Regenerative Medicine PhD

Training within the Centre is provided through a structured series of seminars and literature reviews, in addition to the laboratory and scientific research skills training provided to you by your supervisors.

Many of our PhD students are involved in collaborative projects that provide cross-disciplinary experience and/or promote translation into the biotechnology or clinical fields.

How will I learn?

Our programme includes short courses taught by basic and clinical stem cell scientists, providing a state-of-the-art theoretical background in a variety of areas relating to regenerative medicine including:

• developmental biology
• pluripotent and tissue stem cell biology
• degeneration and regeneration of adult tissues
• genetic engineering
• bioinformatics

We provide specialist lectures and short practical modules covering key technologies, including:

• DNA analysis and genetic engineering
• imaging
• bioinformatics
• statistics
• flow cytometry

In Year 1, you will participate in a weekly Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) Postgraduate Discussion Group led by CRM group leaders. These discussion groups aim to widen your knowledge of stem cell and regenerative medicine research and to enhance your ability to critically review the literature in this field.

In addition to the taught components and research project, you will participate in a number of activities, including:

• regular lab meetings of your research group
• an internal seminar series
• seminars by visiting national and international speakers
• Journal Club
• PhD Day
• poster presentations
• Three Minute Thesis presentation session.

Generic and transferable skills training is provided through the University's Institute for Academic Development (IAD).

• Institute of Academic Development

Since 2011, the Centre has been housed in a new, specially designed building that provides high quality research facilities, including:

• state of the art centralised cell culture facility for isolation and culture of primary and established cell lines including embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells
• clinical-grade GMP cell culture facility
• specific pathogen free animal facility
• transgenic service covering derivation and provision of mouse embryonic stem cells, blastocyst injection, morula aggregation and production of defined genetic alterations
• ultrasound micro-injection equipment
• flow cytometry service consisting of a suite of cell sorters and analysers operated by facility staff that can be operated by users following comprehensive training
• a recently established single cell genomic analysis service using a 10x Genomics Chromium Controller
• histology
• quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction equipment
• Fluidigm Biomark and CellPrep for single cell transcriptomics

Imaging facilities

We also have imaging facilities, including:

• standard compound microscopy
• widefield, confocal, and lightsheet microscopes
• high-content and timelapse imaging

The facility has dedicated imaging managers and offers two high-end workstations for bio-image processing and analysis.

Take a virtual tour of our facilities at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine:

• Virtual tour

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Additional programme costs

Most laboratories require a bench fee of up to £5,000 per year. This cost can be covered in Research Council studentships.

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money

  • taking out a loan

  • family support

• personal savings

• income from work

• employer sponsorship

• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

• College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine funding opportunities

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on your programme, the duration of your studies, and your residency status.

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding