Research profile
The Life Sciences Department at Brunel 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.
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.
You will benefit from this Integrated PhD programme immensely if you want to:
- receive more guided and hands-on supervision of your learning and research process, especially if you come from more traditional teaching cultures
- increase your chances for timely completion of your PhD programme in comparison to students taking traditional route PhD, cutting down the expenses associated with prolonged study
- access to tailored, highly specialist research training not available as part of the support provided to traditional route PhD students
- maximise your chances for a successful research analysis by applying practical assignments and training which are part of the integrated PhD directly to the research you do for your thesis
- receive an official Postgraduate Diploma in Research in addition to your PhD award to certify the completion of skills training which may be required by employers in some countries if you wish to pursue an academic career
Browse the work of subject-relevant research groups
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Find a supervisor
Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team.
You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests. Search for expert supervisors for your chosen field of research.
PhD topics
While we welcome applications from students with a clear direction for their research, we are providing you with some ideas for your chosen field of research:
- A systems approach to plastic waste valorisation, supervised by Kok Siew Ng
- Ageing-related pre-mRNA splicing of LMNA gene, supervised by Evgeny Makarov
- Antimicrobial resistance in marine mammals (seals) from polluted waters, supervised by Gera Troisi and Ashley Houlden
- Blinded by the load – electrophysiological and pupillometric indices of the interplay between non-spatial and spatial attention, supervised by Bianca De Haan
- Budding yeast as a model for sudden cardiac death, supervised by Thomas Hofken
- Central Nervous system Gene therapy to treat obesity Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). Analysis of the BBS brain development, supervised by Victor Hernandez
- Children’s gender-related development: The role of cultural visibility and acceptance of gender diversity, supervised by Francisco Gomez Jimenez
- Constructing a stable world: how the brain uses gaze direction to disambiguate sensory information, supervised by Adrian Williams
- Developing a device for marine life and water quality monitoring, supervised by Gera Troisi
- Genetic and non-genetic factors involved in risk of cardiovascular diseases, supervised by Raha Pazoki
- Investigating the function of common genetic variants that increase colorectal cancer risk., supervised by Annabelle Lewis
- Investigating Therapeutic Effect of Different Antioxidants in Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA), supervised by Sara Anjomani Virmouni
- Item-Level Scoring of Memory Tests as an Approach to Detect and Study Abnormal Cognitive Ageing, supervised by Matteo De Marco
- Machine learning approaches in health data science for risk prediction of cardiovascular diseases, supervised by Raha Pazoki
- Mindfulness-based Environmental Sustainability (MiBEST), supervised by Elena Antonova
- Naturalness of autonomous vehicles, supervised by Joseph Giacomin
- Sustainable products & processes - help industry ditch the plastic and toxic chemicals!, supervised by Gera Troisi
- Telomere length elongation following treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs., supervised by Terry Roberts
- Testing the efficacy of virtual reality and action simulation training for improving balance in children/young adults with movement coordination difficulties, supervised by Adam Bruton, Carla Harkness-Armstrong, Aliah Shaheen and Rebecca Hings
- The impact of heat stress on human health, performance, and function across the lifecourse, supervised by Oliver Gibson
- The role of PE/PPE proteins in tuberculosis, supervised by Anthony Tsolaki
- Trust In Autonomous Vehicles, supervised by Joseph Giacomin
- Turning the curse into a blessing: using mindfulness to reduce psychosis-risk in people with high positive schizotypy who have heightened creative abilities, supervised by Elena Antonova
- Understanding teaching and learning in Higher Education with a focus on AI and/or authentic assessments, supervised by Stephanie Baines and Pauldy Otermans
- Understanding the effects of meditation on mood, cognition, and the brain, supervised by Andre Szameitat
- Understanding the mechanisms behind age-related balance and movement change, and/or exploring strategies to improve balance, function, and wellbeing in the older adult population, supervised by Daniel Low
Research journey
The Brunel Integrated PhD combines PhD research with a programme of structured research, professional and subject training. The programme typically takes 4 years (compared to 3 years for a non-integrated PhD programme). On successful completion, you will be awarded a PhD with an Integrated Postgraduate Diploma in Research in your chosen subject specialisation.
The programme involves demonstrating through original research or other advanced scholarship the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, a systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge at the forefront of an academic discipline or professional practice, the ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the general of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline.
The programme of taught modules runs in parallel to your research work during the first three years of study, with the fourth year providing time for you to focus on writing up your PhD thesis. The taught modules cover research and professional skills as well as providing discipline-specific content. The Brunel Integrated PhD aims to support an individual’s development as a research professional. It aims to produce researchers who are well prepared to embark on careers as academics or professional researchers. As well as the skills to conduct and disseminate high-quality academic research, researchers will develop a range of broader (‘transferable’) skills to help ensure that their work has an impact in the wider world.
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Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here: Research degree progress structure.
Research support
Research support
Excellent research support and training
The Graduate School provides a range of personal, professional and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching and events, to enable you to enhance your professional profile, refine your skills, and plan your next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme. The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in a range of areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. You will also be offered a number of online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review and Principles of Research Methods.
Library services
Brunel's Library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs. As well as the physical resources available in the Library, we also provide access to a wealth of electronic resources. These include databases, journals and e-books. Access to these resources has been bought by the Library through subscription and is limited to current staff and students.
Dedicated research support staff provide guidance and training on open access, research data management, copyright and other research integrity issues.
Find out more: Brunel Library
Careers and your future
You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.
In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.
UK entry requirements
The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1).
An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.
Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
· IELTS: 7.0 (min 6.0 in all areas)
· Pearson: 64 (min 59 in all subscores)
· BrunELT: 68% (min 58% in all areas)
· TOEFL: 98 (min 20 in all subscores)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/5 entry
International
£23,615 full-time
£11,805 part-time
UK
£4,786 full-time
£2,393 part-time
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
Some courses incur additional course related costs. You can also check our on-campus accommodation costs for more information on living expenses.
Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.