Research projects

All self-funded projects can be applied to throughout the year. Please note that not all projects are available in the IPhD route. 

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Investigating the Colonic Microbiome – Immune Interactions to Prevent Colorectal Cancer

Supervisors: Dr Stephen McSorley and Dr Johan Vande Voorde 

Project description: Around 40% of individuals undergoing bowel screening colonoscopy have pre-malignant colorectal adenomas. Despite excising them patients remain at increased risk of further adenomas and colorectal cancer (CRC) in the future with no means of prevention available other than repeated colonoscopies.

Immune responses and infiltrates of specific subtypes of immune cells called T lymphocytes within adenomas are associated with a patient’s likelihood of future adenomas and CRC. It is unclear what drives differences in these immune responses to adenomas in the colon and ultimately outcomes.

The colonic microbiome – the variety and location of different species of bacteria, fungi and viruses within the large bowel - has been implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis including the formation of new adenomas and progression of adenomas to cancer. Furthermore, in established CRC, interaction between the microbiome and immune system is thought to impact outcomes.
This exciting PhD project will build on an existing highly annotated dataset of around 2600 patients who have undergone surveillance following polypectomy at bowel screening colonoscopy with matched tissue. The student will be involved in the prospective collection of colonic tissue and samples from patients having adenomas removed at colonoscopy. They will interrogate immune – microbiome interactions within adenoma and surrounding colonic biopsy tissue using techniques including immunohistochemistry, RNAseq, RNAscope, and state of the art spatial proteomic/transcriptomic technologies – Nanostring, GeoMx, DSP, and CosMx SMI.

The identification of specific immune system and microbiome targets associated with future adenoma risk will eventually permit drug screening and chemoprevention in a large group of high-risk patients for whom repeated colonoscopy is the only current management option.

Fees: There are no funds available for this PGR project. Applicants must have sufficient funds to pay for their support and PGR fees.

To apply, please contact supervisors and include project title in application. 

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Integrated PhD (October-April)

Our Integrated PhD combines an MSc and PhD project in a 1+3+1 format. There are two options when choosing to apply for the IPhD and these are shown below. Please review how to apply section for more information. 

Option A: Choose from the listed projects.

You can select from the listed projects below and choose your MSc from the options listed on that project. 

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New person-centred tools to improve household contact investigation for tuberculosis

Supervisor: Peter MacPherson

MSc choice: Public Health [MPH/PgDip/PgCert]

Problem: Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading infectious killer. TB is often transmitted within households. In high TB burden settings, household contact investigations are an important public health intervention, but are resource-intensive, challenging to operationalise, and of uncertain individual benefit due to challenges defining outcome measures.

Potential solutions: This IPHD will develop and evaluate new person-centred tools and approaches to improve the implementation of household contact investigations in high TB burden settings. The student’s research will be nested within major funded TB research programmes underway between University of Glasgow and Malawi, South Africa, and Zambia.

Overall aim: Using novel digital epidemiology technologies, develop and evaluate person-centred approaches to improve household contact investigations for tuberculosis, and ultimately reduce the risk of transmission.

Objectives:

To leverage new digital technologies to improve information gathering, risk assessment, and decision support during TB household contact investigations, including:

1. Automatically generate line listing of contacts by index TB in audio/text. E.g. “Tell us who lives in your house, and how long they have lived there”. TB disease risk factors. Freeform audio, captured by cell phone.
2. Use natural language processing algorithms to synthesise/organise data on household contacts
3. Generate unique household identifiers for each contact
4. Record sociodemographic characteristics
5. Record TB exposure history
6. Identify risk factors for TB
7. Screen for TB symptoms
8. Automatically implement a decision support tool: for each contact, given guidelines, generate an individualised risk assessment (probability of progressing to TB disease, recommendation for TB investigations/preventive therapy, risk of side effect)
9. Automated system for checking contact action, monitoring and evaluation - SMS through system to index case.

Sending teams to households for TB screening is expensive and resource intensive. To overcome this, the student will develop and pilot an index-case delivered approach to household contact investigation, supported by new technologies:

1. Index case delivered home symptom screening of contact
2. Index case takes sputum cups (+/- oral swabs) home for symptomatic
3. Support for assessment of symptomatic children
4. linkage to treatment/TB preventive therapy

Measurement of individual, and household important outcome i.e. recognising that measures of incidence of disease are challenging, especially given recommendations for TB preventive therapy:

1. Focus on PROMS (patient-related outcome measures). What do people (index and contacts) value as outcomes from household contact tracing interventions. Evaluate ordinal scale measures of wellbeing, quality of life, health seeking impact, linkage to treatment/TB preventive therapy

Key skills and support: Potential candidates should demonstrate through evidence that they meet the criteria below when contacting supervisors.

This project is currently unfunded. Potential candidates who have identified sources of funding for fees, stipend, travel costs, and research costs will be preferenced.

A background in health services and clinical research is essential. The candidate will be dedicated to improving the health of people in low income countries, and have experience in infectious diseases and epidemiology. They will have demonstrated skills in quantitative statistical and epidemiological analysis, including in using the R programming language. Candidates who have a proven track record in engaging communities and stakeholders across diverse cultures will flourish, particularly during visits to study sites. The successful candidate will benefit from being based within the Athena Swan Gold-accredited School of Health & Wellbeing at University of Glasgow and collaboration with international universities. They will work within a dynamic, multidisciplinary team based between Scotland and Africa, and will receive a dedicated programme of training and career support.

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Option B: Create your own research proposal

You can create your own project, source a supervisor and they will choose an MSc programme that aligns with your research proposal. 

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Create your own PhD proposal

1. Create your own proposal - approximately 1000 words and must include:
   • a straightforward, descriptive, and informative title
   • the question that your research will address
   • an account of why this question is important and worth investigating
   • an assessment of how your own research will engage with recent research in the field
   • a brief account of the methodology and approach you will take.
2. You will need to contact a supervisor prior to application, using the search function.

Supervisor Search

Based on your proposal, your supervisor will choose an MSc programme that aligns with your research interests. 

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Overview

Public Health research plays a vital role in understanding the impact of biological, social, behavioural, economic, cultural and environmental factors on our health. Our interests span medical, environmental and social sciences and offer students an opportunity to train in a unique interdisciplinary culture and environment.

The advent of large scale data sets from health services, the environment, public services and the private sector is heralding something of a revolution in approaches to public health. For the first time, we are potentially able to see both how people’s health is created, maintained or damaged over time, but also the impact of interventions and policies aimed at improving and protecting health.

PGR students in public health can access the researcher training programmes in the Colleges of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS) and the College of Social Science (CoSS).  This ensures that PGR students graduate with robust, transferable skills that are relevant to future employment in academia and public, private and third sector organisations. 

Our research objectives are to:

• understand the natural course and impact of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases
• contribute to service developments to improve cancer survival
• contribute to a healthier population and environment through policy-related research
• reduce health inequalities of the working age population through cutting-edge, policy informing research

Individual research projects are tailored around the expertise of principal investigators within public health and the Institute of Health and Wellbeing. Our supervisors use a variety of approaches to understand complex problems including complex statistical analysis, data linkage, longitudinal epidemiological and advanced meta-analysis, but also in depth qualitative techniques and the analysis of new media and policy documentation. We have excellent engagement with the government, the NHS and local authorities, other statutory public organisations and third sector organisations.

Specific areas of interest include:

• the potential for different aspects of environment to positively influence population health and reduce health inequalities
• the differences between chronological and biological ageing and its influence on coronary arterial disease
• evaluating the effects of legislation on population health, such as smoke free legislation
• understanding the interaction of genetic and non-genetic risk factors on population health
• the evaluation of complex public health interventions
• the impact on health of supporting disadvantaged groups into employment

Studying for a PhD in a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment will equip you with transferable research skills that are relevant to a range of career options in the public, private and charitable sectors. Many students find employment in the University sector after completing their studies or choose to pursue careers in health services, government or NGOs with a focus on global health improvement.

Many of our project supervisors have strong academic connections with international collaborators in universities and research institutes across the world. Funds are available through the college of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences to allow international visits to teams and data centres where part of your project can be carried out, if you and your supervisor decide this would enhance your research and training. This provides an excellent opportunity for networking and increasing your scientific knowledge and skill set.

Study options

PhD

• Duration: 3/4 years full-time; 5 years part-time

Individual research projects are tailored around the expertise of principal investigators.

Integrated PhD programmes (5 years)

Our Integrated PhD allows you to combine masters level teaching with your chosen research direction in a 1+3+1 format. 

International students with MSc and PhD scholarships/funding do not have to apply for 2 visas or exit and re-enter the country between programmes. International and UK/EU students may apply.

Year 1

Taught masters level modules are taken alongside students on our masters programmes. Our research-led teaching supports you to fine tune your research ideas and discuss these with potential PhD supervisors. You will gain a valuable introduction to academic topics, research methods, laboratory skills and the critical evaluation of research data. Your grades must meet our requirements in order to gain entry on to your pre-selected PhD research project. If not, you will have the options to pay outstanding MSc fees and complete with masters degree only.

Years 2, 3 and 4

PhD programme with research/lab work, completing an examinable piece of independent research in year 4.

Year 5

Thesis write up.

MD (Doctor of Medicine)

• Duration: 2 years full-time; 4 years part-time (for medically-qualified graduates only)