EPSRC and BBSRC CDT in Engineering Biology (EngBio CDT)

The first year is split into three segments. It opens with induction weeks in Bristol and Oxford and about four weeks of foundation training in Oxford, where students with a life sciences background learn engineering and those from engineering or the physical sciences learn biology. About six weeks of specialised training in Bristol follow before Christmas, covering design across scales from biomolecules to cells and advanced topics such as modelling and control theory, AI and machine learning, gene circuit design, protein design and engineering, and tissue engineering.

After the new year students return to their home institution. A four-week group innovation project runs from mid-January to mid-February, and teams write it up as a scientific paper, sharing data and code for later cohorts. Then come two individual research projects of 11 weeks each, and a summer school in June or July with talks from leaders in the field, student pitches and outreach. One of the two projects usually grows into the PhD at Bristol or DPhil at Oxford that fills years two to four.

Projects align with four areas. Robust methods for bioengineering bring control engineering to biology so that engineered systems keep working in changing real-world conditions, with examples from robotic platforms for biodesign to feedback control of cancer drug regimens. Rational biomolecular and biosystems design uses computational design, structural modelling and molecular dynamics for applications such as nanoparticle vaccines and synthetic protocells.

Evolution-guided biodesign treats evolution, often overlooked in engineering biology, as something to design for or to harness, as in directed evolution of bacteriophage against antimicrobial resistance. Digital cells and AI builds on whole-cell models and machine learning for biological design, such as generative AI for new peptides and proteins, or microbial communities that recover energy from waste water. Throughout, students also train in innovation and commercialisation, responsible innovation, equality and bioethics, and careers, with industrial placements and mentoring from partners.

The centre offers studentships funded by UKRI, the universities and industry, for home and international students. Successful home students receive fully funded studentships, and up to 30 percent of UKRI fully funded studentships are open to international applicants; these do not cover visa, health surcharge or relocation costs. Self-funded and sponsored students are also welcome. The EngBio CDT is on the government's TechFirst list of centres whose eligible home students can receive a stipend top-up of up to 10,000 pounds a year.

Applicants should hold, or expect, a first or strong upper second-class honours degree, or the international equivalent, in engineering, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, medicine or a related subject. The centre welcomes people who want to work across disciplines, and no research project is needed in advance. This kind of training suits applicants who have not yet chosen a research focus, since the first year is built for exploring.