The Life Sciences Department at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â is a vibrant, multidisciplinary community of scholars addressing key issues and global challenges for humankind. The Department brings together academics in Biosciences, Environmental Sciences, Psychology, and Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences, working together to carry out world-leading research with the potential to improve human health and well-being. We are making discoveries in a wide range of areas including: mechanisms of disease and novel therapeutic approaches; fundamental and applied research into brain function; how environmental toxins impact health; how genes and chromosomes behave; analysis of “Big Data” to explore determinants of health and disease; how our immune system works to protect us, or causes harm; determinants of human physical performance and rehabilitation; how culture and evolution shape our psychology and how to support welfare, health and wellbeing in our societies. Together, we work towards integrating academic and scientific rigour with the needs of health care providers, governments, industry, and the not-for-profit sector, aiming to deliver creative solutions to global challenges and, thereby, bring health, economic, social, and cultural benefits to societies. Research opportunities for students Research students are welcomed to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. Browse PhD opportunities below and find out about the funding available for students. Doctoral research information How to apply for a PhD View list of PhDs in this area Research in Life Sciences Find people, projects, groups and publications in Life Sciences and read more about related research to this area. Meet our experts Browse academics in Biosciences, Environmental Sciences, Psychology, and Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences Independent assessment of our research quality (REF 2021) View REF 2021 details for Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy (UoA 03) Helping policymakers stub out smoking REF 2021 Research groups and centres Applied Respiratory Research Group Applied respiratory research meeting the needs of respiratory-related healthcare Arts Health and Social Change This Research Group is dedicated to fostering art-based initiatives that drive social change towards inclusivity and equality in healthcare. Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Êͼ¿â Partners Academic Centre for Health Sciences Focusing on allied health, nursing, social care and medicine, the centre supports ambitious plans to educate the health and care workforce, supporting the delivery of radically transformed integrated physical and mental health and care provision. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Group Understanding the biological, social, physiological aspects of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and producing knowledge to improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. Culture and Evolution Evolution and culture are the two most fundamental and powerful influences on human behaviour, and their effects are what we study at the Centre for Culture and Evolution. Embodiment in Academic and Professional Practice Development of an enhanced awareness of bodies as sensors of crucial information about ourselves and our reality; Enhancing our performance as human beings, practitioners, researchers and educators. Experimental Techniques Centre A highly regarded cross-disciplinary characterisation facility, with specialist staff that have expertise from various scientific disciplines, e.g. biology, metallurgy, geology and engineering. Genome Engineering and Maintenance Diverse research network focused on molecular, cellular, organismal and computational aspects of genome biology. Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifecourse Inequalities in health and wellbeing in the UK and internationally; welfare, health and wellbeing; ageing studies; health economics. Health Behaviour Change Development and evaluation of theory- and evidence-based health behaviour change interventions, across communicable and non-communicable diseases; evidence synthesis of behaviour change interventions. Inflammation Research and Translational Medicine Driving scientific innovation and discovery for diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiovascular disease, inflammatory and immune disorders, microbial resistance, and cancer. Institute of Communities and Society The Institute focuses on the social, community, and cultural aspects of pressing contemporary issues including migration and movement, social unrest, intersectional inequalities, and institutionalised poverty. Institute of Health, Medicine and Environments Our challenge-led work in health and wellbeing focuses on understanding the relationships between biological, social, natural, and built environments and health and wellbeing outcomes. LEAP-Lab: Learning, Expertise, Action, Perception Three innovative spaces, which collectively support a thriving research culture in which staff and students work collaboratively to produce high-quality research on the topics of Learning, Expertise, Action, and Perception. Organ-on-a-Chip The group’s main research focus is on women’s health and developing four main organ-on-a-chip (OOC) models: the breast, vagina, ovary, and placenta. Physical Activity in Health and Disease The centre conducts interdisciplinary research to improve human health and performance through regular physical activity and exercise, and by limiting sedentary behaviour. Pollution Research and Policy Predictive approaches in toxicology, including combined chemical exposures and development of new frameworks for non-animal approaches for predicting toxicity; Endocrine disruptor research with an emphasis on mechanisms of disease and test method development; Pollution monitoring, clean-up technologies and chemical analytics. Sedentary Behaviour, Health and Disease Investigating the relationship of sedentary behaviour with health and wellbeing; evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to reduce and break up sedentary behaviour. Smart Technology Advancements in Health and Rehabilitation Data science/wearable technology and Rehabilitation; Haptic feedback, multi-sensory interfacing and Robotics in Health; Immersion and Engagement in Virtual Rehabilitation; TeleHealth/TeleRehab; Data: using AI and Machine learning to improve health. Browse our research projects View all View all Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Fabry disease Ongoing Parenting across cultures in contemporary England Ongoing Governing immersive biomedical tech, health and human rights in the Metaverse Ongoing Innovate photonic devices for digital histopathology Ongoing Understanding the role of temperature on muscle function in older adults Ongoing Post-Covid lifestyle and mental wellbeing Completed Modelling internal bone marrow dose from Radium-223 Completed Using creative engagement to support healthcare workers Completed Evaluation of oligonucleotides for therapy of Friedreich ataxia Completed Identifying the most potent and effective treatment of Friedreich ataxia Completed Faith, difference and diversity in Muslim male prisoner rehabilitation Completed Rapid evidence scoping review: Creativity and Pathways to Subjective Wellbeing Ongoing LIVEND: Live music inclusion at venues and events for neurodivergent people Ongoing Can SmartSocksâ„¢ help deliver care to people with dementia living in care homes? Ongoing Side effects of gene therapy vectors Completed Evolution of religious and secular medical treatments Completed Cancer and physical activity Completed The maintenance of genome integrity Completed The role of CDCA2 molecule in neuroblastoma Completed How do cells divide? Completed Genetic and cytogenetic family trio study Completed Physical activity and McArdle disease Completed Towards a therapy for Friedreich’s Ataxia Ongoing Investigating the role of bioactive sphingolipids in Friedreich’s ataxia Completed Elucidation of the metabolic signature of Friedreich's ataxia Completed Metabolic reprogramming for improved BCG vaccine efficacy Completed Early growth protein molecules and preventing autoimmune disease and cancer Completed When reading misfires: the case for letter confusability Completed Vagina-on-a-Chip Completed Predicting online radicalisation Completed Low-cost portable molecular diagnostic platform Completed Innovative techniques for precise, atraumatic placement of cochlear implant Completed Analysis of the nature of loneliness using natural language programming Completed Modelling infant leukaemia using gene editing technology Completed COVID-19 and relationships study Completed Protect mental health COVID-19 study Completed Using mindfulness to reduce schizophrenia vulnerability Completed Air pollution, brain health and wellbeing in India Completed Recovering sense of smell and taste Completed Childhood maltreatment: emotional consequences and potential intervention Completed The effects of sonification on motor imagery ability Completed Road cycling behaviour of young adults Completed Mitigating plastic waste in Indonesia Ongoing Risk factors for cognitive decline in LGBT+ older people Ongoing Assessment of injury risk factors and mechanisms in elite netball Completed Understanding the causes of atheism in Mauritius Completed Muscle response to exercise in cerebral palsy Completed Reactivation of herpesviruses in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Ongoing Physiology of singing and implications for singing for lung health Completed Common genetic variants that increase the risk of cancer