About the Project
Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership
We are delighted to announce funding from UKRI via the BBSRC Doctoral Landscape Awards, which will fund five PhD cohorts starting in October 2025.
The Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP) is a BBSRC funded Doctoral Training Partnership between Coventry University, the University of Warwick, the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester, Aston University and Harper Adams University.
Students from a wide diversity of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Projects are available for excellent students in our Research Centre for Discoveries in Life Sciences
Project Outline
Plastic pollution is a growing global concern, with micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) now detected throughout the environment and within animal and human tissues. Emerging evidence indicates that MNPs accumulate in skeletal muscle and can disrupt mitochondrial function, increase oxidative stress, impair muscle regeneration and alter metabolic regulation. However, organisms are rarely exposed to MNPs in isolation. Environmental plastics often carry other pollutants, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pesticides and industrial contaminants, which may amplify biological toxicity.
This PhD will investigate how co-exposure to MNPs and environmentally relevant contaminants influences skeletal muscle physiology and function. The project will test whether combined exposures produce greater impairments in muscle health than individual stressors through disruption of cellular metabolism, oxidative balance, inflammatory signalling and protein turnover.
The student will use a combination of cell culture and experimental muscle models to examine environmentally relevant exposure scenarios. Techniques may include assessments of muscle cell growth and differentiation, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, gene and protein expression, immunohistochemistry and measurements of skeletal muscle contractile function. Advanced imaging and molecular approaches will be used to identify the mechanisms linking pollutant exposure to muscle dysfunction.
This project will address fundamental bioscience questions concerning how multiple environmental stressors interact to influence muscle biology and metabolism. The work will generate fundamental knowledge relevant to animal health, environmental resilience and the biological impacts of emerging pollutants.
Studentship details
As an MIBTP Scholar you will join a comprehensive Training Programme that runs concurrently with your PhD.
- Full tuition fees (at UK rate)*
- A tax free annual stipend (currently £21,805 in academic year 2026-27)
- A travel/conference budget
- A generous consumables budget
- Use of a MacBook Pro for the duration of the programme.
*Coventry University will fund the difference between the UK tuition fee rate and the international tuition fee rate.
Entry criteria
- Minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average
- An adequate proficiency in English must be demonstrated by applicants whose first language is not English. The general requirement is a minimum overall IELTS Academic score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the four sections, or the TOEFL iBT test with a minimum overall score of 95 with a minimum of 21 in each of the four sections.
Find out more about Coventry University's entry criteria.
More information
In order to apply for a Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership PhD you must:
Check your eligibility.
- Complete the ED&I form, which also acts as an expression of interest in MIBTP and helps us monitor our ED&I commitments at every step of the application process
- Our academic directors and the shortlisting panel do not have access to the EDI form and will not see your EDI responses
- Complete an application form
- Review the MIBTP Data Privacy PolicyLink to understand how we process your personal data.
To find out more information, contact Katie.Choudhry@coventry.ac.uk for administrative questions.
Visit the frequently asked questions page.
Funding Notes
Tuition fees and stipend