Projects with guaranteed funding Closing date 28th January 2022

Professor Ryan Donnelly - Microneedle-Mediated chemical & electrochemical rapid injecction systems 

Professor Helen McCarthy -Development of a non-viral delivery system for targeted delivery of nucleic acid therapies across the blood brain barrier

Dr Emma McErlean - SILENT Stealth-Like Internalisation of Genetic Cargo for Ex vivo Natural Killer Cell Therapies 

Dr Stephen Kelly - Microbiome exploitation of extreme environments for applications in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry

Dr Matthew Wylie - Biomaterial coatings with lubricious, slippery coatings for improved urinary catheter performance 

The School of Pharmacy also have a limited number of DfE awards available for the academic year 2022/23 for the projects listed below. Prospective postgraduate applicants should apply via the online application portal, and eligible candidates will be invited for interview. Top ranked candidates will then have the opportunity to select their PhD project of choice. The closing date for applications is 28th January 2022. Interviews for these studentships will take place week beginning 21st February 2022.

To apply, please follow the link below or click on the link embedded within the project title in which you are interested. Applicants should have a 1st or 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Students who have a 2.2 honours degree and a Masters degree may also be considered.

https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php

Important, applicants must fulfil the eligibility criteria set out by the Department for the Economy which can be found at this link:https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/

3D printed personalised long-acting implants for effective cancer treatment -Dr Dimitrios Lamprou 

A nanotherapeutic approach to inhibiting hedgehog signalling in brain cancer - Dr Jonathan Coulter

An exploration of medication-related harm in people living with dementia - Dr Heather Barry & Professor Carmel Hughes

Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Formation in Clinical Isolates of Enterococcus faecium – a WHO High Priority Pathogen - Professor Brendan Gilmore, Dr Stephen Kelly, Mr Tim Brown (Consultant Transplant Surgeon)

Assessing the molecular mechanisms by which Cathepsin V promotes breast cancer growth and metastasis - Dr Roberta Burden

Cold plasma for cancer therapy - Dr Wafa Al-Jamal & Professor Brendan Gilmore

Computational modelling of viral proteins for improved prediction of virus-host pairs - Dr Timofey Skvortsov

Continuous Manufacturing of Amorphous Solid Dispersions using Hot Melt Extrusion based upon Quality by Design Principles: Understanding Critical Process Paramenters, Formulation Variables and Process Scale-up - Professor Gavin Andrews

Developing biodegradable long acting drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic conditions - Dr Eneko Larraneta & Professor Ryan Donnelly

Developing novel herapeutic strategies to better treat Triple Negative Breast Cancer - Dr Niamh Buckley

Drug-eluding Wound Care Products using Deep Eutectic and Reactive Extrusion - Dr Shu Li & Professor Gavin Andrews

Enable the global access to safe and efficacious antileishmanial nanomedicine through cost-effective manufacturing methods - Dr Yiwei Tian, Professor Gavin Andrews and Professor Paul Denny (Durham)

Infection control in care homes for older people beyond the COVID era - Professor Carmel Hughes, Dr Deirdre Gilpin and Professor Michael Tunney

Infection-responsive coatings for the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections -Dr Matthew Wylie & Professor Colin McCoy

Injectable Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery in Cancer Treatment - Professor Raj Thakur & Dr Wafa Al-Jamal

Investigating the impact of electronic cigarette vapour on respiratory microbiota and inflammation - Dr Deirdre Gilpin & Professor Michael Tunney

Investigating the role of USP17 in intracellular trafficking - Dr James Burrows

Investigation of novel protease-antiprotease imbalances associated with chronic airways disease - Professor Lorraine Martin

Lipid-based implants for sustained protein release - Dr Sheiliza Carmali & Professor Gavin Andrews

Long-Acting Microneedle Delivery Systems - Professor Ryan Donnelly & Dr Eneko Larraneta

Microfluidics for the delivery of drugs and biologics - Dr Dimitrios Lamprou

- Professor Ryan Donnelly

Molecular Modelling and Pharmacology of G protein-coupled Receptors - Dr Irina Tikhonova & Dr Bianca Plouffe

Monitoring antimicrobial resistance in wastewater in Northern Ireland - Dr Deirdre Gilpin, Professor Michael Tunney & Professor Carmel Hughes 

Multifunctional Biomaterials to Combat Infection and Modulate Inflammation - Dr Louise Carson, Professor Karl Malcolm & Dr Matthew Wylie

Nanoparticle delivery of antibiotics for treatment of pulmonary infection - Dr Vicky Kett & Professor Michael Tunney

Novel use of calcium phosphate cements in drug delivery applications - Professor Karl Malcolm & Dr Peter Boyd

Peptide hydrogels as a long-acting multipurpose drug delivery platform for combined contraception and HIV prevention - Dr Garry Laverty & Professor Karl Malcolm

Pharmacist-led medicines optimisation case management services evaluation and development of the Medicines Optimisation in Older People (MOOP) model - Dr Carole Parsons (School of Pharmacy), Dr Gillian Carter (School of Nursing and Midwifery) and Dr Ruth Miller (Western Health and Social Care Trust)

Production of super small nanocrystals for drug delivery to target tissues - Dr Alejandro J. Paredes & Professor Ryan Donnelly

Relationship between antibiotic therapy and development of antimicrobial resistance in patients with bronchiectasis and COPD - Professor Michael Tunney (School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast) Professor Stuart Elborn (Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast) and Professor James Chalmers (School of Medicine, University of Dundee)

Selective targeting of proteases for the treatment of chronic airways disease - Professor Lorraine Martin

Self-Navigating Nanocarriers for Intracellular Protein Delivery - Dr Wafa Al-Jamal

Self-regulating, self-cleaning biomaterials - Professor Colin McCoy & Dr Matthew Wylie

Sustained Release Nanocarriers for Ocular Drug Delivery - Professor Raj Thakur

To investigate novel interacting drug combinations in the treatment of Ovarian Cancer - Dr Fiona Furlong

Utilising data linkage to estimate antimicrobial resistance burden in paediatric populations -  Dr Yingfen Hsia & Professor Carmel Hughes

Please see below details of available PhD positions through FindaPhD.com site