Immunology
Cardiff University
About the Project Schizophrenia affects around 1% of the population and remains one of the most challenging mental health disorders to predict and treat. Increasing evidence suggests that changes in the immune system may contribute to disease development long before symptoms become severe. This project will investigate how immune pathways influence brain function in schizophrenia and whether they can be used to identify people at risk earlier.
- Location
- Cardiff, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 21 October 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Immunology
University of Oxford
About the Project Polyketide synthases ( pks ) produce genotoxins such as colibactin in E. coli, which are thought to have evolved to enhance competitiveness within the crowded environment of the gut microbiome. However, a side-effect of colibactin production is DNA damage in the host epithelium, which can accelerate progression to colorectal cancer. Carriage of pks- positive E.
- Location
- Oxford, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 1 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Immunology
University of Oxford
About the Project Chikungunya (CHIK) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that has caused major outbreaks across Africa, Asia, and South America. While the acute infection is often self-limiting, a substantial proportion of patients develop persistent, painful polyarthritis that can significantly impair quality of life.
- Location
- Oxford, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 1 December 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Immunology
The University of Manchester
About the Project Respiratory viral infections such as those caused by influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial viruses or coronaviruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Patterns of human immune responses to viruses and how this impacts risk of infections or onset/exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases is increasingly being recognised.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Immunology
University of Cambridge
About the Project Our research focus is to design and develop analytical, computational, and mathematical methods to understand the fundamental processes that govern the evolution of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. In addition to the basic science core of the work, there is also the opportunity to translate this understanding into the prediction of future antigenic variants to guide phase II clinical trials of next generation influenza vaccines.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Immunology
University of Nottingham
About the Project Intestinal system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of a number of diseases, including autoimmune conditions, cancer and HIV. Therefore, efficient delivery of drugs to the intestinal lymphatic system has potential to improve treatment of these conditions. However, only a very limited proportion of the administered dose can usually be distributed from the systemic circulation into the lymphatic system.
- Location
- Nottingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Immunology
The University of Manchester
About the Project A fundamental unknown in understanding mechanisms of disease, and therefore improving therapy, is how stressors experienced during critical developmental periods influence the genesis or ‘programming’ of adult disease (Estes & McAllister 2016). In particular, stressors experienced during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of offspring developing cognitive disorders across their lifespan (Knuesel et al. 2014).
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Immunology
The University of Manchester
About the Project Background: Exacerbations are a major health burden of chronic airway disease such as COPD or bronchiectasis. While bacterial and viral infections are known to play a part, the role of fungal organisms such as Aspergillus is not understood, despite their frequent isolation from sputum during exacerbations and steady state.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only