Claire Hills

The University of Lincoln is soon to announce a fully funded PhD studentship supported by Diabetes UK, starting in October 2026. This opportunity is ideal for UK-based graduates interested in immunology, cardiovascular biology, and diabetes research. The project will investigate why individuals with type 2 diabetes continue to face high cardiovascular risk, even with optimal lipid and glucose control, focusing on the concept of 'residual inflammatory risk.' Key research themes include immune-driven vascular inflammation in type 2 diabetes, the roles of myeloid cells and macrophages, endothelial dysfunction, macrophage–endothelial crosstalk, impaired vascular repair, and the emerging influence of gut microbiome–derived metabolites on cardiovascular complications. The successful candidate will join the Cardio-Vascular-Renal-Metabolic team within the Diabetes, Metabolism and Inflammation group at the University of Lincoln, working under the supervision of Prof Claire Hills, Prof Paul Squires, and Dr Caglar Gok. The studentship covers full stipend and fees for home students. The full advert and application details will be released soon. Interested candidates are encouraged to monitor the University of Lincoln and supervisor LinkedIn pages for updates and to share this opportunity with others who may be interested.

Coming soon: a fully funded PhD studentship at the University of Lincoln in cardiac biology and heart failure research . The project will investigate how protein palmitoylation regulates cardiac function in health and disease, with a particular focus on zDHHC palmitoyl acyltransferases (zDHHC-PATs) and their substrate networks in the heart. The research aims to improve understanding of the molecular changes that occur during heart failure and to support the development of new therapeutic approaches. The successful PhD candidate will receive training in a range of techniques, including hiPSC-derived cardiomyocyte models , patch clamp electrophysiology , calcium imaging , molecular biology , chemogenetic approaches , and proteomics/substrate network analysis . The project is supported by an Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Award and will be supervised by Dr Caglar Gok , Prof Claire Hills , and Prof Paul Squires within the Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic Research Team , School of Natural Sciences, University of Lincoln. Funding is fully funded for 3 years and includes tuition fees plus a stipend of £20,780 per year . Applicants must be eligible for UK Home fee status . The formal advertisement and application details will be released shortly, so interested candidates should monitor the official announcement.