The immune system constantly protects us from pathogenic assault, yet infections still account for more deaths than any other disease process, both through direct impact and indirect consequences. Interventions designed to prime, bolster, redirect or dampen immune responses already save millions of lives each year, but there is still a pressing and crucial need for advanced understanding of the signals and pathways shaping immune and inflammatory responses, of what goes wrong in disease, and how such knowledge can be harnessed to deliver future health benefits.
A combination of interdisciplinary research and PhD studies provide the basis for this prestigious training programme, generously sponsored by the Wellcome Trust. Encompassing clinical as well as non-clinical researchers, this course comprises outstanding basic and clinical science conducted in world-class research facilities.
Students will have the opportunity to shape their own projects from a broad canvas of cutting-edge research, with a generous stipend plus research expenses. The pool of potential supervisors and PhD projects cover four major themes (Immunity, Cancer, Hormones & Genes and Cardiovascular Sciences), each of which have scored the highest possible ratings in national assessment at the University of Birmingham.
This site covers outlines of the studentship types, further details of research themes and individual research interests of project supervisors, background on PhD project choice and course organisation, as well as information on learning support and student welfare systems at the University of Birmingham.
If you have questions concerning the programme not covered in these pages, please feel free to contact one of the Programme Directors:
Programme Director (Clinical)
Professor Paul Stewart
Division of Medical Sciences
Institute of Biomedical Research
University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: +44 121 4158811
Programme Director (Non-clinical)
Professor John Gordon
Division of Immunity & Infection
Institute of Biomedical Research
University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: +44 121 4144034
