Potential PhD projects

This list of PhDs is a flavour of some of the research opportunities available at the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences.

If you have any further enquiries about Postgraduate Research opportunities, contact Paul Gray.

Supervisor Topic
Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine
Prof Neil Metcalfe  

Links between metabolic rate and performance in fish

Dr Maureen Bain

Application of MRI to non-invasively monitor chick embryo development in eggs held under different conditions of storage prior to and during artificial incubation

Avian reproductive physiology

Prof Sarah Cleaveland  The epidemiology of endemic foot-and-mouth disease in northern Tanzania

Institute of Cancer Sciences
Dr Alison M Michie  Defining the role of protein kinase C alpha in the development of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Dr Adam West 

Epigenetic gene regulation by novel human chromatin insulator elements

Understanding chromatin remodelling events that control DNA methylation states at CpG island promoters

Development of novel gene targeting technologies for gene therapy

Prof Frances Mair Mixed-methods evaluation of large scale deployment of tele-health & assisted living technology in the UK
Dr David A Greenhalgh  Investigation of mechanisms driving conversion of benign tumours to malignancy
Dr Katherine West The role of chromatin and epigenetics in embryonic stem cells and neuronal differentiation

Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences
Dr Ole J Kemi  Mechanisms of cellular dysfunction in the heart and mechanisms of treatment interventions on cellular dysfunction in the heart
Dr Timothy M Palmer

Suppression of cardiovascular inflammation by cyclic AMP

AMP-activated protein kinase-mediated suppression of inflammation in cancer

Prof E Davies /
Dr S MacKenzie 
Regulation of aldosterone and cortisol production in hypertension
Dr Stuart Nicklin 

Gene therapy approaches in cardiovascular disease

The role of the counter-regulatory axis of the renin angiotensin system in cardiovascular disease

Prof Andrew H Baker

Understanding the role of miRNA in vascular pathologies

Gene therapy in the cardiovascular system

Dr Christopher M Loughrey

Investigating the function of Runx in the heart

Investigating a novel mechanism of action of extracellular cathepsin-L on cardiac excitation-contraction coupling

Prof Rhian Touyz

Adipose biology, vascular function and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in obesity and cardiovascular disease

Nox isoforms, redox signaling and vascular biology 

Prof Mandy MacLean Role of oestrogens in pulmonary hypertension
Dr Dilys Freeman  Ectopic placental lipid accumulation in obese and complicated pregnancy

Dr Dilys Freeman,
Christian Delles,
Martin McBride,
John McClure

RNA profiling and the development of obesity related pregnancy complications

Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Dr Jonathan Cavanagh 

Inflammatory/immune molecular events that subserve major depression in inflamed patients

Inflammatory/immune mechanistic underpinnings of stress-related phenotypes in different populations

Prof Tom McMillan  Long term outcome after brain injury

Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation
Dr Lorna Paul Exercise or physical activity to improve the health and wellbeing of people with long term conditions such as MS, stroke, arthritis
Dr Richard McCulloch DNA recombination, replication and repair during antigenic variation in the African trypanosome
Prof Christopher Linington Astrocyte-dependent mechanisms in the immunopathogenesis of progressive multiple sclerosis
Dr Emma Thomson Determining the characteristics of transmitted hepatitis C viral strains
Professor Jeremy Mottram  Protein kinases as drug targets in the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei Autophagy, differentiation and cellular remodelling in Leishmania
Dr Tansy C Hammarton  Regulation of cell division in the African trypanosome
Dr Marcello Riggio

High-throughput (metagenomic) sequencing analysis of the oral microbiome associated with canine health and disease

High-throughput (metagenomic) sequencing analysis of the oral microbiome associated with feline health and disease

Broken mouth periodontitis in sheep – identification of causative bacteria by metagenomic sequencing analysis

Dr Damo Xu

Immunoregulation of pulmonary fibrosis

Role of inflammatory cytokine in osteoarthritis

Autoantibody and application

Prof Mike Turner Molecular epidemiology of trypanosomes and tsetse flies
Dr Ben Hale

Interplay between influenza viruses and host ubiquitin signalling

Re-wiring of host PI3K signalling by influenza A viruses

Prof Michael Stear  Genetic variation in the immune response to nematode infection in sheep
Dr Robert Davies

Bacterial evolution and mechanisms of host adaptation

Bacterial outer membrane proteins and their roles in host-pathogen interactions

Prof MJ Hosie /
Prof BJ Willett
Investigation of virus neutralisation by antibody to develop improved diagnostic methods and effective vaccines
Dr Chris Nile Do IL-17B, IL-17C and IL-17D play a role in periodontal disease pathogenesis?
Prof Andrew Smith
Dr Ian Watson
Medical Device decontamination – integrating engineering and microbiological controls

Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology  
Dr J B Wilson /
Prof Iain Mcinnes 

Structure function relationships of proteins in inflammation and disease

Dr J B Wilson Viral associated cancer: a study of Epstein-Barr virus and disease
Prof Julian Dow 

Metabolomics and modelling inborn errors of metabolism in Drosophila

Using comparative genomics to develop new strategies for insect control

Prof Marshall Stark

Designer site-specific recombinases for targeted genomic DNA rearrangements

Site-specific recombinases as tools for synthetic biology

Mechanism and regulation of serine recombinases

Prof Gareth Jenkins

Molecular basis of plant responses to UV-B light

Resistance to herbivory in oilseed rape

Prof Neil J Bulleid Protein folding and secretion in mammalian cells
Prof Darren G Monckton Genetic instability and phenotypic variation in the inherited human disorders myotonic dystrophy type 1 and Huntington disease
Dr Stephen Yarwood The interdependency between transcription factor phosphorylation, acetylation and methylation in controlling anti-inflammatory gene expression in the cardiovascular system

Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology
Prof Trevor W Stone

Role of serine proteases in synaptic function in brain slices

Factors affecting development of the nervous system

Biological functions of tryptophan metabolism

Prof Andrew J Todd Pain and itch pathways in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord
Dr John Riddell 

Developing potential therapies for spinal cord injury using animal models

Investigating central neuropathic pain using spinal cord injury models

Neuronal pathways for the control of reaching and grasping

Dr Lars Muckli 

Spatial precision in cortical feedback (measured with human fMRI)

Functional brain imaging (human fMRI) of cortical predictions

Prof Brian Morris  Synaptic plasticity deficits in schizophrenia
Dr Chris McCabe /
Prof I Mhairi Macrae
MR imaging to investigate novel therapeutics in acute stroke

School of Medicine
Dr Emilie Combet Iodine insufficiency in women of childbearing age - impact on thyroid function
Dr Karen Scott

Investigation of drug facilitated crime via analysis of forensic toxicology specimens

Investigation of factors affecting endogenous GHB levels

Dr Gail Cooper

The investigation of diagnostic alcohol biomarkers for ketoacidosis

The investigation of diagnostic biomarkers for foetal alcohol syndrome

The stability of drugs and the role of post-mortem redistribution


School of Veterinary Medicine
Prof Nick Jonsson

Evolution of immune responses of livestock to arthropod parasites

Acaricide resistance in the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus