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Bioanalysis Pharmaceuticals and Health Doctoral Training Programme

This Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) links together essential research elements of staff of the Leicester School of Pharmacy (LSP) with those of the School of Allied Health Sciences. In view of its focus on ‘state-of-the-art’ modern research culture, this DTP provides a scope of training programmes which are selectively tailored for the differing requirements of postgraduate (PG) research students, together with opportunities for them to participate in broader interdisciplinary projects targeted at meeting major research challenges presented by the public services and industry, particularly those based in the Advanced Bioanalytical Science/Chemistry for Health, Pharmacology (including Cell Biology/Genomics), Biomedical and Environmental Science, and Pharmaceutical Technologies areas, which represent four highly collaborative streams of this DTP.

This DTP offers training courses on research-focused analytical laboratory facilities, together with those involving non-laboratory-based techniques. These involve an exemplary series of customised   guidance programmes regarding the management, operation and applications of specialist instrumental laboratory facilities (particularly analytical and/or bioanalytical equipment), and   workshops focused on experimental design, chemometrics, metabolomics, clinical trials and research ethics (in addition to essential software support training). Further workshops include a generalised support group for these researchers (providing valuable advice on time-management, prioritisation of work-tasks, self-motivational skills, assertiveness, etc.) and  the transferable development of scientific writing skills (structured in terms of the future publication of DTP student’s research studies in reputable scientific journals).

Uniquely, students are offered the opportunity to complete a short (6-12 week) rotation research project, the objective of which is to provide them with a ‘breadth-rather-than-depth’ approach to the solution of research problems. This project will be supervised by another member of academic staff (perhaps a collaborating one), who may be based at another School, Faculty, Academic Institution, Research Centre or Health Service Provider. 

Furthermore, where appropriate, students may also be offered the opportunity to participate in a 12-week full-time professional internship (or part-time equivalent) in a non-research environment at a collaborating institution, health service provider or an industrial/commercial site.

Key Features:

  • Free access to appropriate taught PG modules
  • Opportunities for the selection of cross-faculty and, where appropriate, inter-institutional PhD programmes
  • Personalised professional development programmes (PDPs)
  • Access to travel to collaborating laboratories and relevant scientific conferences (both at national and international levels)
  • Focus on translational research with other faculties, collaborating universities, industry, and clinical researchers.
  • Provision of a high level of supervisory support for the publication of DTP student’s research  in reputable scientific and clinical journals
  • Opportunities to gain teaching experience
  • Combinations of two or more research themes: Exposure to ‘real-life’ research problems

The major objectives of supervisory staff involved in this DTP are the design, development and applications of novel therapies, technologies, and bioanalytical diagnostics for application to a wide variety of clinical, clinically-related and pharmaceutical/pharmacological research problems at regional, national and international levels.