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PhD opportunities: Biological Sciences

Compare 17 doctoral research opportunities connected with Biological Sciences, including project summaries, funding and application deadlines.

Biological Sciences

A PhD Studentship in Developing Novel Cardiac Imaging Technologies

Imperial College London

About the Project A PhD Studentship in Developing Novel Cardiac Imaging Technologies Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with Faculty of Engineering is delighted to offer a fully funded PhD studentship as part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) University Doctoral Landscape Award (UDLA). This studentship forms part of a mini collaborative cohort covering research into ‘deep mapping of the myocardium at scale’ .

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
28 September 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

From Scarring to Healing: Uncovering Mechanisms and Therapies for Pulmonary Fibrosis

University of Technology Sydney

About the Project Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating condition characterised by progressive lung fibrosis (scarring), leading to respiratory failure and lung tissue damage. Current therapies only slow disease progression, highlighting an urgent need for better understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of novel treatments.

Location
Sydney, Australia, Australia
Deadline
30 September 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Menstrual health and intersectional inequalities: a mixed methods study

University of Bristol

About the Project Menstrual symptoms and wellbeing are shaped not only by biology, but also by social inequalities. Experiences of pain, mood changes, fatigue, mental health and access to support can differ according to ethnicity, socioeconomic position, disability and other overlapping characteristics. An evidence gap remains regarding intersectional inequalities in menstrual experiences.

Location
Bristol, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
21 October 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Fully funded PhD: Research Programme for International Training in Sustainable Soft Matter (PRISM)

Université PSL

About the Project PSL University Located in the heart of Paris, Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres) brings together some of France’s most prestigious higher education institutions and research centres to create a world-class environment for education and scientific discovery.

Location
Paris, France, France
Deadline
30 October 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Lung Fibrosis Uncovered: From Cells to Treatments

University of Technology Sydney

About the Project Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe and progressive lung disease characterised by excessive scarring, tissue stiffening, and respiratory failure. Current treatments only slow progression, highlighting the urgent need to uncover the mechanisms that drive fibrosis and to develop more effective therapeutic strategies. Our research group investigates how normal tissue repair becomes dysregulated, leading to chronic fibrosis and lung failure.

Location
Sydney, Australia, Australia
Deadline
31 October 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Behavioural Sleep Dysfunction as a Mechanistic Driver of Long COVID Symptom Severity: An Integrative Psychophysiological Investigation (Ref: SSEHS/SF-MFIH26)

Loughborough University

About the Project Sleep disturbances have emerged as one of the most persistent and debilitating symptoms reported by individuals with Long COVID. Prospective cohort work demonstrates that Long COVID is associated with shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality, and increased rates of moderate‑to‑severe sleep disturbance up to three years post‑infection.

Location
Loughborough, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
18 December 2026
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Biological Sciences

PhD Structural and Functional Characterization of a Novel Non-Specific Lipase Identified in Hazelnut

ESRF - The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

About the Project Context & Job description Thesis subject: Structural and Functional Characterization of a Novel Non-Specific Lipase Identified in Hazelnut Seeds You will join the multidisciplinary collaboration between the time resolved serial crystallography team at ID29, the Department of Science and Pharmaceutical Technology of the University of Turin and Soremartec company part of Ferrero for the study of lipase mechanism that is responsible for hazelnut rancidity…

Location
Grenoble, France, France
Deadline
30 July 2027
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Ph.D. thesis student on operando TEM analysis of ionotronic materials

ESRF - The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

About the Project Context & Job description Thesis subject: Growth and Characterization of Two-Dimensional Free-standing Functional Oxides This PhD project focuses on the development of a stable, electron-transparent crystalline platform for advanced in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of functional materials during epitaxial growth and under external stimuli such as electric and magnetic fields and light illumination.

Location
Grenoble, France, France
Deadline
13 August 2027
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

PhD thesis student (f/m) at ESRF and University of Bath to study CO₂ capture by coupling X-ray Raman

ESRF - The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

About the Project Context & Job description Thesis subject: Coupling X-ray Raman and optical Raman spectroscopies for improved understanding of atmospheric CO₂ Capture You will join the team at Beamline ID20 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, to undertake a groundbreaking PhD project dedicated to advancing carbon capture technology.

Location
Grenoble, France, France
Deadline
13 August 2027
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

PhD Probing conformational membrane protein dynamics by time-resolved X-ray solution scattering

ESRF - The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

About the Project Context & Job description Thesis subject: Probing conformational membrane protein dynamics by time-resolved X-ray solution scattering (TR-XSS) Do you want to explore how proteins move, react, and function? You will join the ID09 team at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and study the structural dynamics of membrane proteins using time-resolved X-ray solution scattering.

Location
Grenoble, France, France
Deadline
18 August 2027
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Advancing episignature analysis for chromatin disorders

Aston University

About the Project Details of the Project Epigenetic disorders of development (EDD) are associated with a range of clinical complications including developmental delay, growth and congenital anomalies, endocrine and others. EDDs include both congenital imprinting disorders (CIDs) and conditions caused by germline pathogenic variants (GPVs; mutations) in genes that regulate chromatin structure /function (chromatin disorders=CD).

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

An exploration of responders and non-responders to New Zealand blackcurrant intake on metabolic and cardiovascular responses

University of Worcester

About the Project Use of dietary supplements as ergogenic aids is common among athletes to support training and enhance performance (Maughan et al 2011). Recent research has examined effects of non-traditional ergogenic aids such as blackcurrant due to both exercise and health effects. Blackcurrant contains a high and specific content of the polyphenol anthocyanins (Kähkönen et al 2003), considered to be the essential bioactive berry compounds.

Location
Worcester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Biological Sciences

Disrupted brain development and stress responses in a zebrafish model of psychiatric disease

Aston University

About the Project Details of the Project Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia affect over one in five people worldwide and are a leading cause of disability and early mortality. A common feature across many of these conditions is an altered response to stress, yet the developmental and genetic factors that shape this vulnerability remain poorly understood.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant on cardiovascular responses to prolonged inactivity and exercise

University of Worcester

About the Project New Zealand blackcurrant (NZBC) has a unique and high profile of anthocyanins (Kähkönen et al 2003). Intake of NZBC has been shown to alter resting cardiovascular function by increasing cardiac output (Willems et al 2015; Cook et al 2017) and improve cycling (Cook et al 2015) and repeated high intensity running performance (Perkins et al 2015). All these responses could have resulted from alterations in blood flow by blackcurrant.

Location
Worcester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Biological Sciences

Integrative Cancer Genomics: Single-Cell Transcriptomics and Oxford Nanopore Long-Read Sequencing for Biomarker Discovery

Aston University

About the Project Details of the Project Sarcomas are rare and biologically diverse cancers, comprising more than 70 histological subtypes, each with distinct genomic and molecular characteristics. Their heterogeneity leads to significant clinical uncertainty, with limited reliable biomarkers available to guide diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment decisions.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Investigating the Role of Oxysterols in Cholesterol Metabolism and Myelin Maintenance

Aston University

About the Project Details of the Project Cholesterol is a vital lipid that plays a key role in maintaining cellular structure and function, particularly in the central nervous system. A crucial component of myelin—the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres—cholesterol supports nerve conduction, cell signalling, and overall brain function.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Biological Sciences

Prevalence, Ocular Biomarkers and Interventions for Myopia Progression in children

Aston University

About the Project Details of the Project The rising global prevalence of myopia, expected to affect half the world’s population by 2050, represents a significant public health issue (1). Beyond a simple refractive error, myopia significantly increases the risk of sight threatening conditions including myopic macular degeneration, retinal detachment, glaucoma and cataract (2- 4).

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)