Postgraduate Prospectus

This Laboratory employs advanced biophysical and surface analytical tools to study biomolecules that are important in disease. We also use these cutting-edge techniques to develop and characterise new advanced materials used in drug delivery and biomaterials research. Every year the Laboratory recruits seven to nine postgraduates drawn from all the sciences with funding from research councils, charities and industry. Details of current projects and the range of facilities available within our laboratory are shown on the School’s website.

This Division has a wide range of interests in cutting-edge drug and gene delivery topics and is actively researching new methods of growing functional tissues in the laboratory. Our work is focused on these areas in particular: colloidal and targeted systems via parenteral and pulmonary routes; formulation insight and controlled release mechanisms inside pharmaceutical dosage forms; colloid engineering for drug delivery; synthesis of novel polymers and tissue engineering. Within tissue engineering we are actively researching new methods of growing functional tissues in the laboratory. Current research is focused on the growth or repair of spinal cord nerves; peripheral nerves; muscle and neuromuscular junctions; liver and cartilage and bone.

The discovery and development of new drugs has been revolutionised over the last two decades by advances in synthetic chemistry coupled with the development of molecular and structural biology. The Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology division in the School of Pharmacy provides a unique multidisciplinary environment for PhD study, giving graduates from a wide variety of backgrounds in the physical and life sciences the opportunity to contribute to the development of new treatments for many different diseases. Working in this group allows students to work with those with a proven track record in taking new molecules from discovery to clinical trials, and on to the market.
Ongoing research themes within the group include: combinatorial chemistry; cancer chemotherapy; computational chemistry; novel biomolecules from microbial sources; x-ray crystallography; protein structure elucidation and the generation of new compounds targeted towards specific molecular entities or cells. The division is well equipped to undertake cutting-edge medicinal chemistry and structural biology research and houses state-of-the-art equipment within the purpose built Centre for Biomolecular Sciences.

The Division of Social Research in Medicines and Health is an expanding, multi-disciplinary research and teaching group, committed to producing high quality health service-related research and teaching that places pharmaceutical services and medicines usage in the broader context of health and social care.

Current themes include aspects of public health, such as non medical prescribing, the pharmacist’s role in public health, sexual health, health inequalities, adolescent health literacy and issues associates with social capital such as access to pharmacy services. With the appointment of a new chair to the division, health economics and health technology assessment is a new expertise that will undergo significant development in the medium term.

The division has an established and expanding expertise in research in to medicines taking behaviour. Law and ethics research, including a HEFCE funded study designed to enhance law and ethics teaching in schools of pharmacy is also carried out at the Centre.

The Division of Social Research in Medicines and Health is accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for their postgraduate research training programme, a 4-year programme which includes an MA in research methods (health studies) followed by a 3-year PhD and for 3 year PhDs for candidates with a suitable MA.

We are key members of the multidisciplinary Centre for Social research in Heath and Health care. This university funded centre provides an institutional base for the inter-disciplinary investigation of the delivery and experience of health and health care and brings together a wealth of experience in multidisciplinary research and post-graduate supervision from a number of partner schools (Sociology and Social Policy, Nursing, Community Health Sciences and Education).

Research in this division is directed towards understanding the molecular basis of disease including allergy, auto-immunity and cancer. In particular research is being carried out into immunological diseases such as asthma, psoriasis, and type 1 diabetes and leukaemias including acute myeloid leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In the long term this research is aimed at identifying new targets for these diseases. The approaches used to reach these goals include metabolomic studies at both a cellular and whole body level and the use of post genomic technologies (including cDNA microarray) and systems biology applications to investigate the control of gene expression.

In 2006, the School of Pharmacy, in partnership with EPSRC and AstraZeneca, established a new centre of excellence in Targeted Therapeutics - the science of delivering drugs to where they are most needed in the body.

This is the first EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training to be established in direct collaboration with an industry partner, and combines fundamental, multidisciplinary and pharmaceutically-focused research using the most modern instrumentation and facilities. The Centre trains five students a year. PhD programmes are of four years` duration, with the equivalent of one year Masters level training and three years` doctoral level research. Expert training is provided across the key areas of pharmaceutical science, beginning with an introductory module in Targeted Therapeutics, followed by a series of short projects, two within the School of Pharmacy and one at AstraZeneca. On completion of this initial training, specific PhD projects are undertaken. These are highly multidisciplinary, drawing on aspects of pharmaceutical nanotechnology, biopharmaceuticals and advanced physical, mathematical and life sciences.

Studentships are available to Home and EU students.

The School is seeking applications from students interested in undertaking a split-site PhD programme. Two years of the course will be spent at the University's campus in Malaysia, with the third year spent in Nottingham. Supervision will be shared between Nottingham and Malaysia and fees will be based on the average of two years at the Malaysia campus and one year in Nottingham.