Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership

We are delighted to announce funding from UKRI via the BBSRC Doctoral Landscape Awards, which will fund three PhD cohorts starting in October 2025.

The Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP) is a BBSRC funded Doctoral Training Partnership between Coventry University, the University of Warwick, the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester, Aston University and Harper Adams University.

Students from a wide diversity of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Projects are available for excellent students in our Research Centre for Health and Life Sciences and Centre for Physival Activity, Sports and Exercise Science.

How to apply

All available opportunities can be found on this page
Please apply via the PGR + link for your chosen project as shown in the table below
Application deadline: 16 January 2025

Opportunities

Project and PGR+ link	Research Centre	Supervisor
Tuning G protein-coupled receptor pharmacology with a novel drug design approach	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Giuseppe Deganutti
The Effects of Capsaicinoids on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism and Function: A Translational Study from Cells to Humans	Centre for Physical Activity, Sports and Exercise Science	Dr Lucas Guimaraes Ferreira
The role of exercise mimetics on proteostasis function and dysfunction in skeletal muscle	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Mark Turner
The influence of exercise and immunosuppression on human immune system	Centre for Physical Activity Sport and Exercise Science	Dr Mike Price
Targeting novel molecular mechanisms of family B G-protein-coupled receptors for drug discovery	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Hoor Ayub
Mechanisms responsible for compensatory eating behaviours following cold water immersion	Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences	Professor David Broom
The role of extracellular vesicles in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in humans	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Richard Mackenzie
Investigating the Impact of Fatty Acids on FTO Activity and RNA Methylation in Hypoxic Cardiomyocytes	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Mike Dodd
Molecular signatures of healthy ageing in long-lived rodents	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Mark Harrison
Use of CRISPR gene editing to investigate novel therapeutic strategies to counteract the effects of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha single nucleotide polymorphisms	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Bernard Burke
The pregnant brain and the effects of high fat diet	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Isadora Clivatti Furigo
Dynamic S-acylation of the β2-Adrenergic Receptor	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Dr Jennifer Greaves
Development of bioleaching-based sustainable processes to recover silver from photographic film and film development	Centre for Health and Life Sciences	Professor Sebastian Farnaud

Studentship details

As an MIBTP Scholar you will join a comprehensive Training Programme that runs concurrently with your PhD.

Full tuition fees (at UK rate)*
A tax free annual stipend (in academic year 2024-25 this was £19,237.00)
A travel/conference budget
A generous consumables budget
Use of a MacBook Pro for the duration of the programme.

*Coventry University will fund the difference between the UK tuition fee rate and the international tuition fee rate.

Entry criteria

Entry criteria for applicants to MSc/MA by Research

Minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average
An adequate proficiency in English must be demonstrated by applicants whose first language is not English. The general requirement is a minimum overall IELTS Academic score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the four sections, or the TOEFL iBT test with a minimum overall score of 95 with a minimum of 21 in each of the four sections.

Find out more about Coventry University's entry criteria.

More information

In order to apply for a Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership PhD you must:

Check your eligibility.

Complete the ED&I form, which also acts as an expression of interest in MIBTP and helps us monitor our ED&I commitments at every step of the application process
Our academic directors and the shortlisting panel do not have access to the EDI form and will not see your EDI responses
Complete an application form
Review the MIBTP Data Privacy PolicyLink to understand how we process your personal data.

To find out more information, contact Katie Choudhry for administrative questions.

Visit the frequently asked questions page.