PhD Studentship: Harnessing antiviral responses to block herpes simplex virus infection of human skin

PhD Studentship: Harnessing antiviral responses to block herpes simplex virus infection of human skin

Around four billion of the global population are infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV1 and HSV2), a highly contagious virus that infects humans through the skin or mucosa. Following primary infection, HSV establishes latent infection in sensory neurons from where it can reactivate to cause frequent debilitating episodes of facial cold sores or genital herpes. HSV can also cause keratitis that can lead to blindness, and life-threatening eczema herpeticum or encephalitis. No HSV vaccine is available, and resistance to established antivirals is a growing problem.

The severity of HSV symptoms is a consequence of the battle between antiviral responses in the infected cell, and the ability of HSV to counteract these. In this British Skin Foundation funded studentship you will begin to address how this innate immunity battle plays out in human skin by studying infection of keratinocytes, the physiologically relevant cell type that can be differentiated in culture to form a stratified 3D-skin model. You will become skilled in a range of techniques including quantitative real-time PCR, siRNA depletion, and advanced bioimaging (confocal, high throughput and live-cell), which you will use to investigate how keratinocytes sense HSV infection to initiate an antiviral response, and how antiviral proteins produced in response to HSV limit infection in the 3D differentiated skin model. This work will delineate the host response pathways involved in controlling HSV infection in the human skin and determine if these pathways can be harnessed for future treatment development.

The successful applicant will join a friendly, research-active group which is part of the wider Section of Virology at the University of Surrey. Whilst some experience in virology will be an advantage for the applicant, any highly motivated individual with a keen interest in developing as a virology researcher is encouraged to apply.

Supervisors: Professor Gill Elliott and Dr Lindsay Broadbent

Entry requirements

Open to candidates who pay UK/home rate fees. See UKCISA for further information. Starting in October 2026. Later start dates may be possible, please contact Professor Gill Elliott once the deadline passes.

You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our PhD programme.

Applicants will have or expect to have an MSc, and/or first or upper second honours degree in a relevant subject.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted via the Biosciences and Medicine PhD programme page.

In pace of a research proposal, you should upload a document stating the title of the project that you wish to apply for and the name of the relevant supervisor.

Funding

Fully and directly funded for this project only. This studentship comes with UKRI stipend (currently £20,780 pa), UK fees and research costs for 3 years. Funded by British Skin Foundation.

Application deadline

28 February 2026

Enquiries

Contact Professor Gill Elliott

Ref

PGR-2526-017

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