PhD Studentship: Protecting UK Borders Against Pandemic Gastrointestinal Infections

Primary supervisor - Professor Paul Hunter

The successful student will work with Professor Paul Hunter and Dr Julii Brainard within the newly created National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) for Gastrointestinal Infections at The Norwich Medical School within the University of East Anglia (UEA), in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Quadram Institute and Newcastle University. 

The unit undertakes research aimed at protecting the health of the UK population from gastrointestinal infections common in the UK such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium and Norovirus. The unit will also work on infections that are currently uncommon in the UK but could pose a substantial threat in the future such as cholera and typhoid and any “pathogen X” that may emerge in future. 

Protecting the UK population from imported gastrointestinal infections poses significant challenges as these infections can enter the country on infected people, infected domestic or livestock animals, and on contaminated food stuffs. There is also the potential for deliberate contamination of food stuffs by hostile actors.

This successful candidate could come from any of a range of disciplines including biomedical sciences, social sciences, and public health. The successful applicant will be someone who has ambition and enthusiasm with a clear idea of what methods and approaches he/she may develop to produce research that will support UKHSA’s remit to protect the health of the UK population. 

The exact nature of the research will depend on the skills and interests of the successful applicant. Potential research activities could include quantitative or qualitative research. Possible approaches could include risk assessment, behavioural change, economic analyses, mathematical modelling, or data analysis. But whatever the research approach, the goal would be to influence UK policy that increases protection of the UK population from current or future emerging gastrointestinal threats.

The student will work with colleagues in the UKHSA and could be seconded to the organisation for part of their time. 

The student will be a member of the HPRU and the NIHR academy and able to benefit from training and development opportunities associated with these bodies.  

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Biology, Food Sciences, Sociology, Mathematics, Statistics, Public Health, Medicine.

Start Date: 1 October 2025 

Additional Funding Information 

This is a fully funded studentship for 3 years. Funding includes tuition fees at Home-fee rate, an annual stipend for maintenance starting at £20,780 in the first year, and £1,000 per annum to support research training.

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