Kirsty Wan

GW4 BioMed3 MRC DLP PhD project at the University of Bath / University of Exeter: Do respiratory cilia sense and signal infection? This competition-funded PhD project sits within the GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme and is one of several projects competing for up to 17 studentships for entry in September 2027. The project is based across the University of Bath and the University of Exeter , with supervision from Prof Andrew Preston and Prof Kirsty Wan . The research focuses on respiratory cilia , host-pathogen interactions , Bordetella adherence, ciliary signalling , epithelial biology, cytokine responses, and fluid-flow modelling. The student will investigate cilia-specific receptors, intracellular signalling pathways, and the downstream effects of bacterial adherence on ciliary beat and epithelial signalling. Methods include organ culture, differentiated airway epithelial cell culture, high-speed imaging, confocal microscopy, ELISA, and computational modelling. This is a multidisciplinary project combining wet-lab and computational training. The project is especially relevant to students interested in biological sciences , microbiology , immunology , bioinformatics , biophysics , applied statistics , and data analysis. Eligibility: applicants should have, or expect to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree (or equivalent) in medical sciences, computing, mathematics, or the physical sciences. A lower second-class degree may be considered with a Merit or above at master’s level. Non-UK applicants must meet the University of Bath English language requirements. Funding: the studentship covers tuition fees, a stipend of £21,805 per year for 2026/27 (updated annually), and up to £5,000 per year for research training and support. International applicants are eligible, but awards for international candidates are capped at 30% and do not cover visa or healthcare surcharge costs. Deadline: applications close at 17:00 GMT on 21 October 2026. The programme may close early for home or international candidates if application volume is high. How to apply: submit your application through the GW4 BioMed3 DLP online application form. You may apply for up to two projects and should submit only one application per candidate. Do not apply directly to Bath at this stage.