PhD Projects
Home, EU and International students can be considered for PhD training in any of our research projects and with any of the associated supervisors.
A list of current projects and associated supervisors can be found below, and at FindAPhD.com by searching for entries under the University of Nottingham, Centre for Genetics and Genomics/School of Biology. Some projects may be restricted to Home and EU students but most supervisors offer projects that are open to all categories of applicants, including International Students. New projects can be posted at any time and therefore applicants are advised to keep visiting this site.
Some of our groups may have postgraduate training opportunities to offer even if specific projects are not listed. Applicants with a strong desire to join these groups are advised to contact potential supervisors directly to see what opportunities might be available. Alternatively, contact the Postgraduate Administrator (tel: +44 (0)115 8230311 or Email: Biology-pg@nottingham.ac.uk ).
The University as a number of Scholarship Schemes for International students and details of these can be found on the University’s International Office website. The School has funding available for UK/EU students and as a general rule full studentships are allocated to the best students who apply rather than particular projects. However, there are exceptions (eg when a supervisor has obtained grant funding for a particular project) and the following are two such projects.
Project Opportunities (studentship funding will be allocated to best applicants)
Areas in which members of staff are currently offering projects are listed below. Potential applicants wishing to work in similar areas should contact supervisors directly to discuss what opportunities might be available.
Aziz Aboobaker
RCUK Academic Fellow/Wellcome Trust International Research Fellow
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Genetics and cell biology of ageing, regeneration and stem cells from studying immortal worms
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Investigating the role of miRNAs in the evolution of developmental processes
Thorsten Allers
Royal Society Research Fellow
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Genetic analysis of DNA repair
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Recombination and replication in archaea
David Archer
Professor
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Understanding protein secretion stress in yeasts and filamentous fungi
John Armour
Professor/Head of School
Simon Avery
Associate Professor and Reader
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Cell individuality in microbial populations
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Responses to stress in yeast cells
Jerzy M Behnke
Professor
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Development of novel drugs for control of parasites from plant products
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Genetics of resistance to nematodes in mouse models
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The ecology of helminth parasites in wild rodents
Jan Bradley
Professor of Parasitology
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Immunoregulation in nematode infections
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Novel parasite retinol binding proteins
David Brook
Professor of Genetics
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The molecular genetics of cardiac development and congenital heart disorders
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Developing therapeutic approaches to myotonic dystrophy
John Brookfield
Professor of Evolutionary Genetics
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The evolution of non-coding DNA
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The population genetics of gene networks
William Brown
Reader
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Genome engineering and gene targeting in zebra-fish
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Analysis of cancer and chromosome segregation using genome engineering
Alistair Chambers
Lecturer
Peter Crittenden
Senior Lecturer
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Plant and microbial ecology
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Lichen eco-physiology, biology and ecology
Angus Davison
Lecturer
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The evolution and maintenance of colour polymorphisms
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The evolution and development of left-right asymmetry in snails
Mike Doenhoff
Emeritus Professor
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Immunology of the host-parasite relationship of schistosomes
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Chemotherapy and drug-resistance of schistosomiasis
David de Pomerai
Senior Lecturer
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Transgenic nematode models of Parkinson's disease
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Pollution ecotoxicology using transgenic nematode biosensors
Ian Duce
Senior Lecturer
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The neurobiology of susceptibility and resistance to insecticides and anti-parasitics
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Natural toxins and defence chemicals as control agents for pests and parasites
Paul Dyer
Reader
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Molecular biology and evolution of reproductive mode in fungi
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Population biology and genomics of lichen-forming fungi
Markus Eichhorn
Lecturer
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Spatial patterning and community assembly in boreal forests
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Growth and survival of tropical rain forest tree seedlings
Martin Gering
Lecturer
Francis Gilbert
Associate Professor
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Ecology of Batesian mimicry
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Conservation and ecology of the Egyptian fauna and flora
Sara Goodacre
RCUK Academic Fellow
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Evolutionary Biology of Spiders: metapopulation structure, conservation genetics and spider/endosymbiont interactions
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Drugs from Slugs: evolution of antimicrobial agents in terrestrial molluscs
Olivier Hanotte
Professor of population genetics
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Detection of signature of selection for Mendelian and disease resistance traits in livestock
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Understanding the origin and history of livestock genetic resource diversity
Jane Hewitt
Professor
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Investigating the molecular basis of FSH muscular dystrophy
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Defects in protein glycosylation and muscular dystrophy
Alan Huett
Lecturer
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Discovery of novel bacterial virulence factors and their roles in host-pathogen interactions.
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Identifying triggers of anti-bacterial autophagy, how do cells know what to eat?
Andrew Johnson
Reader
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Reprogramming of somatic cells to pluripotency
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The development of pluripotent stem cells in vertebrate embryos
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The evolution of vertebrate developmental mechanisms
Matthew Loose
Lecturer
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The regulatory network underlying mesendoderm induction
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Identifying the genetic regulatory networks directing lineage choice in multi-potent cells
Ed Louis
Professor of Genome Dynamics (Director, Institute of Genetics)
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Telomeres and associated sequences: structure, function and dynamics
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Genome evolution in yeast: genome stability, speciation, phylogenies
Andrew MacColl
NERC Postdoctoral Fellow
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Local adaptation in host-parasites interactions
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The effect of natural enemies on competition
Ian Mellor
Senior Research Fellow
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Study of ionotropic receptor antagonism and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels using patch-clamp and voltage-clamp
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Investigating interactions of pyrethroid insecticides with voltage-gated sodium channels
Garry Morgan
Lecturer
Conrad Nieduszynski
BBSRC David Phillips Fellow
Paul O'Shea
Professor
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The role of membrane rafts in cell signalling
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Imaging intermolecular interactions in membranes
Tom Reader
Lecturer
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To group or not to group: why does social behaviour evolve?
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What is the conservation status of the harvest mouse in the UK?
Fred Sablitzky
Professor
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Id4 function in neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation
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The role of def6, a novel GEF of Rho GTPases, in development and immunity
Paul Scotting
Senior Lecturer
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The role of sox factors in neural fate in zebra fish
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Studies of the cellular origins of children's brain tumours
Elizabeth Sockett
Professor
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Genetics, biology and applications of predatory Bdellovibrio bacteria
Rita Tewari
Lecturer
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Signalling pathways and malaria parasite development
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Novel parasite proteins and reproductive cell development in malaria parasite
Chris Wade
Lecturer
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Investigating the colonisation of the land by gastropod molluscs using DNA sequence data
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Determining the incidence of the veterinary parasite Angiostronglyus vasorum in the UK using DNA barcodes
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Investigating the origins of the planktonic foraminifera
Bill Wickstead
Lecturer
Lecturer
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Genome structure and stability in African trypanosomes
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Nuclear architecture and the control of antigenic variation in the trypanosomes