We train the next generation of Nottingham bioscientists from the city’s two universities and have secured £14 million funding from UK Research and Innovation. (UKRI- BBSRC)
The Nottingham Doctoral Training Partnership has been running since 2012 and has trained over 650 PhD students who have gone on to leading roles in academia, industry, science communication and policy in the UK and internationally. Our programme supports innovative PhD training in biological sciences.
The Nottingham DLA Partnership provides cohort-based training in frontier science across priority areas focussed upon three overarching themes: Sustainable Agriculture and Food (SAF), Bioscience for Human Health (BHH) and Biotechnology for Sustainable Growth (BSG).
THEME: Sustainable Agriculture and Food
Alternative and Emerging Protein Sources for Sustainable Food and Feed Cluster
There is an urgent need to identify alternatives to animal-derived proteins for humans, to reduce meat consumption and drive positive health and environmental impacts. Alongside this, more sustainable alternatives to soya for feeding animals (livestock, pets and aquaculture) is required. Taking a whole food-systems approach, this cluster will develop multi-disciplinary projects spanning alternative crops and plant protein sources, insects, cultured meat, single-cell proteins, precision fermentation using bacteria and fungi. These biological innovations will be closely linked to sustainable food manufacturing, integrated with nutrition, flavour and consumer science, ensuring that resulting products are not only nutritious and environmentally responsible, but also appealing and acceptable to consumers. Our strong partnerships with industry, the Centre for Process Innovation, and global collaborators, will ensure that the research leads to real-world impact - whether commercial innovations, policy development, or large-scale changes in food systems.
THEME: Bioscience for Human Health
RIC@N-DLA: Multiscale RNA Science from Mechanisms to Application Cluster
Advances in RNA biology are revolutionising our understanding of life and unlocking powerful new tools, from mRNA vaccines to RNA therapeutics. This programme offers interdisciplinary training in RNA biology, spanning molecular mechanisms, systems-level regulation, and real-world application. Based within the RNA Interdisciplinary Cluster at Nottingham (RIC@N), an established centre of excellence in RNA research, it places students within a vibrant community bridging life sciences, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and engineering biology. Students will benefit from interdisciplinary supervision and partnerships spanning academia and industry. Projects will connect molecular mechanisms, RNA structure, epigenetics, tissue engineering, bioinformatics, and systems-level regulation to advance both fundamental understanding and applications in health and biotechnology.
THEME:Biotechnology for Sustainable Growth
Future Genomes Across Life, Engineering Biology for Sustainability and Innovation Cluster
This cluster is focussed on engineering the genomes and enzymes of microbes and higher eukaryotes, with a goal of improved sustainability and innovation, and reflects the Engineering Biology discovery pipeline and our extensive industry links, providing opportunities for co-design and placements. It will include Exploiting Genomes – using bioinformatics and DNA/RNA sequencing technologies to interrogate the wealth of genomic dark matter from the three domains of life, archaea, eukaryotes and bacteria – to inform on sustainability and innovation. Discovery Biology – using genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, and cell imaging to leverage genomic dark matter, to uncover novel enzymes and biological processes; and Engineering Biology – using synthetic biology and combinatorial biodesign to develop novel enzymes and processes for sustainability and innovation.
More information on all our clusters is available here.
Alongside scientific PhD training and research, the programme provides a breadth of professional development training opportunities to enhance the capabilities of doctoral candidates and develop a world-class, highly skilled workforce the UK needs for its future. During the training each student undertakes a three-month Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) placement to develop their skills and to explore possible future career directions.
The Nottingham BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership is led by the University of Nottingham in partnership with Nottingham Trent University and the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC), and offers fully funded, four-year PhD studentships that are aligned to strategic priorities supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
About the programme
