British Heart Foundation 4 Year PhD Programme in Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

Here at the University of Leeds we want to develop the next generation of scientists who can tackle the problem of cardiovascular disease caused by diabetes.

 

In spite of modern treatments, diabetes substantially increases the risk of suffering major cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack, stroke, limb ischaemia and heart failure which impairs quality of life and reduces survival. 

 

 

We seek to create a new generation of scientists from a broad range of disciplines who think differently and go on to transform the understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We don’t expect you to be the finished article from the start. We provide a supportive, nurturing environment to maximise the opportunities on offer, allowing you to develop and grow, experiencing a broad range of science in addition to your own chosen project.

 

Programme PhD projects address the challenge of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and include 2 mini-projects in Year 1, which can be outside the research group of the primary supervisor but closely related to your main area of research. This provides the opportunity to spend all 4 years primarily directed towards your main PhD project while retaining the option to change direction and/or supervisors during Year 1 if properly justified. Final selection of your PhD project and supervisors occurs by 9 months when a proposal is provided to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).  

Year 1 also includes a carefully designed programme of lectures, generic laboratory training and clinical experiences. Within years 2 to 4, you may also plan a visit to an outstanding overseas or UK research group, or gain experience in a non-academic environment, to develop further skills and experience relevant to your research interests and help you plan a future career within or outside of academia. You will also receive support from our careers centre and learn from our alumni about their career journeys.

Highlights of the Programme

• Support from a dedicated programme co-ordinator (Dawn Best)

• A buddy scheme that links you with an established programme PhD fellow during your first year

• A mentorship scheme where we help you to find an experienced mentor outside of your supervision team

• Access to world class research facilities  

• Maximized time for the main PhD project 

• Overseas visits to other world-leading laboratories 

• Support for career development 

• Annual off-campus research symposia

• Opportunities to publish your research and a review article

• Extensive relevant taught and real-life training experiences 

• Wide multidisciplinary supervisor pool (including clinician-scientists) 

• Up to £3,000 financial support to attend relevant scientific meetings

• Located in a state-of-the-art scientific building on one of the largest university-hospital complexes in the UK 

 

• Diabetes, thrombosis and inflammation: Diabetes and other metabolic disorders are characterised by increased risk of blood clotting (thrombosis) linked to inflammation. This theme focusses on understanding the molecular and metabolic factors that drive inflammation and associated thrombosis within blood vessels.

• Diabetes, heart failure and multimorbidity: Multimorbidity is the co-occurrence of two or more chronic health conditions. Diabetes is a systemic disease which impacts across different organs. This theme focusses on understanding the relationship between diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.

Entry Requirements

• Applicants must be eligible under the UK Home Fee status criteria. Academic fees are included in the scholarship awarded to successful candidates.

• Applicants will have, or expect to obtain, a degree equivalent to at least a UK upper second-class undergraduate degree in a relevant subject area including; medical sciences, biomedical sciences, structural biology, biochemistry, imaging, physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics and computing 

• Applicants applying should not already have been awarded a doctoral degree 

• We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. All scholarships will be awarded on the basis of candidate potential. 

Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the Faculty’s English Language requirements, where applicable. 

All applicants are required to completed an online application form, in which you will need to upload the following supporting documents. As part of the online application, you will need to upload the following mandatory supporting documents:

• Three supporting statements about your previous achievements, why you wish to study for a PhD, and your experience of using evidence to inform conclusions. These will be used by our shortlisting panel (without any other information you submit) to select candidates for interview. Detailed instructions and a template outlining the format of your supporting statements is provided here. You will need to copy, complete and submit this as part of your required application documents.

• Full Academic CV.

• Degree certificates and transcripts both for undergraduate and postgraduate studies as appropriate (or marks so far if still studying)

• 2 references from academic referees. Offers are subject to satisfactory references. Please ensure you have named your referees on your application form. We will contact all referees directly as part of the application process.

• Evidence of English language ability, if applicable 

• An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion questionnaire. We encourage candidates to complete this form so that we can understand our progress in recruiting under-represented groups. It is important to note that all responses are anonymous and data would only ever be used in aggregate to avoid identification of individuals. The questionnaire includes a ‘prefer not to say’ option against each question if required. The information you provide on this questionnaire will not be used in the shortlisting process. 

To help us identify that you are applying for this opportunity please ensure you provide the following information on your application form:

• When asked for your programme of study please select Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (PHP-CADD-4FT) 

• In source of funding make it clear that you are applying for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scholarship 

• Give your chosen research theme as the project title 

Enquiries regarding the application process should be directed to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Graduate School  fmhpgradmissions@leeds.ac.uk 

In addition to the interview, there will be an opportunity to learn more about the Programme from: 

• A short talk by the Programme Directors: Associate Professor Richard Cubbon and Associate Professor Marlous Hall who will discuss and answer questions about our programme ethos, the structure of our training, and the research in our Institute. 

• A presentation by current Programme PhD fellows and the opportunity to discuss their experiences 

Successful candidates will be contacted by the Programme Directors after interview to discuss their project selection, a process which will include the opportunity to meet prospective supervisors and learn about the projects they are offering.