Research Degrees

The Master of Science by Dissertation (MSD) involves a minimum of one year of full-time research or two years part time followed by production of a dissertation, which you will discuss in your viva.

Students enrolled on an MSD programme can upgrade to an MPhil or PhD subject to satisfactory progress.

An MPhil involves a minimum of two years of full-time research or four years part-time followed by the production of a thesis.

If you are progressing satisfactorily you can choose to change to a PhD in your second year, or you may wish to continue in your MPhil pathway and complete your work as planned.

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree consists of a three-year (full-time) or six year (part-time) programme followed by the production of a doctoral thesis.

You will defend your thesis during an oral exam known as a viva. Following the first submission of the thesis for examination, the viva will take place within 2 months. Depending on the examination outcome, correction period time can vary between 2 to 6 months.

All PhD students are initially registered as MPhil/PhD students and are transferred to a PhD degree in the first half of the second year, subject to satisfactory progress.

A research degree can be a significant commitment, particularly if you are thinking of a PhD. For many this can be a significant barrier to undertaking further study.

All of our research degrees can be undertaken on a part-time basis, in which the standard time for study is doubled. An MSD is two years, an MPhil is four years, and a PhD is six years.

While this may seem like a greater commitment than a full-time course, it means that you have greater scope to fit your research around other life commitments, such as caring responsibilities or employment.

If you are thinking of studying a research degree, then your first decision will be what your research topic will focus on. It must be related to your previous studies or career experience, as you will need to have some background knowledge for your research.

Some researchers take inspiration from their undergraduate or Masters degree research project or a module they particularly enjoyed. If you have been working in a related career for a few years, then you may have spotted a problem or gap in knowledge that a PhD thesis could address.

You do not need to come up with a thesis title, but it is helpful to have a short list of two or three potential topics ready before you begin looking for a supervisor.

Whatever research degree you choose to do, you will be supervised by at least one of our academic staff. Your supervisor will be an expert in your chosen field and will act as a guide and mentor throughout your research journey.

You can browse our academic staff, review their research interests, and see recently published papers. Or you can look through our research groups to quickly identify experts in your field.

Once you have identified a potential supervisor, and completed your research proposal, please send an initial email to the Graduate Administrator; If you are struggling to identify someone who would be a suitable supervisor, then we will also be able to help with this process.

Your research proposal is an important part of your application. It should be around 500 to 800 words (2 pages max) and should cover the following points:

• A brief introduction and rationale for the research
• Your aims and objectives
• Brief details of the methods or techniques to be used
• Any budget details (e.g. for consumables, research field trips), if known.

Consumables, bench fees and additional costs

Undertaking a research degree in the life sciences can involve costs beyond the standard tuition fees. For example, if you are carrying out research in plant sciences then you may need to purchase plants or specialist fertilisers, if you are working on an environmental science area then you will need to visit relevant sites on field trips.

If you are a self-funded student, then you will need to cover these costs yourself. Many of these costs are known as “bench fees” and will need to be paid through the academic year. Your supervisor will help you work out these cost estimates as part of your research proposal. Bench fees vary from student to student as they are entirely dependent on the type of research you are carrying out, so you may find there is a difference between your costs and those of your peers.

Students who are studying as part of a studentship typically have these costs covered as part of the studentship funding.

Once you have completed your research proposal and collated any other documents you may need, you will be ready to apply online through our postgraduate application portal. If you have everything ready to go, then the process should take around 20 minutes.

When applying you will need to specify the research degree you are study (i.e. PhD Biomedical Science) and the month/term you wish to join us in (October for Autumn Term, January for Spring Term, or April for Summer Term). If you are an international student who requires a visa then please ensure you get your application submitted as soon as possible, as the visa process can take several weeks to complete.

We aim to review applications as quickly as possible and will get in contact by email if we have any queries. You will also be contacted by email to arrange an interview as part of the application process, this may be held on Zoom or in-person.

If you are having any problems with the application portal, please email the Graduate Administrator (lspgr@essex.ac.uk).

• "Dissecting the role of cell polarity regulation in breast cancer" - Dr Metodi Metodiev
• "Understanding the molecular defects arising from mutations in human rhodopsin responsible for Retinitis Pigmentosa" - Dr Phil Reeves
• "Structure and Function of Human Androglobin, a unique multi-domain hemoglobin associated with ciliogenesis and spermatogenesis" - Dr Brandon Reeder
• "Globin-induced cell toxicity: Investigating what makes globins such as cytoglobin, neuroglobin, myoglobin and hemoglobin cytotoxic or cytoprotective as a response to cell stress.” - Dr Brandon Reeder
• "Using electron flow pathways in model globins to better understand and control cellular oxidative damage." - Dr Brandon Reeder
• "A metagenomic analysis for new Lassa-fever related viruses in wild animal samples" - Dr Stathis Giotis
• "Dissecting the role of interferon stimulated genes in SARS-CoV-2 cell entry" - Dr Stathis Giotis
• "Understanding the interaction of ACE-2, cytokines and SARS-2 virus" - Prof Nelson Fernandez
• "Comparative study of trophoblast phenotypes and invasion in pregnancy: a model for cancer?" - Prof Nelson Fernandez
• "Generation of a novel cell therapy vector to treat pancreatic cancer" - Dr Andrea Mohr
• "Cytokine mediated tumour progression" - Dr Andrea Mohr
• "The role of DNA-damage response factors in apoptosis induction in cancer cells" - Dr Ralf Zwacka, Dr Andrea Mohr
• "Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis heme peroxidases for drug discovery" - Dr Jonathan Worrall
• "Copper storage in infectious diseases" - Dr Jonathan Worrall
• "Using serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography to investigate enzyme mechanism" - Dr Jonathan Worrall
• "Back to the future - Ancestral reconstruction of enzymes for biofuel production" - Dr Jonathan Worrall
• "Targeting antibiotic resistance provided by efflux pumps in Gram-negative bacteria" - Prof Vassiliy Bavro
• "Exploring the structural membrane proteome in Mycobacteria and Salmonella" - Prof Vassiliy Bavro
• "Design and production of barnacle-inspired biological adhesives" - Dr Nick Aldred and Dr Phil Reeves
•  "Structure-Function studies of bacterial electron transfer systems" - Dr Marcus Edwards
• “Exploiting bacterial secretion mechanisms for the development of novel protein purification systems" - Dr Marcus Edwards
• "Rewiring bacterial electron transfer pathways through protein engineering” - Dr Marcus Edwards
• “Structure and mechanism of an electron-bifurcating [FeFe] hydrogenase” – Dr James Birrell, Dr Dimitri Svistunenko
• “The mechanism of CO2 reduction by nickel-containing CO dehydrogenase” – Dr James Birrell, Dr Dimitri Svistunenko
• “Is free radical formation on E. coli bacterioferritin a part of the mechanism or collateral damage?” – Dr Dima Svistunenko, Dr James Birrell
• “Cryogen-free Rapid Freeze-Quench studies of protein states rapid change in fast reactions by EPR spectroscopy” – Dr Dima Svistunenko, Dr James Birrell
• “Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy of tryptophan radicals in proteins “ – Dr Dima Svistunenko, Dr James Birrell

• "Modelling epigenetic regulation in cell differentiation and cancer" - Dr Vladimir Teif
• "Nucleosome repositioning in cancer" - Dr Vladimir Teif
• "Liquid biopsy: developing new diagnostic medical assays based on cell-free DNA" - Dr Vladimir Teif
• "Chromatin as a metabolite storage device" - Dr Patrick Varga-Weisz
• "How cellular metabolism coordinates gene expression" - Dr Patrick Varga-Weisz
• "How does the microbiome communicate with the host genome in the gut?" - Dr Patrick Varga-Weisz
• "Transcriptional networks in ageing and neurodegeneration" - Dr Charalampos (Babis) Rallis
• "The impact of cytoarchitecture in cellular physiology and ageing" - Dr Charalampos (Babis) Rallis
• "Investigating long-term transgenerational memory of environmental stress in fission yeast" - Dr Charalampos (Babis) Rallis
• "BioPROTAC-based gene therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neuron diseases" - Dr Gareth Wright
• "Detecting evolutionary gene amplifications: comparative genomic analysis of the pig sex chromosomes" – Dr Ben Skinner
• "Using nuclear morphometrics to understand how sperm shape varies within and between species" – Dr Ben Skinner
• "How male fertility-related genes are evolving in mammals: a phylogenetic approach" – Dr Ben Skinner
• "Modelling late radiotherapy toxicity in Drosophila" - Dr Joaquín de Navascués
• "Molecular and cellular regulation of Intestinal Stem Cells" - Dr Joaquín de Navascués
• "Studying host-microbiota interactions through intermediate metabolites and epigenetic modifiers in Drosophila" - Dr Joaquín de Navascués and Dr Patrick Varga-Weisz

• "Improving photosynthesis by manipulating stomatal conductance" - Prof Tracy Lawson
• "The role of the endoplasmic reticulum as a communication bridge between chloroplasts and the nucleus" - Prof Phil Mullineaux and Dr Philippe Laissue
• "Decoupling physiological and biochemical limitations of photosynthesis using synthetic biology" - Dr Amanda Cavanagh and Prof Tracy Lawson
• "Does increased photosynthesis alter the plant microbiome?" - Dr Amanda Cavanagh and Prof Tracy Lawson
• "Mining variation in photosynthetic enzymes for crop enhancement" - Dr Amanda Cavanagh
• "Using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging to detect plant stress" - Prof Tracy Lawson
• "CO2 sequestration by indoor house plants" - Prof Tracy Lawson
• "Investigating historical trends in carbon metabolism in wheat" - Dr John Ferguson and Prof Tracy Lawson
• "Investigating the ecological significance of photorespiration" - Dr John Ferguson and Dr Amanda Cavanagh
• "Using MAGIC to dissect the genetic basis of cold tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana" - Dr John Ferguson

• "Impacts of thermal adaptation and warming on predator-prey interactions" - Dr Eoin O'Gorman
• "Long-term impacts of oil rigs on benthic food web structure in the North Sea" - Dr Eoin O'Gorman, Dr Natalie Hicks, and Dr Gareth Thomas
• "The role of bacterial biofilms in promoting and deterring larval settlement of marine invertebrates" - Dr Nick Aldred
• "Demographics and behaviour in wild birds, e.g. hirundines, corn buntings, nightingale or waterfowl" - Dr Tom Cameron, Dr Kim Wallis (Essex & Suffolk Water) and Dr Chas Holt (Abberton Reservoir Ringing Group / BTO) – Field project and/or desk based data project
• "Anthropogenic influences on salmon phenotype and genotype in California" - Dr Anna Sturrock and Mariah Meek (Michigan State University)
• "New methods of estimating fish movements using natural tags" – Dr Anna Sturrock
• "Metabolic drivers of life history choices in salmonid fish" - Dr Eoin O'Gorman, Dr Tom Cameron, and Dr Anna Sturrock
• "Quantifying biodiversity recovery potential in UK headwater landscapes using citizen science data" - Dr Martin Wilkes, Prof Alex Dumbrell, Dr Chris Mainstone (Natural England), and Dr Joe Cooper (British Trust for Ornithology)
• "Effective biodiversity data retrieval and visualisation for environmental researchers and managers" - Dr Martin Wilkes, Dr Jon Chamberlain (School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering), and Dr Judy England (Environment Agency)
• "Understanding long-term survival of microbes in salt" - Prof Terry McGenity
• "Characterizing new species of extremophiles" - Prof Terry McGenity
• "Bioremediation of coastal oil pollution" - Prof Terry McGenity and Dr Boyd McKew
• "Release of harmful gases from seaweed beachings (green and golden tides)" - Dr Michael Steinke
• "Biogenic gases from extremely saline environments – how can they inform us about life elsewhere in the Solar System" - Dr Michael Steinke and Prof Terry McGenity
• "Effect of microplastics on marine food webs" - Dr Michael Steinke
• "Characterising natural drinking water biofilms" - Prof Corinne Whitby, with Dr Torben Lund Skovhus, and Dr Ditte Andreasen Søborg (VIA University College and Aarhus Water, Denmark). 
• "Carbon decomposition across natural and man-made habitats" - Prof Alex Dumbrell
• "Does body-size regulate microbial community assembly?" - Prof Alex Dumbrell
• "Are results of microbial biodiversity studies determined by choice of data analytics?" - Prof Alex Dumbrell
• "Modelling the global peaks of microbial biodiversity" - Prof Alex Dumbrell and Dr Dave Clark
• "Mining microbial metagenomes to understand environmental change" - Prof Alex Dumbrell and Dr Rob Ferguson
• "Revealing the  environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance hidden in metagenome data" - Dr Rob Ferguson and Prof Alex Dumbrell
• "Geodiversity-biodiversity relationships in microbial communities" - Dr Dave Clark and Prof Alex Dumbrell
• "Exploring the potential for community-driven science projects to reveal long-term trends in flower phenology" - Dr Dave Clark
• "Quantifying the dynamics of biomedically relevant Candida albicans biofilms using high-resolution bio-imaging and image analysis" - Dr Philippe Laissue
• "Structure and evolution of desmocytes and the dynamics of tissue attachment in stony corals" - Dr Philippe Laissue and Dr Ben Skinner
• "Exploring the effects of endocrine disrupters on freshwater microbiomes" - Dr Greg Brooke, Prof Alex Dumbrell, and Dr Martin Wilkes
• "Blue Carbon in salt marshes – understanding the role of methane and plant diversity" – Dr Natalie Hicks and Dr Amanda Cavanagh
• "Microbial contributions to blue carbon in coastal vegetated habitats" – Dr Natalie Hicks and Prof Corinne Whitby
• "Understanding the role of airborne microorganisms (bioaerosols) in the dispersal of antimicrobial resistance" - Dr Rob Ferguson and Prof Corinne Whitby
• "Understanding the legacy of antifouling paint contamination in marine sediments around recreational harbours" - Dr Nick Aldred and Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners
• "Quantifying biodiversity of mesophotic coralligenous reefs of the Aegean" - Prof Leanne Hepburn and Dr Michelle Taylor
• "Building with Nature: Utility of oyster reefs to protect eroding coastlines" – Dr Michael Steinke (School of Life Sciences), Boroka Bo (Department of Sociology), and Maged Ali (Essex Business School)

Whether you are planning to remain in academia or will move to senior roles in other sectors, you will be expected to hold a range of skills beyond research. Both the School and the wider university offer opportunities for you to develop these professional skills through courses and experiences that you can take part in during your time with us.

Proficio

Proficio is the university’s unique development scheme for postgraduate research students.

Depending on your degree type you will have access to a pot of funding (ranging from £1000 to £2500 per person for fulltime students) which you can use for a range of professional skills courses. Many of these courses are offered by the university, but if you identify a suitable external opportunity then you may be able to use some of this funding to cover costs. Courses range from personal management and research methods, to impact and professional conduct.

Some of your Proficio funding is ringfenced for conference attendance. Academic conferences are an essential part of your research degree as they help you build your professional network and showcase your research. You can use this money to cover attendance costs such as travel or registration fees.

School of Life Sciences Postgraduate Training Programme

This programme starts in Week 1 and continues throughout the year. We have created this training programme to help students bridge the gap between undergraduate and postgraduate study or help those who are returning to academia from fulltime work become familiar with advanced study.

Taking part means that you will join in with tailored scientific training sessions, covering topics of common importance to all life sciences research students including scientific writing, ethics in research, statistics training and preparing for the viva as well as more research project specific training courses.

Pint of Science festival

This annual festival sees expert researchers head out of their labs into a variety of pubs within Colchester.  Diverse discussions on topics such as how TOWIE-style Botox filler effect the ability to read emotions, why we desire antibiotics, and the gender pay gap, will fill the busy barrooms.

The nationwide festival is a grassroots non-profit organisation that aims to bring cutting-edge research to the masses. This international celebration sees thousands of scientists speaking to the public in over 500 cities across 24 countries.  Founded nine years ago by two UK researchers, the festival brings a unique line-up of talks, demonstrations, and live experiments to the nation’s local pubs.

At the University of Essex the organisation of this festival is managed by postgraduate research students, with several life sciences research students working as members of the committee in the past. This helps you build your organisation and outreach skills and is a great activity to have on your CV due to its international recognition.

Throughout the year our School advertises funded research degree studentships which often come with an approved title and supervision team. The amount of funding can range from covering Home student fees, to a doctoral stipend in line with UKRI rates (which change each year), or a combination of both.

Funding can come from different sources, such as UKRI DTPs (e.g. ARIES DTP) or from the School itself.

If you are a self-funded student then we may be able to support you in seeking external funding, such as reviewing applications for travel bursaries or early career researcher fellowships.

Whatever your field of research, you will have access to the facilities and equipment you need to carry out your work.

Our facilities include our onsite greenhouse, used for plant science research, and a new aquatic ecology facility with controlled-environment aquaria for marine invertebrates and fish, coral-spawning tank, large-scale freshwater mesocosms, marine vessels and access to several UK/overseas aquatic and terrestrial field sites. We also have extensive facilities for biomedical and biochemistry research including a ‘state of the art’ bioimaging suite. Our facilities are ably supported by our excellent technical team.

As one of our postgraduate research students you will also have access to our secure PGR study room. This quiet workspace has computers and desk space freely available for your use on a 24/7 basis, with no advanced booking needed.

Your research progress will be overseen by your supervisor, who will act as your guide and mentor throughout your degree.

You will have regular meetings with your supervisor to discuss your progress and highlight any issues or successes you are experiencing, to ensure that you are continuing on track as expected. Although a three-year PhD may seem like a long time it will pass very quickly, and these meetings will reduce the risk of you falling behind.

If your research topic is interdisciplinary then you may have a co-supervisor from another department, who will be able to offer further guidance and support and help you bridge the gap between the two research areas. We have particularly strong research links with the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science and the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering so you may find that your supervisors have collaborated together previously.

In addition to meeting regularly with your supervisor, you will also have twice-yearly panel meetings with your supervisor(s) and an external academic expert in your field. This gives you an opportunity to receive more expert guidance during your research.

Undertaking a research degree does not mean you have to follow a career path in academia. Although many of our graduates want to become lecturers and researchers, a research degree can open doors in many other careers.

Completing your research degree can make you eligible for senior leadership roles in the life sciences in both the private and public sectors, for example with Public Health England or companies such as Astra Zeneca. Some graduates combine their research and other professional skills to start their own companies, while others move into specialist communication areas such as science journalism and academic publishing, or to lead campaign teams for major charities.

The School of Life Sciences is committed to supporting research students at all stages of their careers. The mentoring scheme aims to support individuals at various stages of their professional or personal development.

Mentors will provide support, give advice and guidance on career or personal development, and provide opportunities to reflect on progress. New postgraduate research students will be paired with suitable mentors based on relevant research areas. You may even find you return to become a mentor yourself in the future!

Our School runs various departmental activities and events throughout the academic year. As one of our postgraduate research students you will be able to take part in these activities.

Research seminars

We run an active research seminar series each academic term, which is hosted on Colchester campus. We invite expert speakers to deliver a short talk on their research to an audience that ranges from undergraduates to fellow academics, followed by a Q&A session.

Many of our speakers are external academics from other institutions, but we do also invite new staff members and our research students to present as well. These events give you a chance to practice your oral communication skills in a smaller group, and can help you with networking with experts in your field.

Cohort building event

The cohort building event brings together postgraduate students and postdoctoral scientists from all the diverse disciplines within the School to promote interdisciplinary knowledge and exchange of techniques.

The event often comprises talks from each of the seven research groups, an interactive session on networking, an alumni presentation, a motivational lecture by an eminent guest speaker and the opportunity to attend a careers workshop to provide targeted careers advice.

Best Scientific Article Award

The purpose of the award is to encourage postgraduate research students to submit manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The prize will consist of a certificate signed by the Head of the School and the Dean of the Faculty and a financial award.

PhD students have the opportunity to work as a Graduate Laboratory Assistants upon successful completion of relevant training.

Graduate Laboratory Assistants contribute to the School’s teaching programme by providing support to academic staff in the provision of teaching and learning to help students meet their learning outcomes.

These roles are paid an hourly rate, and help you develop your teaching and supervision skills with support from lecturers.