LSI PhD Programme in Complex Living Systems
Modern scientific innovation involves the integration of diverse disciplines and the bridging of pure and application-oriented research. At the LSI we are training a new generation of scientists who are equipped to think and experiment beyond traditional boundaries using cutting-edge technologies and approaches.
You can apply to our PhD Programme via three routes: (i) direct application for an LSI-funded PhD studentship (covers fees, stipend, and training budget); (ii) application for a studentship funded by another source (e.g., UKRI, China Scholarship Council, national agencies) with an LSI supervisor; (iii) self-funding with an LSI supervisor.
All students are enrolled in the integrated LSI programme regardless of primary discipline or funding source. You will benefit from the broad range of opportunities and activities offered by the programme, including:
- Leading-edge research technologies and approaches, from quantum biology to brain function
- State-of-the-art laboratories and facilities in the recently built LSI
- Opportunity to formulate and modify your own project
- Cohort learning in interdisciplinary training modules and workshops
- Supervisors from different disciplines
- Advisory thesis committee to support you throughout the PhD
- Diverse and inclusive community of over 60 PhD students
- Peer-to-peer PhD student presentation and discussion sessions
- Future career preparation
Exeter is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK. It is situated in the South West of England which offers unmatched sports and leisure opportunities through several national parks and some of the best beaches in Europe.
We aim to recruit the best and most imaginative students from across the range of disciplines represented in LSI – Physics, Mathematics, Computational Science, Engineering, Biology and Medicine.
You will be motivated by scientific curiosity and be able and willing to “think outside of the box”. You should have a first or upper-second-class degree (or equivalent). Masters training can be an advantage but is not essential. However, you should have sufficient experience to demonstrate your capability for research work and aptitude for critical thinking.
Hear from our students
Courtney Tremlett, 3rd Year PhD Student
The LSI embodies everything I sought from not only a PhD, but a welcoming and ambitious work environment. I have been amazed by the sheer amount of talent the LSI hosts and the openness to collaborate. My project has already been fantastically enhanced by working within various groups. Additionally, the comradery and mutual respect within the community makes me feel like less of a student and more as a colleague. As an institute that is consistently pushing scientific boundaries, fostering creativity and collaboration, it is a fantastic place to expand your scientific horizons.
Anuj Tiwari, Third Year PhD Student
Apart from world class research facilities, the breadth of expertise available in the LSI in terms of research and diversity is unlike anything I have experienced. It is not uncommon to find people chatting about science over a doughnut break or during lunch. PhDs can be a lonely affair but being around like-minded people and meeting them regularly during LSI social events helps me cope with any work-related stress. The midweek football with colleagues is a nice change of pace from what can otherwise become a monotonous routine. As an international student, moving to a new country can be challenging but the social environment of the LSI felt like home straightway.
Kalani Perera
My experience at the University of Exeter, Living Systems Institute has been nothing short of amazing; everyone is very heart-warming and welcoming here. Supervisors provide excellent guidance in research in order to build our skills. I particularly enjoy being a researcher at LSI because I constantly learn from professors and my colleagues. Also, we have an incredible opportunity in our building because the biology, physics, mathematics and physiochemical people are housed in the interconnected building where collaboration is producing amazing synergies.
Callum Jones. Former PhD Student
The LSI really is an interdisciplinary department. As a physicist, it has been a great opportunity to learn a little about Biology, just by being surrounded by others’ research. The weekly LSI seminars cover a really broad range of subjects, making it easy to get introduced to new ideas. There are also some great social events; this year we’ve been kayaking, organised a student conference, and been on an away-day to Torquay. I’d definitely recommend it as a place to do your PhD.
Projects for LSI-funded PhD studentships (starting Sept 2025)
Applications are open now!
For more information and to apply, please click here.
To find out more about the individual projects below, click on the first supervisor to go to their webpage
Application deadline for LSI-funded PhD studentships: Friday, 10th January 2025.
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Unlocking the molecular mechanisms governing stem cell dormancy; Supervisors: Bertram Daum (Bio) and Austin Smith (Bio), Paul Verkade, and Thom Sharp
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Enhancing Antibiotic Efficacy: Bacteriophage Engineering via CryoEM and Microfluidics; Supervisors: Vicki Gold (Bio) and Stefano Pagliara (Bio), Edze Westra (Bio), and Stineke van Houte
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How to make an eye - Biophysics of the basement membrane during early eye development; Supervisors: Stefan Harmansa (Bio), Steffen Scholpp (Bio)
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Designer proteins to rewire living systems; Supervisors: Nicholas Harmer (Bio), JJ Phillips (Bio), Benjamin Housden (CBS), and Austin Smith (Bio)
- Control of chromatin remodeller activity to direct cell fate decisions; Supervisors: Brian Hendrich (Bio), (JJ Phillips (Bio)
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Cryptochrome: Life's quantum sensor; Supervisors: Daniel Kattnig (Physics), Jonathan Phillips (Bio), and Frank Vollmer (Physics)
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Turbulent Partners: Unraveling Host-Virus Co-evolution in Dynamic Environments; Supervisors: Wolfram Moebius (Physics), Adam Monier (Bio), and Daniel Kattnig (Physics)
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Imaging the life of an endogenous RNA transcript from birth to death in an in vivo setting; Supervisors: Nikolas Nikolaou (CBS) and David Richards (Physics), Steve West (Bio), and Steffen Scholpp (Bio)
- Understanding the structural dynamics of genome editing enzymes; Supervisors: JJ Phillips (Bio) and Marc Goodfellow (Maths)
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Developing graph mathematics methods to study cell type evolution by single cell transcriptomics; Supervisors: Jordi Solana (Bio), Piotr Słowiński (Maths), and Magda Strauss (Maths)
- Modelling the early human embryo; Supervisors: Krasi Tsaneva-Atanasova (Maths) David Richards (Physics)
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Modelling pattern formation in growing tissue with long-range cellular communication; Supervisors: Kyle Wedgwood (Maths) and Steffen Scholpp (Bio)
- Microlaser Barcoding for In Vivo Sensing and 3D RNA Expression Profiling in Zebrafish; Supervisors: Frank Vollmer (Maths), Steffen Scholpp (Bio), and Victor Vassiliev (Physics)
Projects from LSI groups for SWBio DTP PhD studentships (starting Sept 2025)
Applications are open now!
For more information and to apply, please click here.
Application deadline for SWBio DTP: Wednesday 11th December 2024 at midnight (23:59 pm GMT)
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CRYCT – A peptide magnetosensor to explain and engineer magnetic field sensitivity in biological systems; Supervisors: Dr Daniel Kattnig (LSI Physics) and Prof Adrian Mulholland (University of Bristol)
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Decoding signal computation in pluripotent stem cells; Supervisors: Prof Austin Smith (LSI Bio) and Dr Marc Goodfellow (LSI Physics)
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Electrifying Redox Enzymes for Next-Generation Biotransformations: Harnessing Light and Nanotechnology; Supervisors: Prof Frank Vollmer (LSI Physics), Prof Ross Anderson (University of Bristol)
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How to make an eye – Mechanics of optic cup formation across species; Supervisors: Dr Stefan Harmansa (LSI Bio), Prof Andrew Quantock (University of Cardiff)
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Investigating novel interactions of the Merlin gene in cell behaviour; Supervisors: Prof Benjamin Housden (LSI CBS), Prof David Parkinson (University of Plymouth)
- Investigating the efficacy of natural compounds on bacterial biofilm formation in the mouse replacement model, Galleria mellonella; Supervisors: Prof James Wakefield (LSI Bio), and Dr Emmanuel Adukwu (University of the West of England)
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Programming cyanobacterial motility and growth to engineer living materials; Supervisors: Dr Kirsty Wan (LSI Physics), Dr Hannah Laeverenz-Schlogelhofer (LSI Physics)
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Reconstructing ancestral animal cell types by a single cell analysis and comparative genomic approach; Supervisors: Dr Jordi Solana (LSI Bio), and Dr Jordi Paps (University of Bristol)
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Spindle orientation in the developing fly embryo: a joint mathematical-experimental approach; Supervisors: Dr David Richards (LSI Physcis) and Prof James Wakefield (LSI Bio)
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The molecular basis of regulating branched microtubule nucleation; Supervisors: Prof James Wakefield (LSI Bio), Dr Bertram Daum (LSI Bio)
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Unlocking the molecular mechanisms governing stem cell dormancy; Supervisors: Dr Bertram Daum (LSI Bio) Prof Austin Smith (LSI Bio)
More PhD Projects from LSI groups
Applications are open now for:
SWBio DTP PhD studentships for Agriculture and the Environment (starting Sept 2025)
- The evolution of cell-cell signalling in unicellular eukaryotes, Supervisors: Dr Adam Monier (LSI Bio), Dr Glen Wheeler, (Marine Biological Association; MBA), Katherine Helliwell (Exeter Bio)
Application deadline for SWBio DTP: Wednesday 11th December 2024 at midnight (23:59 pm GMT).
For more information and to apply, please click here.
NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2025
- Comparative analysis and modelling of cilia motility in a major disease-causing parasite, Supervisor: Dr Kirsty Wan, (LSI Maths), Supervisors from Natural History Museum (NHM), Life Sciences Division: Aiden Emery Bonnie Webster, and Dr Adam Cieplinski
Application deadline for NERC GW4+ DTP: Midnight 13th January 2025
For more information click here and to apply click here.
PhD studentship funded by Motor Neuron Disease Association (MNDA)
- Combinatorial targeting of RNA processing defects in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Supervisors: Dr Akshay Bhinge (LSI CBS), Prof Jon Mill (University of Exeter CBS), Assc. Prof Jon Brown, (University of Exeter CBS)
This is a fully funded 3.5 year PhD studentship. Please email the lead supervisor for more information: a.bhinge@exeter.ac.uk
Application deadline: 20th January 2025
The application link will follow soon.
For more information about MNDA, please click here.
Self-funded applications
For self-funded applicants, please contact your preferred supervisor and additionally the LSI Director of Postgraduate Research, Professor Steve West (s.west@exeter.ac.uk.)In your message, please state your motivation for carrying out PhD research, why you are applying to our interdisciplinary programme, why you have chosen your selected supervisor/project, and your source of funding for fees, living costs and research training. Self-funded applicants will be subject to an equivalent selection process as applicants for funded positions.
If you have any inquiries, please contact the Director of Postgraduate Research (LSI), Steven West: s.west@exeter.ac.uk
