PhD/MPhil Genomics

Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health postgraduate research events page to find out about upcoming open days and events.

• Browse our project listings and funded programmes to discover a project you’re passionate about and check you meet eligibility criteria.
• Understand how your project is funded and, if it’s listed as self-funded, consider our funding opportunities for self-funded projects or other funding opportunities .
• Speak to the listed supervisor about your suitability for their project or programme before you apply.
• Visit our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more and ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission.

Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health postgraduate research page to find out more.

Before you start your application, you should:

• Discover more about the research area you’re interested in.
• Identify the programme or find th e specific research project you'd like to apply for.
• Contact the listed project supervisor and speak to them about your suitability for the project.
• Understand how your project is funded and, if you are applying for a self-funded project, consider how you plan on funding your project and discuss this with the listed supervisor.

If you already have your own funding:

• Find a specific self-funded project and contact the project supervisor to talk to them about your suitability for the project; OR
• Determine your own research project and title, find a potential supervisor in this research area and contact them to discuss potentially supervising your research.

Supporting documents

You'll also need to make sure you have the following documents before you start your application:

• Personal statement
• Certificates and transcripts
• CV
• Confirmation of funding (if you are self-funded)
• English language ability
• Names and details of two referees to support your application

Visit our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more about the information required for each of these supporting documents.

Any missing information may delay the processing of your application.

Application deadlines

The deadline for applying for postgraduate research in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health depends on when you intend to start your research and how your project is funded.

If you are applying for one of our funded programmes, please refer to the deadlines detailed on the relevant page .

If you’re applying for a project that isn’t part of one of these programmes, our final application deadlines are:

• January 2026 entry: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
• April 2026 entry: Thursday, 15 January 2026
• September 2026 entry: Tuesday, 15 June 2026

Genomics is the study of genomes, the complete complement of genetic material in each cell of an organism, and it lies at the heart of many of our research programmes in biology, medicine and health. Our research covers genomic structure, function and evolution, employing on-going developments in high-throughput experimental techniques such as next-generation sequencing.

Our PhD/MPhil Genomics programme enables you to undertake a research project in an aspect of genomics that will advance the field. We have many international experts in genomics at Manchester and cutting edge facilities to enable your research.

Our facilities enable genome sequencing for individual or population studies, genome engineering, single cell analyses, as well as high-throughput functional assays such as RNA-Seq that can characterise and quantify the RNA products found in cells or tissues, and epigenomic assays to identify chromatin modifications. Data from these applications provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand how the genome encodes the function of cells, tissues and organisms. Our genomics PhD students are using these genomic technologies and data to tackle major problems in biology, medicine and health research. 

In the field of Genomic Medicine, Manchester has one of the UK's leading centres for genomic medicine as part of the internationally pioneering 100,000 Genomes Project. Our researchers such as Professors Bill Newman  and Graeme Black have identified numerous genes associated with a variety of genetic diseases and have been at the forefront of developing next generation sequencing technologies for molecular diagnosis throughout the NHS.

Manchester also has considerable expertise in computational and molecular bioscience where our experts undertake big data analysis and develop software, algorithms and pipelines for application in biology and biomedicine, as well integrating advanced techniques for studying relevant molecules. This includes world leaders in non-coding RNA biology ( Professor Sam Griffiths-Jones ), evolutionary genomics ( Professor Daniela Delneri ) and proteomics ( Professor Simon Hubbard ), as well structure prediction and modelling of the effects of genetic variations of protein structure and function ( Professor Simon Lovell ).

Our ' Evolution, systems and genomics' domain has 130 research groups associated with it, with almost 700 researcher members and approximately £50 million in live grant funding at any one time. With such a diversity of expertise you are guaranteed to find an expert subject supervisor for your research, as well as being immersed in a vibrant, diverse and supportive environment.

Training and development

All of our postgraduate researchers attend the Doctoral Academy Training Programme delivered by the Researcher Development team . The programme provides key transferable skills and equips our postgraduate researchers with the tools to progress beyond their research degree into influential positions within academia, industry and consultancy. The emphasis is on enhancing skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals, whether they relate to effective communication, disseminating research findings and project management skills.

Visit our PhD life page to discover life as a postgraduate researcher at Manchester or read our postgraduate research student blog .

Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate. Find out more on the  Careers  page.