The NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Radiation Threats and Hazards (HPRU-RTH) invites applications for a 3.5-year PhD studentship funded by the Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Program (MRC DTP) and the School of Public Health. This is a unique opportunity to join a world-leading collaboration between Imperial College London, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), King’s College London, Institute of Cancer Research and MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge, tackling some of the most urgent scientific and public health questions around radiation and health.
The successful student will have the opportunity to pursue research across one of our four core themes:
Investigating cancer, cardiovascular disease and other health impacts from occupational and medical radiation exposures, including in healthcare workers and childhood cancer survivors.
Theme II – Mechanisms and biomarkers linking ionizing radiation to health effects
Exploring how radiation affects cells and tissues including DNA damage brain function cardiovascular pathways and genetic predispositions with the aim of identifying biomarkers to predict health risks.
Theme III – Radiation Releases: accidents and incidents
Developing cutting-edge tools for rapid biodosimetry integrating AI, population monitoring in post-radiation incident communication in the event of nuclear accidents or incidents with applications of AI and advanced sequencing technologies.
Theme IV –Effects of electromagnetic fields including light exposure and health
Assessing potential long-term health effects of mobile phone use, other sources of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and light exposure on some of the world’s largest cohort studies.
This studentship offers the chance to work within a highly multidisciplinary environment, with our key focus to train and develop the next generation of research leaders in radiation and environmental hazards. As part of our commitment to fostering transdisciplinary research and mixed methods approaches, we welcome applicants from diverse academic backgrounds.
The successful candidate will be based with the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics under the supervision of one of our Theme Leads or Project Leads depending on the PhD subject.
Essential:
Desirable:
To apply, please submit the following documents by email to hpru-rth@imperal.ac.uk, quoting ‘HPRU RTH PhD Studentship Application’ in the subject line:
The closing date for applications is 24 September 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the opportunity may close early if a suitable candidate is identified.
If you have any queries about the opportunity, please email hpru-rth@imperial.ac.uk