PhD Bioinformatics

About the project

• Research

PhD Bioinformatics

• Overview
• Degree details
• Our students
• Research
• Entry and fees
• Careers
• Facilities
• Supervisors
• Recently viewed
• Related courses

Overview

Our doctorate in Bioinformatics prepares you to become a high-calibre scientist with expertise in bioinformatics.

Our doctoral training offers the opportunity to analyse biological data including DNA sequence fragments through high-performance computing to bring to light novel and previously unknown mechanisms in human, animal and plant health. This can be used to solve complex medical and scientific problems, with huge positive impact on healthcare and society across the globe.

We invite applications for doctoral research in various bioinformatics topic areas.

See details of specific PhD opportunities listed below .

This PhD is available for you to study:

As part of your application, please state whether you are applying for an online PhD.

See a list of potential PhD supervisors and read about their expertise in the " supervisors " section lower down the page.

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

• full-time or part-time
• on-campus or online
• starting in September or February.

About your degree

This doctorate in Bioinformatics is offered by UWL's School of Medicine and Biosciences .

Genomes, biomes and microbiomes investigations are revolutionising the way we think about healthcare, agriculture, animal and plant breeding. It is providing us with a far more detailed understanding of what causes illness and infectious disease, and it underpins the development of new interventions that would have been unthinkable even a decade ago.

Over the next 10 years, the UK government intends to create the most advanced genomic healthcare system in the world, underpinned by the latest scientific advances, to deliver better health outcomes at lower cost.

This ambition has placed a demand for high calibre scientists, with expertise in bioinformatics, trained to lead discoveries and innovations in health and industry using complex biology, statistics and computing.

With academic staff with extensive professional experience, we provide a stimulating and supportive environment where you will benefit from:

Our online PhD allows you to undertake your doctorate in Bioinformatics from a location that fits with your lifestyle and commitments. As part of your application, please state that you are applying for an online PhD. As an online PhD student, you will not be required to visit the campus: all supervision, training, reviews and the viva voce examination are provided online.

An online PhD may not be suitable for all projects, and consideration will be given to the suitability of the research project and whether it can be completed successfully without regular access to campus facilities.

Your Bioinformatics PhD is available for you to study full-time or part-time, online or campus-based.

All PhD students will have access to the University’s student support services , the Library’s e-resources collection and IT support services . You are also welcome to attend the annual doctoral students’ conference on campus.

A PhD is founded on independent research. You will undertake a systematic and in-depth exploration of your chosen topic to produce a substantial body of knowledge and make an original and important contribution to the subject area.

The support provided by your supervisory team will be vital to your student experience and scholarly advancement. You and your supervisors will have regular one-to-one meetings which will provide you with opportunities to develop your research topic and discuss your progress.

Based in the heart of Ealing, west London, you can make use of the excellent transport links to travel to the capital or further afield – ideal for attending research meetings and networking events.

If you would like guidance or more information about studying for a doctorate in Bioinformatics, please contact Professor Richard Morgan .

• peer feedback and discussion
• a series of masterclasses and lectures from industry figures
• support from a supervisor and second supervisor suited to your project.
• PhD opportunities
• Support
• Networking

Research areas

• Deciphering indoor air microbiomes Supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan Contact: [email protected] Indoor public places are often crowded, making social distancing difficult. Such contained spaces – especially if they have inappropriate levels and methods of air handling and hygiene practices – they might become incubators of pathogens. We utilise new metagenomic methodologies and bioinformatics tools to comprehensively investigate the role of indoor air microbiomes as a vector for the transmission of AMR pathogens between humans and the environment.

Deciphering indoor air microbiomes

• Supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan
• Contact: [email protected]
• Enhancing opportunities for low-biomass microbiomes Supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan Contact: [email protected] The current scientific debate of low-biomass microbial communities is far from settled and requires a rigorous investigation. Solving the technical challenges associated with the low-biomass microbiome samples is fundamental and crucial to improving our understanding of their role in health and disease. We bring together knowledge and technological advances to develop improved protocols and pipelines to transform the microbiome science and provide a unique opportunity to solve real world problems and improve our ability to accurately diagnose diseases.

Enhancing opportunities for low-biomass microbiomes

• Supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan
• Contact: [email protected]
• New metagenomic applications for the identification and characterisation of "unculturable" gastrointestinal pathogens Supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan Contact: [email protected] We develop new methodologies for both targeted and untargeted metagenomic sequencing of faeces and gastric biopsy specimens, using the latest high accuracy ONT and Illumina short read deep sequencing to characterise gastrointestinal pathogens (Campylobacter and Helicobacter) and linked AMRs, directly from clinical specimens (stool and gastric biopsy).

New metagenomic applications for the identification and characterisation of "unculturable" gastrointestinal pathogens

• Supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan
• Contact: [email protected]
• Protecting Internet of Things (IoT) medical devices in healthcare Supervisors: Professor Shanyu Tang Contact: [email protected] Internet of Things (IoT) devices are finding their way into many smart healthcare systems but security concerns still remain. Cyber attacks on IoT medical devices can cause significant disruption to the delivery of healthcare services. Cybersecurity experts have found vulnerabilities in IoT medical devices used in many countries. Some information security measures have been suggested, most of which involve heavyweight cryptographic algorithms costing computing resources. These are still vulnerable to evolving cyber attacks such as eavesdropping, interfering, tampering and man-in-the-middle attacks. This PhD research project aims to develop a secure architecture that implements a lightweight energy efficient cryptographic algorithm to defend data communications between IoT medical devices and data processing units in smart healthcare systems, protecting them from cyber attacks to improve outcomes and efficiency. This project proposes the use of machine learning and cryptanalysis to depict the potential attacks arising from defects of mutual authentication standard in the Dedicated Short Range Communication protocol widely used in smart healthcare systems. A lightweight cryptographic algorithm requiring less computing resources will then be devised to protect data communications between IoT medical devices and data processing units from eavesdropping and interfering attacks. Testing methods will include communication overhead measurements.

Protecting Internet of Things (IoT) medical devices in healthcare

To enable you to enhance your professional profile, we support you throughout your research degree by:

We provide structured research training, expert supervision and an environment where you can discuss your research with other PhD students and researchers.

We run seminars in research methods from the Graduate Centre, as well as an ongoing series of events and activities organised by Schools and Colleges. Specialist help with academic English for students for whom English is not their first language is available.

We contribute to national and international initiatives and promote collaboration and networking opportunities. We also encourage and support you to publish and disseminate your research in academic journals and via presenting papers at conferences.

We run an annual conference for doctoral students, where you are encouraged to present a paper about your research. As well as being an opportunity to discuss your work with other students, the conference is a chance to gain valuable experience in presenting your research and participating in open discussions with academic peers.

You will also find other opportunities such as postgraduate student seminars and forums within your specific subject area.

Once you start a PhD course at UWL, you become part of our research community. You will have access to a postgraduate common room, located at our Ealing campus on St Mary’s Road, where you will meet fellow researchers from other subject disciplines offering scope for collaborations or simply to discuss ideas, allowing you to be part of a vibrant research environment.

• Supervisors: Professor Shanyu Tang
• Contact: [email protected]
• providing research seminars
• organising doctoral events and activities
• facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities
• encouraging and supporting publication and dissemination of your research
• offering opportunities to gain teaching expertise and experience.

What our students say

The staff members that I encountered were warm, welcoming and supportive of my studies. The relatively small size of the University’s postgraduate school created a close family/communal environment for both staff and students. This provided a good support system as I could quickly grow acquainted with the postgraduate team and other doctoral research candidates.

Abdulazeez Rotimi - PhD

The staff members that I encountered were warm, welcoming and supportive of my studies. The relatively small size of the University’s postgraduate school created a close family/communal environment for both staff and students. This provided a good support system as I could quickly grow acquainted with the postgraduate team and other doctoral research candidates.

Abdulazeez Rotimi - PhD

Centre for Innovation in Genomics and Microbiome Sciences

CIGMiS is a leading transdisciplinary research hub recognised nationally and internationally for advancing microbiome science.

Biotherapeutic drug development

Our research group focuses on the development and formulation of novel antibody-based medicine (biotherapeutics) with application in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Research at the School of Medicine and Biosciences

The School of Medicine and Biosciences is active in research with an interdisciplinary community made up of researchers in diverse areas including genomics, bioinformatics, pharmacology, ageing and memory and translational medicine.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

We look for individuals with:

Applicants should also submit a well-considered and persuasive research proposal, clearly outlining their aims, context and potential contribution to the field.

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

We look for individuals with:

Applicants should also submit a well-considered and persuasive research proposal, clearly outlining their aims, context and potential contribution to the field.

• Requirements: UK
• Requirements: International
• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.
• dedication to undertaking rigorous and meaningful research
• enthusiasm for contributing to academic and creative practice
• a genuine passion for their chosen subject area.
• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters Degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.
• Competence in written and spoken English is a pre-requisite for entrance to this programme.
• An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5 (with no element under 6.0).
• dedication to undertaking rigorous and meaningful research
• enthusiasm for contributing to academic and creative practice
• a genuine passion for their chosen subject area.

Fees & funding

Please note that the following writing-up fees apply for the final year of full-time PhD study , a reduced amount from the standard fee per year:

Writing-up fees do not apply for the final year of part-time PhD study. The standard fee applies.

• Funding: UK
• Funding: International
• On campus PhD (Year 4): UK £1,900. International: £6,000
• Online PhD (Year 4): UK £1,000. International: £3,000.
• Fees for the 2027/28 academic year and onwards may be subject to change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course and you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year, except if otherwise stated.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

Funding for postgraduate students usually comes from one or more of a range of key sources:

Find out more about funding opportunities .

Examples of most of these types of funding are included on the postgraduate studentships website (except for funding you may be able to obtain from your employer and self-funding).

The PhD Bursary is available to home and international students enrolling on a full-time PhD course in 2026/27. The Bursary consists of a £500 fee reduction in your first year of study and for each subsequent year of study, subject to successful progression, up to a maximum of 4 years.

We offer other generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. See our PhD scholarships and bursaries .

Please note that the following writing-up fees apply for the final year of full-time PhD study , a reduced amount from the standard fee per year:

Writing-up fees do not apply for the final year of part-time PhD study. The standard fee applies.

• research councils
• charities and trust funds, including those funded by the UK government
• higher education institutions
• overseas governments (international students only)
• employers
• professional and career development loans
• self-funding (including family funds).
• On campus PhD (Year 4): UK £1,900. International: £6,000
• Online PhD (Year 4): UK £1,000. International: £3,000.
• Fees for the 2027/28 academic year and onwards may be subject to change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course and you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year, except if otherwise stated.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (e.g. The Ministry/Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council.

The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you - they also produce the sources of funding for international students guide.

The PhD Bursary is available to home and international students enrolling on a full-time PhD course in 2026/27. The Bursary consists of a £500 fee reduction in your first year of study and for each subsequent year of study, subject to successful progression, up to a maximum of 4 years.

Your future career

Your doctorate in Bioinformatics will prepare you for a wide range of careers in healthcare, biotech industry, teaching and research.

Studying for a PhD enables you to develop an area of specialism that will give you an edge whether you are planning to work within the field of bioinformatics or to develop expertise to teach in academia.

During your PhD, you will also be learning transferable core skills that apply to jobs both in and out of academia, including:

By the end of your research degree, you will be able to articulately apply these skills to enhance your career path.

• written and oral communication
• research and information management
• public speaking
• project management
• leadership
• critical thinking
• collaboration
• analysis and problem-solving
• conflict resolution
• negotiation.

Job roles

• private therapist
• medical researcher
• pharmaceutical researcher.

Graduate employers

• the NHS
• medical research laboratories
• pharmaceutical research
• the food industry
• health education and public health
• international aid and development.

Medicine and Biosciences facilities

Discover the facilities available to students within the School of Medicine and Biosciences.

Bioscience laboratories

Our labs are equipped with high-quality technology including cell culture equipment, microscopes and genetic analysis tools, enabling students to conduct advanced experiments and analyse complex data.

The Paul Hamlyn Library

The Paul Hamlyn Library provides an extensive range of books, journals and digital resources, PC and Mac workstations and a variety of study spaces.

The Graduate School

If you are interested in studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate, the Graduate School is here to support your research.

Rami Ranger House (Postgraduate Student Centre)

Rami Ranger House is a focal point for the University’s postgraduate and international students, providing dedicated space for social and learning interaction.

This building, which is three storeys high, offers spaces for collaborative working, socialising, supervision and mentoring on the ground floor. The first floor has work spaces for the postgraduate support teams to use, while the second floor provides guest accommodation for visiting scholars.

Biomedical sciences

At the University of West London, we offer a comprehensive range of courses that are designed to equip our students with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to succeed in the biomedical sciences industry.

Find out more

Discover seven reasons to study with us and how studying at UWL will support your future career.

Find out about student accommodation and the support for students.

Explore our campus and sites and book onto a campus tour or open day .

Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

Rankings

• † Fees - the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the course. Fees are subject to change. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full-time taught international fees are subject to an annual increase.
• Teaching - your course will primarily be delivered in-person, however it may include delivery of some activities online, either in real-time or recorded.
• Testimonials - quotes are provided by current or former UWL students. These are mostly from the course but quotes from a UWL student on another course may be used if, for example, the course is new.
• Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.
• Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming, however staff and course content may have since changed.
• Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route and a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.
• The National Student Survey 2026 result is based on the average of all answers by the taught student populations.
• Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and after, 1992.
• PRES - rank out of 53 institutions.

Research areas