Postgraduate Research in Biological Sciences

Research in the School of Biological Science (BIO) addresses four overarching themes:

• Cells and tissues(opens in a new window)
• Molecular microbiology(opens in a new window)
• Organisms and the environment(opens in a new window)
• Plant sciences(opens in a new window)

Staff research interests in Biological Sciences include:

• biomedicine, cancer biology, cardiovascular biology, molecular genetics, musculoskeletal biology, molecular pharmacology, developmental and stem cell biology
• biochemistry, physiology, ecology, cell and developmental biology, elemental cycle, environmental microbiology, discovery of novel antimicrobial agents
• biodiversity, conservation, behavioural ecology, evolutionary ecology, evolutionary biology, macroecology, molecular ecology, and population biology
• Plant RNA biology, synthetic biology of plants and microbes

Below are some recent contributions from BIO postgraduate researchers.

• Causes and consequences of telomere lengthening in a wild vertebrate population(opens in a new window)
• Plastic male mating behaviour evolves in response to the competitive environment(opens in a new window)
• Salt stress signalling in Marchantia polymorpha(opens in a new window)
• An efficient miRNA knockout approach using CRISPR-Cas9 in Xenopus(opens in a new window)
• Fine-tuning by multiple microRNAs controls embryo myogenesis(opens in a new window)
• Cysteine controls flavin reduction during anoxic/oxic environmental transitions(opens in a new window)
• A day in the life of marine sulfonates(opens in a new window)

These examples highlight the diversity of postgraduate research in Biological Sciences. Would you like to join this vibrant research community?  Working closely with an academic supervisor gives you the support to carry out your own independent research and make your own mark. We have a wealth of remarkable academics, but how do you know which team will be right for you?

Studentships are advertised on our school page(opens in a new window) (select Find a PhD in Biological Sciences), including for projects part of the ARIES DTP(opens in a new window), MRC DTP(opens in a new window), Norwich Research Park DTP(opens in a new window), Centre for Doctoral Training and Doctoral Training Programmes and Leverhulme Doctoral Scholars Programme.

Alternatively, you can apply for a self-funded studentship. In your application you will need to nominate a supervisor. You should make contact with them to discuss the project before you apply, and they will supply a research project outline for your application or help you prepare one.

Start your application(opens in a new window)

Find out more on the Biological Sciences web pages(opens in a new window).

There are three research degrees available:

– PhD

– PhD by Publication

– Master’s by Research

(Please note that due to unprecedented demand, international applications are now closed on the Master’s by Research course. The course remains open for UK students.)

Full- and part-time options are available.

Read more about each of these on our information pages.

The minimum academic requirement for entry to a doctoral degree is a UK upper second class undergraduate honours degree or a Master’s degree, or equivalent.

The minimum academic requirement for Master’s by Research is a UK lower second class undergraduate honours degree, or equivalent. Details of the PhD by Publication, including entry requirements, can be found on our information pages(opens in a new window).

If English is not your first language or you are from a country that is not on the UKVI list of English speaking countries(opens in a new window), you may be required to provide evidence of your proficiency in the English language. Further information on English language requirements can be found on our information pages.