Fully-funded PhD Studentship 2026-2027 – Using artificial intelligence and eye images to improve health in people living with diabetes

About the Project

The Northern Ophthalmic Research and Innovation (NORI) Institute is a flagship interdisciplinary partnership between the Universities of Sunderland, Durham, and Newcastle, the NHS, and regional and national civic and industry partners. NORI is focused on transforming eye and systemic disease detection through advanced imaging, data science and artificial intelligence, and health and clinical sciences. We bring together world-class expertise, clinical datasets, cutting-edge analytics, and community-based innovation to deliver earlier diagnosis, smarter care, and place-based health impact.

This PhD opportunity is a designated Quinlan Studentship, established in recognition of Emeritus Professor Roy Quinlan’s foundational contribution to the vision and establishment of NORI. PhD students in NORI will work in a highly collaborative interdisciplinary environment, embedded across academia, healthcare, and industry with the opportunity to undertake world-leading doctoral research and join a cohort of future leaders in health data sciences.

During the 3-year PhD, students will take part in a bespoke training programme, supported with networking events and tailored coaching, and take advantage of the research and placement opportunities provided by our range of external partners.

Project Overview

Nearly 6 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, and prevalence is rising rapidly. The biggest cause of death and illness in diabetes comes from progressive damage to blood vessels, which drives preventable blindness, kidney failure, stroke, and heart disease often years before symptoms appear. Critically, risk is not uniform: some people develop severe complications, whilst others don’t, and these outcomes are amplified by deprivation. In the North East of England, this challenge is especially urgent, where levels of ill health and deprivation are high. Many diabetes complications could be prevented with earlier detection and better prediction of who is at risk and who responds to treatments better than others.

This PhD will harness a uniquely powerful, underused resource: retinal imaging. Looking at the microvasculature at the back of the eye is a powerful, non-invasive, and direct way to observe vascular health in vivo, offering an early window into both ocular and systemic disease. The NHS already captures millions of retinal scans each year through diabetic eye screening, but these images are largely used for a single purpose – detecting diabetic retinopathy – leaving substantial predictive value untapped.

Working with large-scale retinal imaging and linked health date from regional and/or national biobanks and clinical databases, you will develop novel, clinically deployable artificial intelligence-based diabetes risk scoring tools. The goal is personalised trustworthy prediction to better identify who is likely to develop serious complications, when risk is accelerating, and who may benefit most from targeted prevention and earlier intervention.

This project has the potential to convert routine eye scans into a scalable ‘early warning system’ for diabetes complications that could help shift care from late-stage treatment to proactive prevention, improving outcomes, and reducing health inequalities.

Eligibility and Requirements

All applicants must have or expect to obtain a first-class or higher second-class honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant STEM subject involving some work with health data analytics.

Applicants with higher second-class honours degree or equivalent, must meet one of the following criteria at the time of application:

• Have or expect to obtain a Master’s degree and have submitted two professional or academic references at the time of application, which should cover your role on a research project.
• Have a minimum of 2 to 5-years full-time, or equivalent, relevant professional work experience and have submitted two professional or academic reference at the time of application, which should cover your role on a research project.

If English is not your first language, you will need a British Council International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5, with at least 6.0 in each component.

Institutions

This innovative, interdisciplinary PhD programme is a collaboration between academics from across the University of Sunderland, Durham University, and Newcastle University. Students will be based at the University of Sunderland, the host organisation of NORI, but working in close partnership and collaboration with Durham and Newcastle universities.

With an emphasis on research at the forefront of practice, NORI brings diverse specialists with a breadth of expertise that will enable you to develop a thematic lens to health data sciences that is aligned to your unique interests.

How to Apply

To apply for this PhD programme we require the following:

• A full academic CV
• Two academic or professional references
• Degree certificate(s) and transcript of marks
• A supporting statement

The supporting statement is your opportunity to tell us what you would have to offer as a postgraduate researcher at NORI. Your statement should be no longer than two pages and include:

• Your motivations to pursue this programme of postgraduate research at NORI
• How the key findings of your previous research experience, and the techniques and skills you’ve developed make you a strong candidate for this opportunity.

Email application to Professor Matthew Campbell, NORI at NORI@sunderland.ac.uk by the closing date of Sunday 22nd June 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Any applications received after this time or without all requested documentation will not be considered.

Please give the full project title listed in this advert in your email subject heading.

Applications will be reviewed by the academic panel and shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview. If you are shortlisted for interview, you be notified of an interview date in July.

Key Dates

• Deadline to apply: 22nd June 2026
• Interviews and outcome: July 2026
• Start: October 2026

Get in Touch

Informal enquiries about the research or NORI prior to application are encouraged and can be directed to NORI Co-Directors: Professor Matthew Campbell and Professor David Steel at NORI@sunderland.ac.uk

Funding Notes

The funding provided for this fully funded PhD will include three years of both UK home-rate tuition fees and monthly stipend payments at the recommended UKRI rate (expected to be confirmed at £21,383 per annum for session 2026/27), extensive support for research training, a top specification laptop for the duration of your studies, up to £3,000 research activity allowance, and internships with academic and/or industrial partners. Studentships are available to home and EU students of settled or pre-settled status; overseas students are eligible for this studentship but would need to self-fund the different in home and overseas fees.