PhD projects by supervisor

There is a variety of research activity taking place at the Institute. Below is a list of research supervisors and their current project titles - suitable for study at MPhil/PhD level.

To discuss any potential MPhil/PhD further, please do not contact potential supervisors directly.  All enquiries should be directed to the Research Student Administrator

You can also browse PhD projects by topic.

Dr Elaine Allan

• Understanding biofilm regulation in Campylobacter jejuni biofilms, signalling, virulence
• Signal transduction in bacterial virulence
• Novel signal transduction mechanisms in Streptococcus mutans
• Metagenomics for natural product discovery
• Finding new antibiotics: mining natural environments for biofilm disrupting activity

Find out more about Dr Allan

Dr Jacopo Buti

• Periodontitis and inflammatory bowel diseases: Exploring the nature of the association.

Find out more about Dr Buti

Dr David Chau

• Modification of biomolecules for the development of new/novel biomaterials
• Development of advanced, in-vivo-in-vitro-like, tissue engineered models and constructs
• Advanced drug delivery systems, (bio)pharmaceutics and dosage design forms
• Smart, cell-/drug-incorporated, wound dressings and therapeutic bandages
• Development of desiccation-tolerant human (stem) cells for long-term storage 
• Translational “green” and “white” biotechnology for regenerative medicine and bioprocessing applications

Find out more about Dr Chau

Dr Susan Cunningham

• To develop a patient information programme for pre-surgical orthognathic patients and to determine the efficacy of this programme on the reduction in anxiety and enhancement of satisfaction over the peri-operative period.
• Orthodontic treatment information provision in the digital age.
• A randomised controlled clinical trial to compare two techniques for the management of class II malocclusion.

Find out more about Professor Cunningham

Dr Francesco D'Aiuto

• Treatment of Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Diabetes
• Evaluation of Optical Coherence Tomography as a diagnostics tool for dentistry and its applications to enamel and soft tissues defects or loss

Find out more about Professor D'Aiuto

Dr Dimitrios Evangelopoulos

• New therapeutics for tuberculosis: identification and characterisation of cofactor biosynthesis pathways and their role during infection
• Rational design of future drug combinations as a strategy to combat antibiotic resistance and superbugs
• Bacterial vitamin biosynthesis pathways and their role in the homeostasis of the oral microbiome

Professor Stefano Fedele

• Development of patient-related outcomes (PRO) measures in oral mucosal diseases
• Innate Immunity defects in oral mucosal disease
• Efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing the risk of jaw osteonecrosis in individuals exposed to bisphosphonates who undergo dental extractions

Find out more about Professor Fedele

Professor Jonathan Knowles

• 3D Bioprinting for custom fit maxillofacial implants using new degradable polymers
• Bioprinting of functional tissue constructs in 3D: Use of hydrogels for assembly of complex tissues
• Degradable microcarriers for stem cell expansion and formation of new hard tissue organoids
• Degradable glass fibres for the regeneration of muscle and ligament
• Repair of nerve tissue injuries using degradable glass fibres as guidance cues.

Find out more about Professor Knowles

Dr Rachel Leeson

• Oral Cancer Prevention, Control and Strategies in Ecuador. Implementation of the first National Guidelines and prevention plans.

Find out more about Dr Leeson

Dr Yago Leira

• Migraine and oral health: are the two diseases linked?

Find out more about Dr Leira

Dr Federico Moreno Sancho

• Clinical effectiveness of vertical ridge augmentation modalities.

Find out more about Dr Moreno Sancho

Professor Peter Mullany

• Exploring gene transfer in the whole oral microbiota 
• metagenomics, oral microbiota, mobile genetic elements
• Novel approaches to understanding how the important nosocomial pathogen Clostridium difficile causes disease

Find out more about Professor Mullany

Dr Sean Nair

• Identification of novel therapeutic targets in bacteria associated with healthcare infections such as staphylococcus aureus and 'superbugs' such as VRE and MRSA 
  Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, enterococci, VRE, virulence
• Development of new strategies for treating implant infections 
  biofilms, enterococci, periodontal pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis
• Synthetic biology to develop agents for disrupting medically important biofilms 
  molecular breeding, domain shuffling, enzymes
• Development of nove l antimicrobial agents and identification of antimicrobial agents produced by microorganisms novel antimicrobials, metagenomics, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriocins
• Targeted photodynamic therapy for bacterial infections 
  photosensitizers, singlet oxygen, targeting molecules, MRSA, staphylococcus
• Molecular mechanisms of enterococcal resistance to root canal treatments and host defences
• Identification of natural antimicrobial agents for the treatment of periodontal disease 
  periodontal pathogens, natural antimicrobials
• The role of biofilms in infections of titanium surfaces
  periodontal pathogens, implants, titanium

Find out more about Dr Nair

Professor Ian Needleman

• The natural history of the dental pellicle and its relationship to dental erosion in elite sport
• Oral health and performance  in elite sport 
• Comparison of different modalities of periodontal therapy 

Find out more about Professor Needleman

Dr Linh Nguyen

• Biomaterials systems for enhancing bone regeneration and anti-inflammatory activities.
• The combination of electrospun membranes and porous hydrogel as new tool for guiding tissue regeneration of oral mucosa.
• Injectable hydrogel for enhancing the delivery and targeting of drug/biological agents.
• Development of enzymatic in situ formed hydrogel as bioink.
• Thermo-responsive carriers for cell expansion and harvesting.
• Cell expansion and harvesting on new micro-/macro-carriers.

Find out more about Dr Nguyen

Dr Marco Orlandi

• Mechanisms of endothelial inflammation/damage in periodontitis

Find out more about Dr Orlandi

Dr Susan Parekh

• Assessment of Acceptability of Wand for paediatric dental patients

Find out more about Dr Parekh

Dr Lambis Petridis

• Replacement of PMMA bone cement with a modified dental composite polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA),
  bone cement, dental composite, strength, antibacterial
• The influence of implant-abutment corrosion products on cell metabolic pathways implant abutment,
  dental implants, corrosion, peri-implantitis, bone loss

Find out more about Dr Petridis

Dr Alessandro Poma

tbc

Professor Stephen Porter

• Development of patient-related outcomes (PRO) measures in oral mucosal diseases
• Innate Immunity defects in oral mucosal disease
• Efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing the risk of jaw osteonecrosis in individuals exposed to bisphosphonates who undergo dental extractions

Find out more about Professor Porter

Dr Maja Sabalic

• Characterisation of periosteum-derived grafts for periodontal repair/regeneration
• Regulation of cementum development and repair
• Development of a smart investigational product dispenser for clinical trials

Find out more about Dr Sabalic

Professor Andrew Smith

• Mucosal immune response in health and disease
• Innate, adaptive, immunity, inflammation, macrophage, Toll-like receptors
• Transcriptomic analysis of oral inflammatory disease
• Transcriptomics, inflammation, human disease, next generation sequencing, bioinformatics
• Understanding epithelial immunity to bacterial and viral infection
• Inflammation, toll-like receptors, inflammasome, autophagy, next generation sequencing
• Understanding the mechanisms driving oral inflammation
• Innate immunity, inflammation, toll-like receptors, human disease, probiotics, dysbiosis
• Studying the role of probiotics in the regulation of mucosal inflammation and immunity
• Investigating how autophagy influences mucosal immune responses
• Innate immunity, toll-like receptors, Nod-like receptors, epithelial cells, macrophages
• Mucosal immune response in health and disease
• Innate and adaptive immunity, inflammation, macrophage, Toll-like receptors
• Transcriptomic analysis of oral inflammatory disease
• Transcriptomics, inflammation, human disease, next generation sequencing, bioinformatics
• Understanding the mechanisms driving oral inflammation
• Innate immunity, inflammation, toll-like receptors, human disease, probiotics, dysbiosis
• Studying the role of probiotics in the regulation of mucosal inflammation and immunity

Find out more about Professor Smith

Dr Jeanie Suvan

• Mastication and periodontitis
• Weight loss and periodontitis
• Refined carbohydrate consumption and periodontal inflammation

Find out more about Dr Suvan 

Professor Anne Young

• Investigations of the effectiveness of remineralising composites as a restorative material in children 
  pain management, paediatric dentistry, sedation, anxiety management
• Self adhesive, re-mineralising, antibacterial dental restorative materials
  dental restoration, methacrylate, calcium phosphate, antibacterial release / action
• Replacement of PMMA bone cement with a modified dental composite
  polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), bone cement, dental composite, strength, antibacterial
• Degradable composite bone cement development
  calcium phosphate, degradable polymers, bone cement, drug release

Find out more about Professor Young