small molecule synthesis (e.g., carbohydrates, nucleotides, heterocycles)
• Protein biochemistry, enzymology and bioassays

We collaborate widely with research groups in academia, industry, and research institutes, and projects usually include placement opportunities.

Open to PhD applications in the field of antimicrobial/anticancer discovery, biopharmaceutics, bioactive peptide design and optimization.

Open to PhD applications in the field of:

• Design, synthesis and characterisation of biomaterials and device coatings
• Bacterial-polymer surface interactions
• Polymer/metallic surface modification strategies for anti-fouling applications
• Next-generation surface disinfectants

Open to PhD applications in the fields of

• Advanced polymeric dosage forms for oral administration
• Amorphous solid dispersions and in-situ Amorphization
• Personalised medicines
• Taste masking for paediatric medicines
• Fixed dose combination for geriatric medicines and cancer therapy

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Natural bioactive peptide discovery
• Peptide pharmacology
• Therapeutic peptide design and development

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Global Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Relationships and Sexuality Education 
• Gender Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Mental Health (Adolescents, Maternal, Paternal)

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• All aspects of neonatal and children's health

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Palliative care
• Chronic illness
• Elder care
• Health Services Research

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Gender, health and education
• Health and social care systems and access
• Qualitative research designs and evaluation

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• The needs of carers of individuals living with a chronic illness

• The development of peer led interventions using Experience Based Co Design

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• All aspects of children and young people health, orthopedics and nurse education

For biomedical, bioengineering, biotechnology, marine or equivalent science graduates, I am interested in supervising projects related to any area of bone biomaterial development, bone tissue engineering and bone regenerative medicine. Some examples are, although not limited to just these areas:

1. In vitro and in vivo responses to novel ceramic or polymer biomaterials for orthopaedic applications such as synthetic bone substitutes or fracture fixation devices
2. Identifying novel bioactives with osteogenic activity, e.g. derived from natural products or marine organisms
3. Addressing the challenges of applying stem cell therapies to bone repair e.g. patient variability in bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell populations

For nursing and other clinically focussed students, I am interested in supervising any projects related to orthopaedics and metabolic bone conditions e.g.

1. Outcomes for patients undergoing orthopaedic procedures, e.g. outcomes of joint replacement surgery for different patient groups
2. Patient attitudes to novel therapies such as bioresorbable polymer fracture fixation devices or stem cell therapies

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Chronic disease self-management
• Preventative cardiology
• Palliative care in chronic illness

Supervising PhD/MSc students in the fields of

• Suicide prevention and postvention; supporting people bereaved after suicide
• Improving the evidence base for mental health services
• Digital mental health, co-design and implementation science methodologies

Professor Gormley’s research focuses on the provision of fundamental nursing care within a modern digital context. He has recently completed studies on i) Recording Care using the PACE Framework and ii) supporting Patients and Families in the management of Post Dialysis Fatigue (PhD study). He currently leads on an exploratory study to consider digital opportunities to improve the management of falls among frail older people: it is projected that this theme will extend to include dehydration, nutrition and pressure sore management.

Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the following areas:

• Growing Older: Managing Frailty and Vulnerability  
• Health Care Policy and Planning
• Services User and Carer Participation in Health Services

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Mental health nursing
• Social work
• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Supporting physiological birth through midwifery-led care and leadership;
• Enabling women to give birth in midwifery-led units;
• Continuity of midwifery care;
• Midwifery education

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Management of patients with Chronic Heart Failure
• Supportive and palliative care, with particular interest in heart failure
• Decision-making regarding deactivation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Paediatric neurodisability
• Rehabilitation.
•  

All methodological approaches welcome.

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Midwifery ways of working,

• Women’s voices in maternity design,

• Mental health in pregnancy and early motherhood,

• Supporting women after traumatic birth experiences.

All projects which relate to outcomes for children with neurodisabilities will be considered. Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Neurodisability and the criminal justice system
• Educational outcomes
• Concussion/Mild traumatic brain injury

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Relationship and Sexuality Education from early years to early adults (projects might cover identification of needs or programme co-design and evaluation and settings might include schools, or out of school settings such as secure care or prisons.
• How can men and boys be part of the solution to global, sexual and reproductive health and rights?; Areas could reducing child marriage, unintended pregnancy or sexual violence;  infertility, family planning and abortion care.
• Men's involvement in maternal and child health and parenting.
• Men as partners and allies for change in promoting gender equality.

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Exploring the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions to improve outcomes in health and wellbeing for parents, children, families and communities.

All methodological approaches welcome.

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities
• Intellectual and development disabilities
• Fathers’ and families' experiences of children with intellectual disabilities
• Qualitative research

All methodological approaches welcome.

Kidney disease and organ transplantation

Mixed methods research

Communication in healthcare

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Mental Health
• Mental Health Nursing
• Qualitative approaches
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Thearpy (EMDR)

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Maternal and child health and midwifery specifically in relation to practice, education or improving clinical outcomes

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Living well, with and beyond cancer, for patients and families.
• Understanding the impact of chronic health conditions on eating in social environments.

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Coping with side-effects of cancer treatment
• Psycho-social aspects of living with cancer
• Quality of life
• Living with cancer

Open to PhD/MSc applications in the field of

• Palliative care
• Mindfulness meditation
• Digital educational interventions to deliver medical and nursing education
• Non-malignant life limiting diseases

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• The care of older people
• Dementia care
• Palliative care
• Restrictive practice/restraint

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Palliative care
• Chronic illness

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Charting, monitoring, and understanding the development of learning and behaviour of term and pre-term infants
• Interventions to improve term and pre-term infants’ learning and social learning skills
• Developmental outcomes of Cerebral Palsy children

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Supportive and palliative care, with a particular interest in exercise
• Exercise training in ovarian cancer
• Pre-habilitation in lung cancer
• Exercise to enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Nursing
• Health care
• Spirituality
• Leadership
• Cancer
• Haematology
• Palliative care
• Symptom management

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Cachexia in chronic illness;
• Development of complex healthcare interventions.

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Bioscience education for healthcare professions
• Cancer-related projects particularly those with a treatment/pharmacology or epidemiological focus

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Psycho-oncology
• Development of supportive and psychological supports for patients and carers
• Understanding the health and social care needs of minority groups

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Education (Design, Simulation, Technologies etc);
• Maternity Care.

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Cardiovascular disease prevention
• Rehabilitation
• Psychosocial intervention
• Health outcome measurement

All methodological approaches welcome

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Child and adolescent development across the life course
• Maternal mental health
• Maternal and child health

Open to PhD students in the fields of:

• older people
• dementia 
• digital health
• digital capability in nursing 

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Chronic musculoskeletal conditions
• Developing qualitative methodology

Dr McConnell is supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Paediatric and adult neurodisability
• Paediatric rehabilitation
• Evidence synthesis
• Patient and public involvement in education

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Women’s experiences across the childbirth trajectory
• Diabetes in pregnancy
• Health promotion
• Simulation in education
• Inter-professional education
• Enquiry based learning

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Dementia Care
• International students' experience of University study in the UK

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

Kidney Disease
Nephrology
Mindfulness
Health and well being

Supervising PhD students in the fields of

• Cardiology nursing
• Cardiology prevention
• Educational interventions
• Experience Based Co-Design
• Nursing ethics and spirituality

Supervising PhD Students in the following areas; 

Parenting and Child Development (Parental/Infant Mental Health)

Children’s Social and Emotional Development

Promoting school readiness and transition into school

Safeguarding – preventing impairment of children’s health and development.

My research interests are in public health in midwifery practice and research, simulation based learning and education and maternity care.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of…

• Music therapy within palliative and end-of-life care, and into bereavement
• Improving access to palliative care for those with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting conditions
• Alleviating loneliness among those impacted by life-limiting illness
• Increasing understanding of palliative care among generalist health and social care professionals, and the public

• Chronology-building in palaeoecology and landscape archaeology
• Developing age-modelling approaches and software
• Palaeoecology of peatlands and lakes
• Numerical Palaeoecology

Open to PhD applications that cover the several areas of spatial planning:

• These include neoliberalism
• City resilience
• Place branding
• Cultural planning
• Drugs economics

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Ethnic diversity
• Ethnic residential segregation
• Eethnic inequalities, particularly in the labour market
• Spatial inequalities
• Internal migration
• Neighbourhood identity and belonging
• Spatial data analysis

Open to PhD applications in;

• The field of human health risk assessment (including using oral bioaccessibility testing)
• Differentiating between contaminant sources

Open to PhD opportunities in;

• Circular Economy
• Sustainable Remediation of Pollution
• Restoration of Peatlands
• Source Apportionment of Pollutants

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• Coastal and marine governance
• Power and planning
• Environmental governance
• UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Human dimensions of climate change

Open to PhD applications from students in the areas of architecture, planning and urban design who would like to research and design the future city.

• Energy Futures
• Food energy water nexus
• New economies and the city

Open to PhD applications across a multidisciplinary perspectives relating colonial and postcolonial studies.

• Cultural heritage in the context of climate change, political conflict, economic development rapid urbanization and natural hazards.
• Spatial ordering and the role of civic engagement in cities
• Changing role of labour market in emerging economies

Open to PhD applications in the fields of population change, spatial data analysis, and historical GIS.

• Small area population change
• Segregation and spatial inequalities

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• Architecture and urban planning during socialism and after
• Urban transformation of post-socialist cities
• Historical and contemporary intersections of the port and the city, urban transformations of the port-city interface

• Mixed use streets as public spaces
• Mixed use streets and class segregation
• Streets and mobility
• Street representation in architecture and urban design
• Streets and urban activism

Open to PhD applications investigating high latitude/altitude climate changes over long (millions of years) and short (decades) timescales. This may be in the form of geomorphology, GIS, remote sensing, climate variability, or from within the broad scope of physical geography.

Cementless “Geopolymer” Concrete for Sustainable Construction, Impact Resistance of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Crack-inducing thermal stresses in safety-critical concrete structures, Structural Behaviour of Concrete Block Pavements, Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete for Bridge Structures

• Geographies of outer space
• Literary geographies and geographies of popular culture
• Landscape and identity in Britain and Ireland
• Historical geographies of science and technology

Funded PhD Project

Placing Astronomy: Landscape, Space and Science at Armagh Observatory, 1790-1916

The project aims to investigate the historical geographies of astronomy at Armagh Observatory, which is the oldest continuously-active astronomical research institution in the British Isles. The importance of place and landscape to the science conducted at the Observatory is evidenced by its position in the wider regional landscape, the situation of several historic astronomical instruments, and its ecclesiastical and civic connections to the City of Armagh. The student, based partly at the Observatory and partly at QUB Geography Department, will be in a unique position to re-appraise the Observatory’s scientific heritage at an important time in its contemporary development. Further details at the link below:

http://www.northernbridge.ac.uk/media/sites/teaching/northernbridge/Placing%20Astronomy.pdf

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• Structural strengthening with
• Fibre reinforced composites (FRP and FRCM)
• Natural composites
• Shape memory alloys (SMA) structures under dynamic loading (seismic and impact loading)

I am keen to supervise postgraduate research that falls under the following headings:

• history of geography and geographical ideas
• historical geographies of knowledge
• history of science and religion

• New research includes applications of GIS in the history of cartography, landscape archaeology and history, as well as research in historical geography on surveying and cartography as spatial practices that shaped past landscapes globally. 

I am open to PhD applications in the fields of: Southeast Asian prehistory, Palaeolithic archaeology, Early human adaptation and dispersal, Zooarchaeology, Palaeoecology, Conservation and prehistory, World Heritage, and Ecological refugia.

• As advertised from time to time

• Large scale geophysical and remote sensing survey
• Later prehistoric and medieval landscapes
• Archaeologies of rulership in Northern Europe
• Cult Practices and Cult Landscapes
• Imaging and Imagining cult spaces
• Funerary Archaeology and Ritual
• Assembly Places and Practices
• Material Culture and Economy in Medieval Society

• Open to PhD applications in the following areas:

  • Offshore and Coastal Renewable Energy devices,
  • Offshore Wind Turbines, Floating Solar, Wave and Tidal
  • Dynamics of Marine Structures, Floating Wind Platforms
  • Numerical Methods for Ocean Engineering, Hydrodynamics

Open to PhD applications from candidates in the field of Civil Engineering (hydraulics and maritime) and Geo-Environmental Science to join teams working in the saline intrusion in coastal aquifers and fluid / structure interaction of scour at bridges under localized flooding.

Open to PhD students in the fields of tephrochronology, palaeoecology, palynology, Irish prehistory or wetland archaeology.

• Creation of CLT and design modular construction
• Development of a marine grade cementitious composite
• Rapid asset management data capture and processing

• KTP Associate with Tracey Concrete
• PhD in 3D printing of concrete, bio-based building materials, self-compacting concrete, rheology

• Healthy Places: Understanding the impact of design of cities, public spaces, streets on health and well-being.
• Active Living: Studying characteristics of walkable environments and influences on health behaviours (physical activity, recreation), travel decisions, commuting mode choices.
• Sustainable Lifestyles: Promoting the proactive designing of environments that nudge people to make healthier selections while retaining freedom of choice.
• Urban Transformations: Interventions to provide equitable access to urban infrastructure, amenities, services (e.g., affordable housing, clean water, food, improved sanitation).

Interested in taking interested PhD students with an interest in one of the below, particularly in application to a developing (non-OECD) country.

• Environmental and social assessment and risk management
• Water demand management and policy in water-scarce and non water-scarce environments
• Waste management - policy, incentives and drivers for behaviour change
• Consultation and stakeholder engagement during planning, construction and project operation. Social license to operate
• Sustainable finance, impact investing - how the increasing appetite for 'acceptable' investments can affect project planning and implementation
  Multi-cultural teams, improving teamwork on large international projects

• Cinema and the City 
• Architecture and Film 
• Architecture and (Voluntary and/or Forced) Migration 
• Minorities in the City 
• Refugees and Home 
• Architectural Space/Public Space/Film space
• Digital Mapping in the Humanities 
• Architectural Media and Representation 
• Architectural Design Education

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Age archaeology of Europe and the Mediterranean
• World Prehistory
• Dating and Chronology
• Artefact Studies
• Archaeometry of inorganic materials

Will is happy to discuss opportunities with any applicant with shared interests, particularly in relation to the archaeology of island cultures, how the past can be utilized to address contemporary challenges, and the role of technology (GIS, remote sensing, spatial analysis)]in doing so. He would be particularly keen to hear from students looking to explore collaborative programs which include professional practice.

• Sustainable Construction Materials and Structures

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• Political and cultural geography
• Conflict, borders, territory, gender and sexual identities
• Spaces of security and securitisation
• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• New critical political thinking

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Critical public health geographies
• Political geographies of religious movements
• Apocalyptic thought related to climate change and nationalism

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Migration
• Segregation
• Longitudinal analysis

Open to PhD applications in the fields of architecture, technology and media, incorporating a range of topics including:

• Architecture and Cinema
• Visual Research Methods and Architecture
• New Media, Technology and Space

• Earth System Science
• Geoscience
• Environmental Change
• Quaternary Science
• Peatlands
• Neo- and Palaeoecology
• Microbial Ecology
• Micropalaeontology
• Ecohydrology
• Climate Change
• Pollution
• Volcanoes
• Extreme Events
• Anthropocene
• Human-Environment relations
• Human impacts

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Energy Transition
• Sustainability
• Planning Governance
• Equality and Health
• The Built Environment

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Technology development for construction industry
• Mass flow testing and modelling in materials
• Material forensics or energy efficiency measures

Refer to the list of current and past projects.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Spatial analysis techniques (Geographical Information Science (GIS)
• Geostatistics
• Compositional data analysis within the fields of environment and health
• Ground and remote sensed earth processes
• Criminal and environmental forensics
• Earth resources and renewable energy

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Quantification of Ecosystem Services to Streams

Provided by Formerly Afforested Blanket Bog. This research would suit candidates with a strong Environmental Science (, including Earth Science,) or Environmental Engineering Background. Alternatively, activities could suit candidates with a strong field-based Biological Sciences background interested in diversifying their skill set into the area of Ecosystem Restoration.

Open to PhD applications in the areas of;

• Bioarchaeology (especially of Irish and Eurasian populations)
• Burial practices (including atypical, minority, deviant practices)
• Children's burial grounds (cillíní)
• Childhood in the past
• Archaeology of the Irish diaspora
• Community archaeology
• Archaeology of Fermanagh

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Financialization and the City
• Neoliberalization of housing and urban planning
• Built Heritage
• Policy and Practice

• The archaeology and architecture of Late Medieval Ireland, particularly tower house castles
• The archaeology and architecture of Plantation Ulster
• Community archaeology
• The archaeology and architecture of Early Modern and 19th century Ulster
• The Irish Diaspora in the USA

I’m interested in accepting PhD students in these areas:

• BIM and Digital Construction - the use and creation of digital twins, use of emerging digital technology, and the integration of technology to make buildings ‘smarter’
• Construction Quality Management - the decoupling of Quality Management Systems from practice and tools for enhancing the application of Quality Management Systems
• Procurement and Contract Administration – contract choice and application, tendering practice and bid decisions

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• Digitally augmented space
• Novel sustainable urbanism
• Art and urbanism
• Architectural typologies
• Policy, architecture and urbanism
• Landscape process and design
• Master planning and design codes
• architectural theory
• Sustainability and heritage
• Inter-disciplinary practice
• Environmental colour
• Textiles and architecture

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• The design of housing
• Prefabrication in architecture
• Representations of architecture
• Designed urbanity
• Building heritage and conservation
• The architectures of industry and other forms of production
• The architectural and spatial histories of energy
• Architecture and the production of food
• PhDs by architectural design and practice

The shift from what architecture is to what architecture does, the rise in focus of performance within the built environment, visualising design thinking and strategies, optimising outcomes, professionalism and associated behaviours cross disciplines, initial and ongoing education of architects, education routes and career paths into and resulting from studying architecture.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Radiobiology of targeted radionuclides (Radium-223)
• Clinical trials
• Stereotactic Radiotherapy
• Radiation Biology
• Prostate Cancer

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Psychiatric Epidemiology
• Administrative Data Linkage
• Social Determinants
• Mental Ill Health
• Secondary Data Analysis

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Genetic-epigenetic-transcriptomic association studies for kidney disease
• Multi-omic risk factors for rare disease, and common diseases with a focus in aging populations
• Information and communication provision for kidney disease and rare disease(s)

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Multi-disciplinary Centre and acquire training on cutting edge technologies in pluripotent stem cells
• Molecular biology
• Cell signaling
• Coding and non-coding RNAs in the context of diabetes
• Cardiovascular complications

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Investigation of the role of MSC exosomal miRNAs in epithelial and endothelial repair in ARDS
• The role of MSC mitochondrial transfer in lung regeneration
• The role of apoptosis in MSC therapeutic effects in ARDS

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Proteomics – to identify protein-protein interactions in rhinovirus-infected cells
• Molecular cell biology/biochemistry – to understand the role of cellular proteins in rhinovirus replication

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Host-pathogen interactions
• vaccinology
• pharmacology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Dementia research including the role of nutrition and inflammation in neurodegeneration
• The utility of EEG and MEG in assisting diagnostics
• Large data analytics projects

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Epithelial biology and pathobiology in the development of lung fibrosis – to understand innate immune responses to diseases specific stimuli and to modify these by drug repurposing approaches.
• Bioinformatics and computer learning – to model the complexity of gene expression involved in the development of inflammation and lung fibrosis.
• Biomarkers and therapeutical targets of diseases.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Cancer epidemiology
• Health services research
• Quantitative subject (e.g. statistics)

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Heart failure, Cardiomyopathy, Cardiac remodelling
• Diabetes, Hypertension, Ischaemia
• Biomarkers, Epigenetics, Fibrosis
• Global Health, mHealth

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Epidemiology
• Pharmacoepidemiology.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Nutrition and ageing research
• Particularly projects involving data analysis in cohort studies
• Clinical/community-based dietary interventions.

Dr. Adrain encourages PhD applications from candidates from a basic science or clinical background. Work in the Adrain lab combines cellular biochemistry, cell biology and in vivo models. Project interests include: Organismal and cellular metabolism; Organismal biology and pathophysiology; Inflammatory and Growth factor signaling and cancer; Proteolysis and cancer; Protein biogenesis/protein quality control and cancer; Protein trafficking in the secretory pathway.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Metastatic progression
• Pre-metastatic organ microenvironment
• Pathophysiology of cancer
• Microvascular function and tissue regeneration and remodeling resulting from both disease and treatments.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cystic fibrosis
• Bronchiectasis
• Pneumonia

Open to wide-ranging PhD applications in the field;

• Cardiovascular disease, heart failure, physiology and pharmacology from candidates with a basic science or clinical background. Previous research experience is desirable although not essential.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• MicroRNAs – their role in gene regulation and use as biomarkers

• Transcriptomics – RNA-Seq, including single cell analysis

• Microbial DNA sequencing

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cardiovascular medicine
• Ophthalmology or regenerative medicine.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Signal transduction and molecular cell biology
• Drug discovery targeting Gremlin1
• Human iPSC-derived 3D kidney organoids
• Gremlin1 signalling in human disease

Open to PhD applications in the field of the

•  Role of the STING pathway across cancers

Open to PhD applications in the field that

• Integrate molecular and epidemiological data

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Receptor signalling
• Membrane trafficking
• Inter-organelle interactions

Her lab uses cell biological assays, protein biochemistry, and imaging techniques to investigate mechanisms of receptor endocytosis, signalling and membrane trafficking.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Delirium, in particular postoperative delirium
• Early diagnosis of dementia
• Perioperative brain health

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Population-based cancer registry data, and imputation methods for missing data
• Waiting-time and ‘routes-to-diagnosis’ cancer statistics  
• Emulating cancer treatment trials in audit data
• Causal inference mediation analysis
• Cancer patient survival variation and prognostic modelling 

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Infection
• Pain and inflammation in the oral cavity and upper respiratory tract

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Diabetic complications
• Biomarker discovery
• Stratified Medicine

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Improving oral health for care home residents
• Exploring links between oral health and nutritional well being
• Improving care for head and neck oncology patients

We are looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic students to embark on a PhD project that addresses questions in the fields of messenger (m)RNA localisation and local translation in the context of angiogenesis. Your work will help to answer how and why particular mRNAs are translated into proteins at the front of endothelial cells as they migrate to form new blood vessels. Your project will be carried out in an exciting and collaborative environment at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, where you will work next to worldwide experts in the field of vascular research.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Biomedical informatics (translational bioinformatics and exposome informatics)
• Integration of clinical and molecular data
• Analysis and representation of exposome data

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Data analysis
• Epidemiology projects related to risk, prevention, early detection and survival of cancers of the digestive tract, particularly oesophageal, pancreatic, liver or colorectal cancer, and associated pre-malignant conditions

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Systems medicine
• Computational biology
• Bioinformatics
• Complexity science
• Functional genomics
• Systems modelling
• Health data research
• Cancer research
• Precision oncology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Harnessing inflammation for repair and regeneration in dental tissues

• neuronal-immune cells signalling in inflammatory and neuropathic pain

• Investigate potential links between oral bacteria, systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease

Applicants interested in exploring both phenotypic as well as molecule association between changes in the eye and in the brain are encourage to apply.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Digital molecular pathology approaches to characterize the immune contexture of cancers using high quality biosamples
• Investigating the role of the oral microbiome in cancer risk and malignant transformation
• Identifying and validating molecular biomarkers for stratification of patients with cancers

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Technology/platform-agnostic prior knowledge transfer
• Compositional statistics
• Pre-clinical model selection/chacterisation
• Prognostic/predictive subtyping
• Consensus/meta-clustering
• Landmark analysis
• Progression routes from pre-malignancy to cancer
• Mixed signal deconvolution/convolution

Currently accepting PhD students in health professions education, in areas such as: EDI, gendering and relationships of power; learning in the clinical workplace; GP education and pedagogy; trauma-informed care.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• To study the role of the histamine four receptor in the regulation of neutrophil phagocytosis
• To study the role of acidic pH in the regulation of anti-microbial functions of neutrophils

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Mechanisms of radioresistance
• Drug radiotherapy combinations
• In vivo models and small animal radiotherapy
• Nanoparticle theranostics

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cellular DNA damage response system and its link with cancer development

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Behaviour change interventions focusing on diet and/or obesity across a range of population groups
• Obesity management
• Preconception health for men and women - improving health status before pregnancy

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Development and application of systems thinking and complex systems science lens and methods to public health subjects, including but not limited to population patterns of health-related behaviours, determinants of non-communicable diseases, urban health, and health inequalities.
• Physical activity and public health, particularly the determinants of population levels of and inequalities in physical activity and the consequent population health impacts.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Design, conduct and evaluation of mixed-methods
• qualitative research on cancer
• blindness prevention and pediatric palliative care in LMICs. 

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Physical activity
• Sedentary behaviour and exercise in schools, workplaces or with older adults

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Innate immunity
• Cell and molecular biology
• Retinal pathophysiology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Investigate key processes involved in the underlying biology driving epigenetic alterations
• Nucleotide metabolism in cancer development
• Novel drug targeting of these processes through in vitro cell line-based models and in vivo cancer mouse models.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Weight management before, during and after pregnancy
• Understanding diet and lifestyle behaviours of different groups
• Developing and evaluating behaviour change interventions

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Sport and exercise medicine
• Primary care
• Musculoskeletal health
• Cardiovascular prevention
• Rehabilitation
• Physical activity promotion
• App development

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cancer predisposition genetics
• Molecular pathology
• Functional genetics

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Medical education in the General Practice setting
• Transformative learning
• Safe care and quality improvement in healthcare
• Novel platforms for medical education

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Implementation science
• Development and implementation of psychosocial interventions
• Promoting psychological wellbeing and quality of life among people with long-term conditions including vision impairment and stroke

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Characterisation of a molecular group in solid cancers that represents an innate immune response to DNA damage through the STING pathway.
• Development of a gene expression based biomarker panel that can identify pathways related to the hallmarks of cancer and guide patient therapy.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Transcriptional control
• Signal transduction
• Chromatin remodeling and epigenetics
• DNA damage signalling
• Cell Senescence
• Molecular cell biology
• Biochemistry

Dr Dunne is open to wide-ranging PhD applications from candidates with a basic science or clinical background.

His fields of interest include;

• Cancer molecular biology
• Digital pathology
• Computational biology

Previous research experience is desirable although not essential.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Inflammasomes
• Inflammation
• Innate Immunity
• PRR signalling pathways

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Vascular stem cell biology
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Diabetic vascular complications
• Cellular senescence
• Angiogenesis

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Laboratory based investigations of novel drugs and biomarkers
• Discovery of resistance mechanisms to therapy
• Innovative biomarker development using clinical samples

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• MRes project: Development of Novel Cathepsin V inhibitors to Validate role in Breast Cancer
• MRes project: Testing of Epigenetic Probes in Cancer Immune Cells
• MRes project: Design, synthesis and SAR exploration of Novel LSD1 inhibitors

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Clinically-focused research, Relating to improving the diagnosis of serious infection in hospitalised patients, such as diagnostic accuracy studies.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Ophthalmic epidemiology
• Optometry
• Vision science
• Psychophysics
• Ophthalmology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• The role of social networks and network interventions for behavior change
• Developing and investigating the public health impact of population level built and social environment interventions

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Laboratory based investigations into molecular mechanisms including altered pro-survival signaling pathways in RASMT and BRAFMT CRC
• Discovery of novel resistance mechanisms to therapy mechanisms in RASMT and BRAFMT CRC
• Innovative biomarker development using samples from RASMT and BRAFMT CRC patients

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Transcription dysfunction in disease
• Functional genomics and integrative bioinformatics
• Identification of novel genomically informed treatment strategies

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Proton and ion relative biological effectiveness
• Genetic determinants of intrinsic radiosensitivity
• The impacts of intercellular communication on radiation responses
• Computational modelling of cancer responses

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Improved understanding of tumour initiating events in BRCA mutation carriers
• Investigation and management of breast cancer risk
• Development of treatment biomarkers in the pre-surgical setting

We need biology, physics and clinical PhDs to work with our large team to analyse clinical trial information and samples with a view to identifying novel predictive and prognostic biomarkers for radiotherapy treatment in prostate cancer.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Respiratory syncytial virus biology, pathogenesis, and vaccines.
• Paramyxovirus vaccine vectors, in particular Sendai virus.
• Culture and exploitation of well-differentiated primary human airway epithelium cell cultures.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cancer clinical trials
• Basic scientific and translational investigation of mechanisms of treatment resistance

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Discrete choice models
• Data analysis
• Longitudinal data
• Quantitative Methods
• Psychometrics

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Encompass training in highly skilled laboratory techniques as well as in transferable skills.

Open to PhD applications in the field of GPCR pharmacology and signalling, with an emphasis on:

• The spatial properties of GPCR signalling
• The structural determinants of allostery and biased GPCR signalling

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cellular microbiology of bacterial respiratory pathogens
• Functional genomics of bacterial virulence factors
• Subversion of innate immune cells by infection
• Proteomics approaches to study signaling at the pathogen-host interface
• Discovery of new antimicrobials

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Molecular mechanisms involved in dysregulation of the ubiquitin proteasome system in multiple myeloma
• Identify opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Child eye health
• Low vision, vision impairment and blindness
• Eye health education
• Uncorrected refractive error

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• molecular, cellular, genetic and disease models of inflammation and inflammatory diseases 

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Harnessing ECFCs to repair choriocapillaris during geographic atrophy
• The role of the placental growth factor pathway in age-related retinal disease
• Metabolic plasticity of retinal cells in ischaemia and the potential to regulate physiological angiogenesis
• Identifying key molecular mechanisms underpinning ECFC dysfunction in diabetic microvascular disease.
• Development of vascular stem cell therapy for ischaemic retinopathy
• Combinatorial cell therapy for reversing tissue ischaemia
• The potential of iPS cell technology to understand mechanisms underpinning patient responsiveness to anti-VEGF agents for diabetic macular oedema

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Primary and secondary research on visual disorders

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Critical care studies that include studies conducted within and after ICU
• ICU survivorship
• Trial methodology studies

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Nanomedicine
• Antibody therapeutics
• Proteases and pancreatic cancer

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Health economics

• Tackling protease-mediated inflammation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
• Protease-mediated inflammation in chronic lung disease
• The impact of CFTR modulators on the virome and viral-induced inflammation in early Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung disease

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cancer biology

• Cell death

• Drug resistance

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Developing clinical biomarker strategies in cancer
• Using comprehensive genomic approaches to detect DNA alterations that can provide clinically meaningful diagnostic, prognostic or predictive information.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Stem/Progenitor cell biology
• Tissue regeneration
• Neuroinflammation
• Demyelinating diseases

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Life-course epidemiology and methods
• Complex public health interventions
• Decision sciences.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Simulation based education

•  Medical Education

• OSCEs

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Immunology
• Cell and molecular biology
• Retinal pathophysiology
• Pharmacology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Metabolic dysregulation/stress response signaling.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Nutrition
• Particularly dietary intervention studies
• Projects involving innovative dietary assessment
• Behaviour change interventions.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Bone-seeking radionuclides in prostate cancer
• New therapeutics in CRPC
• Advanced radiotherapy in prostate cancer
• Genomic stratification in prostate cancer

Professor Bradley is open to wide-ranging PhD candidates from a clinical or allied health professional or other therapy background.

Her fields of interest include:

• Bronchiectasis
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Airway Clearance
• Exercise and rehabilitation
• Methods of optimizing clinical trials.
• Outcome assessment

Previous research experience is desirable although not essential.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Benign
• Malignant urolog
• Ion channels in health and disease

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Optimization of bone-seeking radionuclides for targeted molecular radiotherapy
• Defining stem-cell mediated radioresistance in recurrent brain tumours
• Building a biological-based rationale for the use of particle-based radiotherapies
• Understanding Radiation-induced bystander and abscopal responses
• Defining Next generation laser-produced ion-beams for advanced radiotherapy

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Non-adherence in asthma
• Stratified Medicine / Personalised medicine
• Health informatics / Health economics

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Neuroinflammation and airways disease
• Early life influences on adult respiratory health
• Cohort studies in Early COPD
• Phase II/III Clinical trials in cough, asthma and COPD

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Phenotype
• Genotype
• Cancer biomarker development from discovery to clinical adoption

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Myeloproliferative neoplasms
• Investigation the causes of congenital erythrocytosis

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Development and evaluation of health services and public health interventions
• Implementation science and improvement science
• Integrated health and social services
• Service organization and delivery

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Molecular mechanisms of intrinsic multi-drug antibiotic resistance
• Biogenesis of the Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane, especially lipopolysaccharide and cell wall peptidoglycan
• Cellular microbiology of opportunistic  Gram-negative bacterial pathogens in phagocytic cells.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Investigate improving the quality and usefulness of trials and reviews

•  

   

  Conduct health services research more generally

•  

  Conduct research relevant to humanitarian emergencies.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Strategies to correct and prevent myopia among children in low-resources areas of LMICs
• Measuring early outcomes in cataract surgery in underserved areas
• Improved care for complex diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic eye disease in rural Asia

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Characterisation of a molecular group in solid cancers that represents an innate immune response to DNA damage through the STING pathway
• Development of a gene expression based biomarker panel that can identify pathways related to the hallmarks of cancer and guide patient therapy

Open to PhD applications in the field o

• Microvascular biology and disease
• Pharmacological
• Gene therapy-based approaches

• No current opportunities

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Ophthalmic image analysis
• Diabetic retinopathy screening
• Epidemiology of eye diseases in different populations around the world

Dr McShane is open to hearing from students and clinical trainees wishing to pursue PhD/MD/MPhil projects in:

• Cancer epidemiology
• Premalignant disease research including impact of receiving a pre-malignant diagnosis
• Early detection of cancer
• Cancer education/awareness
• Global health
• Data analysis
• Mixed-methods

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Severe asthma epidemiology
• Unwarranted geographic variation
• Social determinants of disease

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Epigenetic mechanisms in Leukaemia and Lymphoma
• BTK signalling and epigenetic regulation in autoimmune disorders
• Epigenetic and transcriptional dynamics in immune cells upon infection

Open to PhD applications in the fields of;

• Acute respiratory physiotherapy, and airway clearance in acute respiratory failure
• Rehabilitation in critical illness
• Recovery, long-term outcomes, and survivorship after critical illness
• Clinical trial methodology in complex rehabilitation interventions
• Core outcome sets

Open to co-supervisory opportunities involving

• General Practice, learning in healthcare contexts, across the range of health disciplines

Open to PhD applications in the fields of mental health in general, and most specifically applications relevant to fields of psychological trauma, psychosis, "at risk mental states".

I also have experience of supervising studies in: Mental Health and Documentary Film; Medical Education Research: resilience training the impact of previous negative life experiences on mental well-being and resilience in medical and other students; Rural Mental Health; Social and Clinical History of Psychiatry.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Critical qualitative methods, in particular Institutional Ethnography in Health Professions Education

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Conversation analysis based studies on healthcare or education
• Virtual reality in education
• Retinal vein occlusion

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Virology
• RNA biology
• Biochemistry

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Immunology
• Immune cell biology

PhD project Avoiding research waste: addressing unit of analysis errors in trials and systematic reviews in Eyes and Vision - Clinicians and patients need access to up-to-date high quality research to make evidence-informed decisions about health care. Systematic reviews are a rigorous approach to identifying, appraising and synthesising the results of individual studies. Systematic review authors cannot always use all the data available in individual studies because of the way that studies are reported, including unit of analysis issues, leading to avoidable research waste. The aim of this proposal is to explore the nature and extent of unit of analysis errors in trials and systematic reviews in Eyes and Vision, investigate the impact on the results of systematic reviews and develop solutions and guidance for trialists and systematic review authors. This will be an important contribution to the quality of evidence in this field. Despite the fact that unit of analysis issues are widely acknowledged, an assessment of how common these concerns are in Eyes and Vision systematic reviews is lacking and few studies have been conducted in general. Thus, investigating the extent and the impact of errors concerning UAIs in trials and reviews is important to quantify the impact of this type of bias and minimise research waste.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Critical Care Sepsis
• Perioperative medicine
• Anaesthesia

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Immunology
• Host pathogen interactions
• Fungal infections

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Paediatric emergency medicine
• Paediatric infection
• Molecular diagnostics
• Biomarker discovery
• Clinical decision tool derivation and validation

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Basic science or clinical background.
• Major interest is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Early Health Technology Assessment
• Measurement and Valuation of Health Related Quality of Life
• Value of Information and analysis of uncertainty
• Design of innovative market access and reimbursement models for health technologies

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Genetics
• Cancer Medicine
• Biochemistry
• Experimental Medicine
• RNA Biology

Dr Craig is interested to hear from students and clinical trainees who wish to pursue PhD/MD/MPhil projects using novel tissue hybridisation technologies and image analysis to support epidemiological research.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cancer biology
• Cancer immunology

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Analytical communicable disease epidemiology, including vaccine preventable disease (vaccine uptake): understanding risk factors, inequalities and outcomes; qualitative approaches to understanding human behaviour and infectious disease

About the project:

Trillions of bacteria comprise the gut microbiome and contribute to human health by producing metabolites that travel to distant tissues such as the liver or brain. Therefore, the microbiome represents an innovative approach to develop new therapies. Our team studies how bacterial competition for nutrients and space shapes the biodiversity of the gut. This is important because gut biodiversity is a determinant of human health. Moreover, a few key species can affect biodiversity, by direct competition with other bacteria.

Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, most microbiome bacteria contribute to homeostasis and contribute to reduce inflammation in the gut, but a few species have strains associated to colorectal cancer and chronic inflammation. In some cases, when in competition, the commensal (beneficial) strains can kill and eradicate the cancer-associated strains. We will study the genes participating in this process using state-of-the-art techniques such as microbiome sequencing and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. Ultimately, the results of this research should contribute to the design of strategies to better use the microbiome to reduce digestive tract cancer burden, which in the UK represents ~40,000 new cases per year with an economic cost of £17.1 billion.

The successful candidate will acquire training in cell biology, microbiology, genome editing and high-throughput sequencing. The project should provide experience to pursue industrial or academic R&D in the new field of microbiome therapeutic biologicals, synthetic biology or biotechnology.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Cystic fibrosis (respiratory infection and gastrointestinal problems)
• Evidence synthesis
• Patient engagement to agree research priorities
• Global health

Prof Bengoechea is keen to PhD applications from candidates with a basic or clinical background.

We are particularly interested in dissecting the role of the type VI secretion system in Klebsiella pneumoniae infection biology including the interaction with the gut microbiome.

Other projects available refer to establishing the virrulence of different Klebsiella species including strains from sub Saharan Africa.

Previous research experience is desirable although not essential.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of...

• Early onset cancers
• Molecular epidemiology
• Cancer survival
• Systematic review and meta-analyses
• Qualitative research
• Global health
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnoses

Open to PhD applications in:

• Fibre reinforced composites
• Nano-enhanced polymers
• Design and manufacture of composite parts
• Injection overmoulding

Open to PhD applications in:

• Sustainable energy and environmental systems
• Microplastics in drinking water systems
• The circular economy for energy and materials
• Biogas, biomass and biofuels
• Energy, carbon and environmental life cycle assessment

Open to PhD applications in:

• Engineering design systems
• Ssimulation intent
• Composites simulation techniques
• Structural analysis methodology

Open to PhD applications in:

• Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Open to PhD applications in polymers and nanocomposites including:

• Sustainable polymers and polymer nanocomposites
• Smart and multifunctional polymer nanocomposites
• Smart elastomer nanocomposites for energy and medical devices 
• Biomimetic materials for soft tissue reconstruction
• Biodegradable polymers or multifunctional nanomaterials for drug delivery

Open to PhD applications in:

• Nanocomposites
• Biomaterials
• Aerospace materials manufacturing

Open to PhD applications in the fields of

• Biomechanics/biomaterials for surgical planning
• Medical device design/evaluation
• Fundamental mechanobiology of cells/tissues.

Individuals interested in working with Dr Lennon are welcome to contact him to discuss ideas and/or possible collaborations.

PhDs available within Citi-Gens Doctoral Training Programme via H2020's Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) COFUND. Further information will be made available soon. PhDs available include:

• Moving to a Plastic Packaging Free Society – Feasibility, Consumer Psychology and Environmental Impact
• The Valorisation of Poultry Industry Waste Streams
• Compostable Agri-Waste
• Derived Biopolymer Lidding Films

Open to PhD applications in the field of;

• Bone and cartilage tissue engineering, tissue regeneration due to mechanical stimulation and constitutive modelling of soft/hard tissue’s time-dependent behaviour, computational soft/hard tissue mechanics and fundamental mechanobiology of cells/tissues.
• Bioresorbable scaffolds for the repair and regeneration of natural bone
• 3D biofabrication of structurally graded scaffolds and tissue regeneration in vitro bioreactor system
• Characterisation of nonlinear time-dependent behaviour of bone

Individuals interested in working with Dr Manda are welcome to contact him to discuss ideas and/or possible collaborations.

Open to PhD applications in:

• Polymer nanocomposite

Open to PhD applications in:

• Composite structures
• Mechanical metamaterials
• Numerical modelling
• Additive manufacturing
• Blast/impact loading
• Crashworthiness

Open to PhD applications in:

• Bio-inspired Design methods
• Distributed manufacturing systems
• Cloud based manufacturing
• CAD and Geometry in Design methods

Open to PhD applications in:

• Stress Analysis
• Simulation for composite aero-structure material design allowables
• Analysis for structural integrity (metallic and composite methods) Structural Design
• Static, fatigue & damage tolerance design tools
• Structural optimisation (preliminary & detailed)
• Integrated CAD & Stress sizing environment Design for Manufacture
• Composite design for automated manufacture
• Advanced structural joining methods (LFW, FSW, thermoplastic bonding & co-consolidation)

Open to PhD applications in:

• Biomaterials
• Bone tissue engineering
• Marine extracts
• Marine based animal feeds

Open to PhD applications in:

• Digital Manufacturing
• Automated Design Methods
• Through Life Engineering
• Rotational Moulding
• Supply Chain Modelling
• Manufacturing Automation
• Intelligent Autonomous Manufacturing Systems
• Virtual Reality
• Autonomous Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs)

Open to PhD applications in:

• Modelling and simulating processes in digital manufacturing
• Cyber-physical execution of manufacturing automation
• System design, reconfiguration, integration and production of manufacturing system
• Collaborative quality management of manufacturing system
• Individuals interested in working with Dr Arfauz are welcome to contact him to discuss ideas and/or possible collaborations.

Open to PhD applications in:

• Design and development of robots for eye surgery
• Quality modelling and control in robotised manufacturing
• Energy oriented process optimisation in robotised machining
• Future adaptable hybrid human-machine supply chain

I am open to PhD applications in the fields of

• Battery materials
• Battery charactersiations
• Battery diagnostics
• Battery modelling
• Battery cooling and thermal management

I am open to applications for PhD projects in governing models and numerical methods for unsteady turbulent flows, the fundamentals of high speed turbulent flows relevant to high speed propulsion and explosions or implosion, and finally predicting challenging aerodynamic flows such as full wind farm calculations, helicopters and automotive aerodynamics. I would like to encourage in particular female candidates or candidates from any other underrepresented minorities.

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Sustainable Energy and Industry
• The role of AI on the path to net zero
• Industrial Relocation

Open to PhD applications in the fields of:

• Composite structures
• Mechanical metamaterials
• Numerical modelling
• Additive manufacturing
• Blast/impact loading
• Crashworthiness

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Nanomaterials and electron microscopy research
• Transmission electron microscopy In-situ studies of ferroelectric domains
• High-resolution quantitative techniques 

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Atomic structure
• Plasma diagnostics (astrophysics/magnetically confined fusion)
• Electron-impact excitation
• Ionization
• Recombination or photoionization experience
• Stellar opacities

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Algebraic topology
• Homotopy functor calculus
• Homotopical algebra
• Equivariant homotopy theory
• Stable Homotopy theory
• Model categories and Bousfield localisations

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Advanced schemes for ion- acceleration using lasers
• Particle radiography of ultrafast plasma phenomena
• Generation and propagation of collisionless shocks in tenuous plasmas
• Radiobiology and dosimetry of laser-accelerated ions

Open to PhD applications in the fields of

• Novel plasmonic materials for applications
• Artificial and structured magnetic thin films and multilayers

Open to PhD applications in

• All aspects of laser-atom interaction, especially those with a focus on electron correlation effects

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Quantum thermodynamics
• Quantum optimal control
• Entanglement

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Theoretical laser-molecule interactions and the simulation of dynamical transport in nanostructures

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Plasmas and electron attachment
• Development of a new electron attachment spectrometer for environmental monitoring
• Plasmas in conducting and insulating liquids
• Development of new atmospheric pressure plasma source for medical applications

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Cometary and asteroid observational research
  
• Spectroscopy of cometary bodies
  
• Spectroscopy and photometry of asteroidal objects

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Ferroelectric and multiferroic domains and domain walls

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Positron interactions with atoms and molecules
• Quantum chaos in many-electron atoms and multicharged ions

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• The development and applications of first-principles approaches to electronic and optical properties of materials

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Nanophotonics of two-dimensional materials
• Superresolution optical focusing and imaging in the far field

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• homological algebra
• K-theory and graded algebra
• Concrete projects are advertised regularly on the departmental web pages:

Open to PhD applications in the field of

ASTROPHYSICS:

(1) Instrument development for high-resolution studies of the Sun, including the optical design of integral field units (IFUs), the modelling and calibration of polarisation optics, and the design of novel gratings (including holographic filters) to improve the spectral resolution of the final instrument.

(2) Exploitation of high-resolution observations of the Sun's atmosphere to probe the dynamic wave activity found in the lower layers of its atmosphere. In particular, projects linked to highly magnetic structures (sunspots, pores, bright points, etc.) are available to enable the energies and dissipation mechanisms of wave activity to be investigated.

SPORTS SCIENCE:

(1) Large scale statistical benchmarking of cardiovascular signals from elite athletes that inform coaching staff of real-time fatigue levels and dangers of injury.

(2) Machine learning and the development of AI approaches to forward model match situations to help coaching staff gain tactical advantages over their opposition.

(3) Longitudinal modelling of season-long statistical signatures to help provide benefits to athlete endurance and identify warning signs of injury risks and chronic fatigue.

(4) Identification of the statistical pre-cursors of elite athletes by examining the development and growth of youth players and monitoring their metrics as they reach the elite standards of sport.

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• High intensity laser driven ion and neutron sources

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Solar physics research
• Spectro-polarimetry and inversions of small-scale magnetic fields
• Automated feature tracking algorithms in relation to small-scale magnetic elements and plasma flows on the Sun

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Data analytics applied to health data
• Decision modelling methodology
• Pharmacoeconomics modelling

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Operator Algebras
• Abstract Harmonic Analysis and Linear Preservers
• Current available projects would be posted on http://web.am.qub.ac.uk/wp/msrc/msrc-home-page/postgrad_opportunities/

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Laser-Plasma Diagnostics at high repetition-rate
• Targetry for high intensity Laser-Matter Interaction
• Particle Sources from Nuclear Fusion Reactions

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Quantum optics
• Quantum information
• Quantum technologies

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Solar physics and cool star research
• Spectropolarimetry of small-scale structures in the solar atmosphere
• Radiative hydrodynamic simulations of solar and stellar flares

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Nanoscale ferroelectric/ferroelastic materials
• Generation and control of functionally active domain walls in electronic device formats
• Fundamental studies of heat flow manipulation using domain walls

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Atomic data generati0on for use in astrophysics, plasma physics and fusion
• Atomic data for the lowly ionised Fe-peak elements
• Heavy species relevant for fusion research applications

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Fast electron propagation in laser-plasmas
• Atmospheric plasma jets
• Laboratory astrophysics

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Laser and plasma physics
• Particle acceleration and applications
• Laboratory astrophysics
• High-field quantum electrodynamics both from an experimental and theoretical point of view

Open to PhD applications in the fields of

• Small body Solar System observational research
• Ground-based photometry of Solar System bodies
• Exploring seasonal processes on Mars’ polar regions
• Mining large observational datasets for Solar System Science
• Exploring cometary activity in the Solar System’s small body populations
• Crowdsourced exoplanet detection using data from transit surveys

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Perator theory
• Linear dynamics
• Subjects related to algebras given by generators and relations