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Writing a PhD research proposal

If you’re looking to apply for a phd program, one of the key requirements is writing a research proposal..

This document is essential, as it outlines your plans and will serve as a roadmap for the next few years. 

You won’t be completely bound to the contents of your proposal if you are successful in your application, there are many reasons your project might change and evolve over time.

You will be expected to stick broadly to what you originally proposed though, especially if you secure external funding.

Read on to find our top tips and advice on how to write a successful research proposal for your PhD application.

Once you’ve pulled a draft together, you may want someone at the Careers Service to check this over for you. If so, book a Careers Information and Advice appointment with us, or drop in to see us at 5 Tyndall Avenue.

What are your intentions?

Your research proposal needs to be convincing as a statement of intent and convey that you are serious about taking on a research project and training as a researcher. This means your proposal also needs to be tailored to the specific University and position you are applying for. Make sure you check their own specific advice and guidance on applications

Start early

Writing a research proposal can be a lengthy process, so it’s crucial to start early.

Give yourself plenty of time to conduct background research, refine your research question, and write the proposal itself.

Don’t leave it close to the deadlines for applying, as this could lead to unnecessary stress and a weaker proposal.  Try to think through how you might structure your PhD thesis in advance.

The more work you do to define the scope and approach of your research upfront, the less time you’ll need to spend on doing this during the PhD itself when the clock will already be ticking towards submission.

Conduct thorough background research 

Before you can write a research proposal, you must first conduct thorough background research on your chosen topic. This will enable you to refine your research question, identify gaps in the existing literature, and establish the importance of your research. It’s crucial to use and highlight credible sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles and books from reputable publishers. 

You will also need to research the University you are applying to and tailor your application to them. Do they have a specific research focus or purpose? Do they favour certain methodologies over others? 

Define your research question 

Once you have conducted your background research, you should be able to clearly define a research question.

It’s important to make sure your research question is clear, specific, achievable within the time and resources available to you, and contributes something new to your field of study. 

Be aware that PhD-level research needs to make an original contribution. This is the main criteria that will be assessed at the end of the process, so in a way, this is the most important part of your proposal. 

Justify your research 

Originality is not enough, especially in today’s competitive research environment, so you’ll also need to provide a clear justification for why your research is important and why it should be undertaken. This could involve discussing the gap in the literature that your research aims to fill, and why.  

Depending on your project and discipline you may also want to outline a hypothesis about your results, covering potential outcomes you expect in terms of practical applications or contributions to theory. 

Outline your methodology 

Your research methodology is the approach you’ll take to answer your research question. You’ll need to provide a clear outline of this in your proposal, including details of any data collection methods, sampling techniques, and data analysis methods you plan to use.

This can be refined over time, but make sure you choose an appropriate methodology for your question, and justify your choice. 

If there are any budgetary implications to your research, you should also include these. If you think this will be the case, talk to academics in your field to get a sense of what the appropriate spend looks like. 

Consider any ethical implications 

Depending on your topic and methodology, there may be ethical implications to consider. For example, if you’re conducting research with human participants, you’ll need to obtain ethical approval from your university’s ethics committee, and possibly elsewhere. It’s crucial to be aware of any ethical issues related to your research and address them appropriately in your proposal. 

Provide a timeline

Finally, you’ll need to provide a timeline for your research.

This should include details of when you plan to complete each stage of your research, from data collection to data analysis to writing up your findings.

Ensure your timeline is realistic and includes some slack to account for potential delays and unexpected issues that may arise (they will).

Writing a research proposal can be a challenging task but with sufficient time and awareness of the requirements you will get there.

By following the tips and advice outlined in this blog post, you’ll be well on your way to writing a successful proposal that showcases your research plan and sets you up for success in your PhD program. 

Best of luck!

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Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

You are here, proposal summaries, b4622 - identification of rare genetic variants associated with lung function using whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing data - 20/05/2024.

Lung-function impairment underlies chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicts mortality. Recently, over a thousand variants in over 500 genes were associated with lung function. Those variants were involved in different cell functions, providing information that brings us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying lung function and COPD.

In this study, we will investigate a more comprehensive number of variants in genes, with a focus on those that are not that frequent in the population (frequency under 1%), to help identifying variants responsible for lung function impairment.

B4620 - Effects of Maternal Genetic Risk Factors for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on Birth and Childhood Outcomes in Offspring - 17/05/2024

*Please note this new proposal will re-use the dataset that has been provided for the previous project ID B3581.*

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a major health concern that affects up to 10% of reproductive-aged women and is the leading cause of female infertility. This complex, heterogenous condition is characterized by ovulatory dysfunction and hyperandrogenism and is often associated with metabolic dysregulation and increased risk for adverse birth outcomes. Existing evidence suggests that the androgenic and metabolic features of PCOS can be passed down from mothers to their offspring, but the relative contributions of maternal genetics and intrauterine environmental factors to these features in offspring are not known.

Our original project ID B3581 studies metabolic and growth and developmental phenotypes in children that may be associated with PCOS. We have recently identified that a higher polygenic risk score (PRS) for PCOS is associated with higher BMI, fat-mass index, and risk of obesity in childhood and earlier age at pubarche and younger age at peak height velocity. These associations persisted after controlling for the maternal PCOS polygenic risk score, indicating that genetic risk for PCOS has direct effects in offspring. In addition, genetic risk for PCOS could also have indirect effects in children through direct effects on the intrauterine environment in their mothers. For example, mothers with PCOS have an increased risk of preterm delivery, attributed to metabolic perinatal complications, such as pre-eclampsia.

I hypothesize that maternal PCOS genetic factors and associated intrauterine environmental factors play an integral role in the development of adverse birth outcomes and childhood androgenic and metabolic features of PCOS in offspring.

B4616 - Adverse childhood experiences and oral health - 16/05/2024

Oral health inequalities start early in life. Previous studies have looked at childhood socioeconomic circumstances, the early family environment and parental behaviours in relation to child oral health. This project will focus on another important social determinant of health. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as physical abuse, emotional neglect, parental separation or imprisonment, can increase the risk of psychological problems and behavioural problems, respiratory diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal diseases among children and adults. Previous studies in dentistry have shown that ACEs are associated with childhood tooth decay, poor child oral health and lower oral health-related quality of life. ACEs have also been related to fewer dental visits and more tooth extractions in adults as well as poor oral health and greater tooth loss in older adults. Common limitations of previous studies are the use of cross-sectional data and the retrospective assessment of ACEs that introduces measurement bias. In addition, in most studies, different ACEs were combined into broad categories, thereby making it difficult to evaluate the effects of individual ACEs. Identifying which ACEs are more relevant to child oral health, their specific timing and potential underlying mechanisms can inform relevant policy and interventions at family level. Evidence from longitudinal studies will shed some lights on this important research area.

B4615 - Whole-exome sequencing as a tool to reveal rare genetic architecture of diabetes - 16/05/2024

People with diabetes taking insulin sometimes present resistance or failure to this therapy. Investigating the genetic factors influencing the resistance to insulin in people with diabetes may lead to biological insights into the causes of failure to this therapy and help improving their long-term health. We will look into the DNA of ALSPAC participants that codes the proteins, to identify rare variants (those with a frequency <0.1%) that have a high impact on the structure and/or function of the protein. Then we will investigate if those variants have an influence on the risk of diabetes, and if they have an impact on the levels of diabetes-related traits, as insulin, glucose, etc.

B4619 - Associations between adverse childhood experiences and cardiovascular risk factors in later life Exploring mechanisms and influ - 16/05/2024

Existing research has demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as exposure to violence or childhood abuse, may be associated with negative impacts upon health in later life - for example, increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, within their 2017 scientific statement the American Heart Association made a call for further research which used data collected prospectively, i.e., following a population from childhood through to adulthood, to improve the reliability of ACEs measurement (as opposed to recalling ACEs at an adult age) and allow for measurement of possible mechanisms linking adversity exposures to health outcomes in later life. To achieve this, the present project aims to assess how ACEs, measured at 0-16 years of age, may be associated with the risk of CVD measured in early adulthood, from the ALSPAC dataset. We aim to build upon existing research by looking into how various factors, such as mental health status and behaviours posing a detrimental risk upon health during childhood and adolescence (i.e. smoking or low levels of physical activity) might help to explain these relationships. Further, we will also address potential physiological mechanisms, such as biomarkers of inflammation, that might contribute to the associations between ACEs and CVD. It is also important to consider how socio-demographic factors or environmental factors such as social class, economic status of the family, and sex of the child could alter the strength of associations between ACEs and CVD; thus, the impacts of these factors will also be measured within our analyses.

B4117 - Demonstrating a casual role for adiponectin signalling in kidney disease at the population level using Mendelian randomisation - 14/05/2024

Adiponectin is a hormone produced by fat cells, which appears to protect blood vessels in diabetes and heart disease. In animal models of diabetes, adiponectin can protect from the development of diabetic kidney disease.

Blood vessels have a protective gel-like layer, the endothelial glycocalyx. This can be measured indirectly in humans using specialised microscopy imaging of blood vessels under the tongue, using a Glycocheck device. This has been shown to reflect changes to the endothelial glycocalyx on blood vessels elsewhere in the body, including the kidneys.Glycocheck parameters are being collected from individuals in ALSPAC (by Prof Abigail Fraser).

Damage to the endothelial glycocalyx in the filtering blood vessels of the kidney leads to protein, such as albumin, filtered into the urine (albuminuria), a hallmark of kidney disease. We have shown that adiponectin can protect the filtering blood vesssels in the kidney from glycocalyx damage and protect from the development of diabetic kidney disease.

We aim to show relevance to human disease by demonstrating that changes in adiponectin levels can cause albuminuria and kidney disease using Mendelian randomisation. We wish to use the ALSPAC data to explore the causal role of circulating levels of adiponectin and adiponectin receptor expression on glycocalyx depth (measured in ALSPAC- Glycocheck) and circulating levels of syndecan 4 (a marker of glycocalyx shedding). This will allow us to explore whether adiponectin signalling has a positive impact on kidney disease and function due to its effects on the glycocalyx.

B4608 - Translating the Lived Experience of Heatwaves into Policy Action - 14/05/2024

Climate change has increased how often we experience extreme weather events such as heatwaves. Being exposed to heatwaves can have a bad effect on our physical and mental health. People who live in cities will experience higher temperatures during a heatwave compared to those not living in a city. We will build on the work that we have already done in ALSPAC, where we asked participants about their experience of recent extreme weather events, to work with Bristol City Council to ask questions of people living in council housing about their experience in heatwaves. Using this combined data we will develop guidance to share with poeple living in council housing how to survive a heatwave.

B4611 - Running in the FAMILY - Understanding and predicting the intergenerational transmission of mental illness - 14/05/2024

A family history of mental illness is the most important known risk factor for the development of mental health problems. Up to 50% of children with a mentally-ill parent will develop a mental disorder in their life. In clinical practice, this intergenerational transmission of risk for mental illness is rarely taken into account, and in health care settings, family histories of mental illness are not adequately considered in diagnosis and care, leading to delays in diagnosis and missed time for protective measures and strengthening resilience. Furthermore, parents with mental illness are often unaware of the impact their condition can have on their children's well-being, are less able to reflect on their role and style as a parent, and rarely discuss this with health care professionals. This project aims to better understand the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of mental illness. The ALSPAC data, together with data from other cohorts, will be used (i) to identify early risk and resilience factors, (ii) to predict who is likely to be diagnosed or develop symptoms of mental illness and (iii) to better define the role of genetics, epigenetics and brain metrics in the routes of transmission. This may lead to the development of new preventive strategies that can break the intergenerational cycle of mental illness and support the building of strength and resilience.

B4613 - Sex differences in physical activity across childhood adolescence and early adulthood - 14/05/2024

Men and women have different risks of getting heart disease during their lives. Differences in physical activity levels may be a contributing factor. The aim of this project is to examine physical activity levels of boys and girls from childhood through to early adulthood in the ALSPAC cohort.

B4612 - Biomarkers of accelerated aging and lung function trajectory a multi-omics study in a UK birth cohort - 18/05/2024

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects 212 million people globally and is responsible for 3 million premature deaths each year. Smoking causes most COPD, but it can also develop as a result of low lung function trajectory in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. ALSPAC has been part of the effort to characterise such low lung function trajectories.

The mechanisms underlying low lung function trajectories remain unclear. One plausible mechanism is accelerated biological aging, which can be measured using epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation data, or by measuring biomarkers of cellular senescence. Cellular senescence is an important pathological process in biological aging, in which cells stop dividing and secrete a variety of inflammatory mediators, leading to a state of chronic low-grade inflammation thought to be important in a variety of diseases, including COPD. The role of epigenetic aging and cellular senescence in low lung function trajectory and COPD is of interest because treatments which can arrest or reverse these processes are under investigation and could become COPD treatments in future.

This study will attempt to assess whether epigenetic age acceleration, calculated from DNA methylation data from blood samples collected from ALSPAC participants at age 7, is associated with belonging to a lower lung function (FEV1) trajectory. It will also assess for an association of plasma markers of cellular senescence (IL6, CXCL10, LAP TGF beta-1) with lung function trajectory. If observational associations are evident between epigenetic age acceleration or plasma markers of cellular senescence and lung function, multivariable mendelian randomisation analyses will be undertaken to assess whether they are likely to be causal.

B4607 - Cholesterol triglyceride and fatty acid trajectories throughout pregnancy and the association with pregnancy outcomes - 13/05/2024

In rich countries, over 30% of mums to be face problems when having a baby. These can be things like having a long labour, giving birth too early, getting dangerously high blood pressure called preeclampsia, or having diabetes during pregnancy. As so many women go through these pregnancy complications, it has become very important to find a way to see who might have problems during pregnancy before they happen. Right now, we do not fully know why these problems happen, but think it has something to do with certain types of fats in the body, called lipids.

We know that during pregnancy the lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides and fatty acids rise, reaching far higher levels than a non-pregnant women and return to normal following delivery. The rise in cholesterol, triglycerides and fatty acids occur to help support foetal growth and development but also help control the time at which the baby is delivered. Recently, imbalances in HDL, LDL, cholesterol, triglycerides, and free fatty acids during pregnancy have been shown to be linked to pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, premature birth and dysfunctional labour.

We know what levels of lipids are considered too high in non-pregnant women, but we know very little about what the normal lipid level changes are during pregnancy. We know lipids rise, but very few studies have investigated their trajectories to consider what would be considered too low or high. We also don’t know whether lipid changes outside the normal pregnancy range are related to common pregnancy complications.

We will answer these questions using the ALSPAC cohort. The results will be extremely important for pregnant populations, as we will determine the lipid changes that occur during pregnancy but also lipid patterns that may predict pregnancy or childbirth complications.

B4609 - The role of meaning and purpose in mental health outcomes - 13/05/2024

Previous research has examined the importance of having a sense of meaning and purpose in life. However, there are limitations with these studies. We want to examine the association between meaning and purpose, and how it relates to mental health outcomes.

B4610 - The longitudinal association between early parenting and psychotic experiences in adolescence - 13/05/2024

Psychosis is an incredibly debilitating condition, the symptoms of which include hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking/speaking. Experiences early in life can contribute to psychotic experiences later in life. It has been well researched that parenting and parent-child interaction can affect children’s outcomes across a range of domains. It is possible that parent-child interaction also influences future outcomes for psychotic experiences. If we find factors in parent-child interaction that appear to increase the risk of (or protect from) psychotic experiences this could open the door for future research and have implications for prevention.

B4614 - Investigating the effect of body size between menarche and first birth on breast cancer A lifecourse Mendelian randomization st - 13/05/2024

Nulliparity is associated with increased reproductive malignancies and early first full-term pregnancy has been found to reduce risk of breast cancer. There is also evidence that increased weight in childhood is protective against breast cancer. This research focuses on body size at different time points across the lifecourse and its effect on breast cancer risk, to understand the time frame in which undifferentiated nulligravid breast is most susceptible to carcinogenic insults. However, separating the effects of risk factors at different stages of the lifecourse is challenging due to confounding in conventional epidemiological settings. This is a key motivation behind using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Conventionally, MR studies use a single measurement to estimate the effects of an exposure on an outcome. Effects obtained are therefore often interpreted as the lifetime effect of the genetically predicted exposure. This research will exploits the notion that genetic associations may arise from the direct effects of the same inherited variants at different stages throughout life. Our aim is to assess the effect of body size between menarche and first birth at different intervals across the lifecourse on breast cancer risk in later life.

B4604 - Genetic determinants of perinatal depression and its long-term impact on the family unit - 14/05/2024

Depression is one of the most common medical complications in the perinatal period. Previous studies have suggested long-term consequences on infant, child and future offspring development. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between perinatal depression, offspring and partner outcomes in a multi-generational large scale longitudinal study. Furthermore, in order to fully understand the impact of perinatal depression, more research is needed to understand the genetics of perinatal depression.

B4605 - Placental accelerated villous maturation a potential screening target for premature somatic aging - 08/05/2024

Humans live longer than ever. Although women live longer than men, they experience poorer age-matched health. Early identification of women at risk for premature aging could lead to tremendous personal, societal, and health care benefits. Therefore, a leading health challenge is to understand the causes of premature aging and use this to promote heathy aging in women. Pregnancy is a multi-systemic stress test, offering a sex-specific opportunity to understand healthy vs premature aging. Placental accelerated villous maturation (AVM), characterized by hypermature terminal villi for gestational age, reflects premature aging of the placenta. We will test the novel hypothesis that AVM is an early adulthood marker of premature aging. We will determine whether AVM predicts premature aging in mid-life across multiple systems (endocrine, neurocognitive, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal), and identify genetic and environmental AVM risk factors. We will leverage three globally unique cohorts: the US Magee Obstetric Maternal and Infant study, the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Dutch PEARLS cohort; and establish a global multidisciplinary collaboration linking placental aging to lifespan aging to provide novel insights into mechanisms underlying women’s somatic aging, potentially identifying strategies to enable women to live longer and healthier lives.

B4606 - Special Educational Needs and Youth Offending - 14/05/2024

Young people with special educational needs (SENs) are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Eighty seven percent of all violent youth offences in England are committed by those with an identified SEN (DfE, 2022). Understanding the link between youth offending and SEN will help to identify ways in which young people with SENs can be diverted away from the criminal justice system.

B4598 - Disentangling the associations between community engagement inequalities and youth anxiety and depression - 29/04/2024

This project will investigate whether community engagement is a modifiable health behaviour that can prevent and reduce youth anxiety and depression. Although community engagement (e.g., arts, culture, heritage, volunteering, community groups) is associated with reduced anxiety and depression, previous research is limited by not accounting for inequalities in mental health and community engagement, reliance on small studies with short follow-ups, and little evidence specifically in young people.

We will establish whether community engagement can reduce youth anxiety and depression, assess its equality of distribution internationally, and test whether individual- and society-level community engagement interventions can reduce youth anxiety and depression. We will use population-level longitudinal data from the UK, US, Australia, Japan, Egypt, and Norway. We will triangulate evidence from novel statistical methods for causal inference. These approaches have not yet been used in this field but are vital to examine associations independent of inequalities in mental health and community engagement. Cutting-edge cross-country evidence will demonstrate whether community engagement could be a public health intervention that reduces anxiety and depression. This project will facilitate further innovative research, inform population health policy and funding, and support development of large-scale interventions to reduce youth anxiety and depression globally.

B4602 - Data note on diet in pregnancy in a UK longitudinal birth cohort The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children ALSPAC - 29/04/2024

Information on diet in ALSPAC has been collected regularly in parents and children, starting with the the mother's diet in pregnancy using a postal questionnaire. This information has been used many times to look at how the mother's diet affects the health and development of her child, as well as her own health. This information has been made available to many researchers, but we'd like to write a summary for researchers detailing exactly what is available, how we have processed the information in various ways to make it useful for different types of research studies, and how to access it.

B4600 - Prenatal alcohol exposure PAE and the development of multiple risk behaviours at adolescence an ALSPAC birth cohort study - 29/04/2024

Pre-natal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to the development of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Individuals with FASD have a range of neurodevelopmental impairments including learning difficulties, social impairment and difficulties in regulating behaviours. This study aims to understand how different levels and types of maternal alcohol consumption impact the development of multiple risk behaviours at adolescence. Multiple risk behaviours (MRBs) are typically harmful behaviours such as alcohol consumption that tend to accumulate in adolescence and may have lasting impacts on the health and wellbeing of the individual. This project is a continuation of a Public Health Masters study (B3903), to apply statistical methods to evaluate and address the impact of missing data.

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University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2020/21 > Unit catalogue > Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry > Literature Review, Research Proposal and Data Analysis Project for MSci Chemistry

Unit information: Literature Review, Research Proposal and Data Analysis Project for MSci Chemistry in 2020/21

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Description including Unit Aims

Project work allows students to experience and learn from the challenge of performing an open-ended activity. Students not only become expert in a particular topic, but also develop a broad range of transferable key skills. By working with a member of academic staff on a current research topic in chemistry, students will consolidate and extend their knowledge and understanding of chemistry. In addition, the project will allow them to develop important transferable skills, becoming independent learners with excellent written and oral presentation skills, proficient in the use of IT and good at working both on their own and as part of a team. The unit will thus offer students suitable research training to allow them to pursue either a postgraduate research degree or enter directly a career in research. Project work will be substantial and involve independent and original research. The expectation is that the work should be of potentially publishable quality, although it is recognised that the nature of research means that this will not necessarily be possible.

The project will consist of three components: a substantial review of the research literature in an area agreed with a project supervisor, the development of a proposal for new research project, normally aligned with the topic of the literature review and supported by the project supervisor, and a data-mining group project to address a novel research question set by a subject expert.

Support for all project elements will be provided by experts in the area, along with a second assessor for the literature project. The unit will be assessed through a literature review, a short project proposal and a communication-style report on data-mining results, as well as presentations and a panel interview.

By performing these open-ended investigations, students will:

• conduct original, investigative research work in an area of chemistry of a standard that could potentially lead to publication in a peer-reviewed research journal
• become expert in an advanced topic in chemistry, building upon their existing knowledge and understanding to learn about new concepts and applications
• develop key transferable organisational, communication and personal skills that will prepare them for either postgraduate study or possible careers in the scientific sector

Intended Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific learning outcomes The unit will enable students to

• build on and apply their existing knowledge and understanding of chemistry through the study of an original topic in chemistry
• explore new concepts drawn from the chemical literature and, in doing so, develop knowledge and understanding of an advanced topic in chemistry
• maintain an accurate record of their work
• a broadening & maturing understanding of chemical concepts encountered in earlier years.

Generic learning outcomes The unit will also help students to develop transferable skills in

• time management and other organisational skills
• independent study, and the development of diligence, motivation and initiative
• team working
• research methods, including sourcing, reviewing, summarising and referencing existing literature
• oral presentation
• presentation of results for display (poster/infographic/graphical abstract)
• written work, including the presentation of introductory material, experimental details, results, discussion, conclusions and references in an appropriate format

Teaching Information

Students will work with members of staff. Students will identify in advance several preferred project topics and supervisors. Academic performance will then be used to determine the final allocation to ensure an even distribution of students across academic staff. Students will be expected to work semi-independently under the direction of an expert in each area, using their initiative to develop the project. Students may also be expected to attend seminars and group meetings. Project work will be supported by regular formal and informal meetings with a project supervisor and a second assessor for the literature work, and with a subject specialist for the database used in data-mining.

Assessment Information

Summative assessment:

• Literature review 30%
• Oral presentation on literature topic, delivered as a screencast 8.3 %
• Research proposal 15%
• Interview on proposal 5%
• Communication-style report on data-mining 20 %
• Poster/infographic on data-mining 5 %
• 2 hour 30 minutes written exam on general chemistry: 16.7%

The literature review will usually be between 20 and 30 pages in length and resemble those published in journals such as Chemical Society Reviews (RSC) and Chemical Reviews (ACS). Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the material presented, their initiative in developing the review focus and the style and quality of writing. A presentation on the literature topic will be delivered as a short screen cast and assessed for the quality of visual aids and the quality of delivery.

The research proposal will be presented in the style of an EPSRC standard mode case for support (6 pages) and students will be assessed on the clarity of the ideas conveyed, whether the project planning is realistic and the relevance of beneficiaries and impacts identified. In additions, students will be interviewed by a panel of academics and their peers and their performance will be assessed for style and clarity of explanations.

The data-mining results will be presented as a communication of no more than 4 pages and a poster/inforgraphic, and students will be assessed based on their technical skills, as well as the quality of presentation, their diligence, motivation, and organisational skills. All elements of the project work will be assessed by two academic staff through the application of detailed marking criteria.

Supplementary or resit assessment of this unit is only possible through engagement in the following academic year.

Reading and References

Key reading and references will depend upon the topic chosen. Students will be expected to make extensive use of online and library resources available to them, including text books, reports and theses and research journals.

Related links

• Units available in the School of Chemistry

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Supervisor: Glowacki, D. (Supervisor) & Orr-Ewing, A. (Supervisor)

Ab initio Study of Spin-Dependent Transport and Magnetism in Heavy and Superconducting Metals

Supervisor: Gradhand, M. (Supervisor)

A biologically-inspired artificial lateral line: Observations of collective behaviour in fish lead to the development of a novel design of simple and low-cost artificial lateral line sensor

Supervisor: Hauert, S. (Supervisor), Ioannou, C. (Supervisor) & Genner, M. J. (Supervisor)

A biophysical investigation into the self-assembly of α-helix - polyproline II helix oligomers

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'A Box of Conflict Memories' - Materiality, Memory and Princess Mary's Gift Box 1914-2020.

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A British Pleistocene chronology based on uranium series and electron spin resonance dating of speleothem.

Abstractions for portable data management in heterogeneous memory systems.

Supervisor: McIntosh-Smith, S. (Supervisor)

A case study on learners' 'skills o discovery and interaction' in instant messenger-mediated intercultural dialogue between university students in Taiwan and in UK

Accelerated sampling methods for high dimensional molecular systems.

Supervisor: Glowacki, D. (Supervisor) & McIntosh-Smith, S. (Supervisor)

Access and equity in the school’s marketplace: the case for random allocation in secondary school admissions

Supervisor: Watson, D. L. (Supervisor) & Harris, P. R. (External person) (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Social Science (DSocSci)

Access to collective labour rights for platform workers under European Union Law: an analysis based on the republican idea of freedom as non-domination

Supervisor: Novitz, T. A. (Supervisor) & Syrpis, P. A. J. (Supervisor)

ACCORD – ACCESSING CLINICAL ETHICS COMMITTEES FOR RAPID DISCUSSION: What approach(es) should be adopted by clinical ethics support services (CESS) for advising on urgent decisions in healthcare?

Supervisor: Huxtable, R. (Supervisor), O'Connor, D. (Supervisor), O'Connor, D. (Supervisor) & Huxtable, R. (Supervisor)

Accountability and multilateral global governance : exploring the discourse of transparency and the role of secrecy.

Accounting for sustainability with a focus on materiality and completeness.

Supervisor: Cooper, S. (Supervisor) & Chapman, C. S. (Supervisor)

Acetylcholine in the Interpositus Cerebellar Nuclei

Supervisor: Apps, R. (Supervisor), Bashir, Z. (Supervisor) & Pickford, J. (Supervisor)

A changing world: how anthropogenic noise and climate impact dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) behaviour

Supervisor: Radford, A. (Supervisor) & Cuthill, I. C. (Supervisor)

A characterisation of mononuclear phagocyte dynamics in the healthy and regenerating zebrafish heart

Supervisor: Richardson, B. (Supervisor) & Martin, P. B. (Supervisor)

A Chemical Synthesis Paradigm for in utero Repair of Spina Bifida

Supervisor: Galan, C. (Supervisor), Briscoe, W. (Supervisor) & Cosgrove, T. (Supervisor)

Achievement of Nepalese pupils in Hong Kong primary schools : barriers and education needs

Supervisor: Hill, T. (Supervisor) & Tikly, L. (Supervisor)

A Child of Two Worlds: Materiality and Landscape of Mushroom-Shaped Bunkers in Albania

Supervisor: Saunders, N. (Supervisor)

A clash of clades: the evolution and ecology of terrestrial amniotes through the Permo-Triassic.

Supervisor: Benton, M. J. (Supervisor) & Rayfield, E. J. (Supervisor)

A Closed-Loop Recycling Process for Discontinuous Carbon Fibre Composites

Supervisor: Longana, M. (Supervisor), Yu, H. (Supervisor), Potter, K. (Supervisor) & Hamerton, I. (Supervisor)

A comparative study of the gastropod populations in two North Somerset reservoirs, England

A comparison between methadone and buprenorphine for perioperative analgesia in dogs and cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

Supervisor: Murrell, J. (Supervisor), Hunt, J. (Supervisor) & Yates, D. (Supervisor)

A Comparison of Eulemur Social Systems and Vocal Communication During the Mating Season: Implications for the Speciation and Conservation of Blue-Eyed Black Lemurs and Black Lemurs

Supervisor: Mccabe, G. (Supervisor) & Holderied, M. (Supervisor)

A comprehensive screening of the two-component network in Staphylococcus aureus

Supervisor: Massey, R. (Supervisor)

A Computational Framework for the Optimisation of Antivenom Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics

Supervisor: Hauert, S. (Supervisor), Blee, J. A. (Supervisor) & Collinson, I. R. (Supervisor)

A consideration of geometry in very-low Earth orbit satellites

Supervisor: Berthoud, L. (Supervisor) & Allen, C. B. (Supervisor)

A constraint-based partial evaluator for functional logic programs and its application.

A conversation analytic study of co-working between a person with learning disabilities and a person without learning disabilities.

Supervisor: Dowling, S. F. (Supervisor) & Williams, V. J. (Supervisor)

Acoustic and Flight Behaviour of Emerging Greater Horseshoe Bats in Paired Flight

Supervisor: Holderied, M. W. (Supervisor)

Acoustic communication of rare and threatened crocodilians and its use for population monitoring

Supervisor: Holderied, M. W. (Supervisor) & Mccabe, G. (Supervisor)

Acoustic Flow Perception in Bats and Applications in Navigation

Supervisor: Windsor, S. P. (Supervisor) & Holderied, M. W. (Supervisor)

Acquisition of Implicit Knowledge of Second Language Syntax: The Effects of Input Modality and Working Memory

Supervisor: Yu, G. (Supervisor) & Kazanina, N. (Supervisor)

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Kastberg named ICME-15 TSG co-chair

Signe Kastberg was selected as a Topic Study Group co-chair for the upcoming 15th International Congress of Mathematics Education (ICME) to be held in July 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Kastberg is a professor and the Mary Endres Endowed Chair of Elementary Education in the Purdue University College of Education.

The ICME is only held once every four years and brings together mathematics educators working at the interaction of learning, teaching, and curriculum. ICME-15 is an inclusive event at which people who are passionate about mathematics and statistics education will come together and connect with like-minded global colleagues to create lasting local, regional, and global legacies in the field.

Topic Study Groups (TSG) meet for four sessions across the week of the Congress to build insights in various research domains within mathematics education. Kastberg will co-chair TSG 4.8: Knowledge and practice of mathematics teacher educators , with Tracy Helliwell of the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

“The present TSG aims to build upon the growing research about mathematics teacher educators (MTE) and their work, identify gaps in the existing literature, and discuss the theoretical and methodological complexities and challenges involved in research with MTEs,” Kastberg said.

The TSG’s goal is to bring scholars from around the world together to build from catalyzing discussions at the conference to generate a book, special issue, or proposal for an International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) study conference with a focus on MTEs.

“Professor Kastberg’s selection to co-chair this research session at such a prestigious conference is further confirmation of her international reputation as a mathematics educator,” said Phillip J. VanFossen , interim dean of the College. “We are all excited by the potential of this work and perhaps a forthcoming book.”

ICME is the largest international conference on mathematics education and is a global meeting point for mathematics educators. It is organized by ICMI and is a commission of the International Mathematical Union ( IMU ), an international non-governmental and nonprofit scientific organization whose purpose is to promote international cooperation in mathematics.

Source: Signe Kastberg, [email protected]

research news

NASA taps UB researchers’ team to advance satellite observation of climate change

A coastal polynya, or opening in the sea ice cover, near the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica, as seen during an Operation IceBridge flight on Oct. 10, 2018. Photo: John Sonntag/NASA

By TOM DINKI and LAUREN FIMBRES WOOD

Published May 17, 2024

UB researchers are part of an international team selected by NASA to conceptualize a future satellite mission that can advance understanding of Earth’s response to climate change.

Sophie Nowicki, Empire Innovation Professor, and Beata Csatho, professor and associate chair, both in the Department of Geology, are members of the Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer (EDGE) team. Led by the University of California San Diego, EDGE proposes using satellite laser altimetry for an unprecedented, real-time look at both carbon stored in forests and ice at the poles.

It was one of four proposals selected by NASA’s new Earth System Explorers Program, which is seeking satellite-based missions that will advance understanding of climate change factors like greenhouse gases and changes in ice and glaciers around the world.

The four finalists will each receive $5 million to conduct a one-year mission concept study. After the study period, NASA will choose two proposals for satellites to launch in 2030 and 2032, with a budget of $310 million for each chosen investigation.

Proposal builds on previous missions

The goal of EDGE is to observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial ecosystems like forests and the surface features of glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice as they change in response to human activity. This will be done by laser altimetry, which sends laser pulses to Earth’s surface and records the time it takes them to return to the spacecraft.

EDGE will build on two ongoing NASA space laser altimeter missions that first launched in 2018: Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI).

EDGE advances the technology on ICESat-2 and GEDI through an increased density of laser beams that will map the planet using five 120-meter-wide strips. This unprecedented resolution and accuracy will allow scientists to precisely measure changes as they are happening, providing a real-time look at whether the planet is crossing critical tipping points that will cause abrupt or irreversible change.

“The EDGE team brings together vegetation and cryosphere scientists to work toward a shared goal of developing an instrument to measure these vital signs of our planet,” says EDGE team leader Helen Amanda Fricker, professor of geophysics at UC San Diego’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. “EDGE will have the capability to measure the density of the rainforest in the Amazon and depths of individual cracks in glaciers, enabling improved tracking and understanding of our planet’s biodiversity, changes in carbon storage and rate of ice loss contributing to sea-level rise.”

 EDGE, flying on Maxar’s 500 spacecraft, will also expand the footprint of Earth that is monitored. The GEDI instrument on the International Space Station only covers as far north as Canada and south to Australia, but EDGE’s orbit goes all the way to the poles, providing global coverage of vegetation and allowing for dense mapping around the edges of ice sheets and sea ice pack.

The data from EDGE will be used to inform Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and policymakers about projected future conditions, helping society prepare for and adapt to climate change.

Researchers have prior experience with NASA

Nowicki and Csatho have both been involved in previous NASA satellite laser altimeter missions. Csatho served on the science team for the ICESat-2 and original ICESat missions, as well as the follow-on missions between the two, known as Operation IceBridge. Nowicki, who is also director of the UB Center for Geological and Climate Hazards, served on the Operation IceBridge team. 

Nowicki will be EDGE’s cryosphere application lead, tasked with coordinating and expanding ice sheet modeling, as well as community engagement with the team’s dataset. Csatho will be a land ice products co-lead in charge of elevation change products over glaciers and ice sheets.

Altogether, the EDGE team is composed of 25 scientists and engineers from around the world. Aside from UB and UC San Diego, they represent the University of Maryland, George Mason University, Boise State University, Northern Arizona University, Bristol University, University of Washington, Colorado School of Mines, Singapore University, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution and the Australian Antarctic Division.

In the next year, the EDGE team will finalize the technical capabilities of the mission, demonstrate feasibility and refine satellite design so the missions can be executed on time and on budget. NASA will then choose two of the four accepted proposals to move forward to launch.

UC San Diego-Led Science Teams Selected as Finalists for NASA Science Missions to Understand Our Changing Climate

Each team will receive $5 million to conduct concept studies for new satellites.

• Lauren Fimbres Wood - [email protected]

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Two teams led by scientists from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography are among four selected by NASA to put forward concept studies for future satellite missions to help better understand how our planet is responding to climate change.

The proposals are part of NASA’s new Earth System Explorers Program that conducts satellite-based science missions designed to enable Earth system research. The call for proposals for this initiative sought missions that would advance understanding of climate change factors such as greenhouse gases, the ozone layer, ocean surface currents, and changes in ice and glaciers around the world.

“NASA’s selection of not one, but two teams led by UC San Diego is monumental,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “This selection demonstrates our world renowned leadership in earth observation and satellite remote sensing. Through our longstanding institutional commitment to understanding and protecting the planet, UC San Diego is advancing new discoveries, developing policy recommendations and creating solutions for climate change that will benefit all of humanity.”

The two UC San Diego-led teams are helmed by Scripps glaciologist Helen Amanda Fricker and Scripps physical oceanographer Sarah Gille , who have both been involved in prior NASA satellite missions. As finalists, their teams will each receive $5 million to conduct a one-year mission concept study. After the study period, NASA will choose two proposals for satellites to launch in 2030 and 2032, with a budget of $310 million for each chosen investigation. 

Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer (EDGE)

The proposal led by Fricker is called Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer (EDGE) . Its goal is to observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial ecosystems like forests and the surface features of glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice as they change in response to human activity. According to the EDGE team, monitoring these shifting ecosystems and melting polar regions can help science and society mitigate the effects of climate change. 

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Fricker was a member of NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Science Team and is the current science team lead for ICESat-2, launched in 2018 . These missions use a technology called laser altimetry which sends laser pulses to the Earth’s surface and records the time it takes them to return to the spacecraft. This technology allows scientists to determine the height of the Earth's surface, and the height and structure of any vegetation. Also in 2018, the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument was deployed onto the International Space Station (ISS), and together these satellites have been vital in monitoring the whole Earth . This research would be brought to bear in EDGE, Fricker said. 

“The EDGE team brings together vegetation and cryosphere scientists to work towards a shared goal of developing an instrument to measure these vital signs of our planet,” said Fricker, who also serves as the co-director of the Scripps Polar Center . “EDGE will have the capability to measure the density of the rainforest in the Amazon and depths of individual cracks in glaciers, enabling improved tracking and understanding of our planet’s biodiversity, changes in carbon storage, and rate of ice loss contributing to sea-level rise.” 

EDGE builds on and advances the laser technology on GEDI and ICESat-2 through the use of new technology with an increased density of laser beams that will map the planet using five 120-meter wide strips . This provides much higher resolution and accuracy, enabling a more comprehensive view of the dynamics of the Earth’s surface. This unprecedented resolution of the depth, height and structure of terrestrial and ice systems, will allow scientists to precisely measure changes as they are happening. This enables the tracking of carbon stored in forests and ice at the poles, providing a real-time look at how the planet is responding to climate change, and if it is crossing critical tipping points that will cause abrupt or irreversible change.

EDGE will fly on Maxar’s 500 spacecraft , and expand the footprint of our planet that is monitored. The GEDI instrument on the ISS only covers as far north as Canada and south to Chile, but EDGE’s orbit goes all the way to the poles providing global coverage of vegetation and allowing for dense mapping around the edges of ice sheets and sea ice pack. 

EDGE orbit (orange tracks) extends to the polar regions allowing  for dense mapping around the edges of ice sheets and sea ice pack. Credit: EDGE.

“Satellites lay down their tracks like wrapping a ball of yarn, with the highest concentration at the top and bottom,” said Fricker. “EDGE’s orbit choice places this concentration in our most critical regions for studying effects of climate change at the poles. The agility of the Maxar spacecraft allows EDGE to target high-priority regions.”

According to Fricker, the data from EDGE will transform understanding of how Earth’s carbon and ice stores are changing. It will be used to inform Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and policymakers about projected future conditions, helping society prepare for and adapt to climate change.

The EDGE team is comprised of 25 scientists and engineers from around the world, including leadership that includes John Armston from the University of Maryland and Bryan Blair and Scott Luthcke from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientists from the University of Maryland, U.S. Forest Service, George Mason University, Boise State University, Northern Arizona University, U.S. Geological Survey, Bristol University, National University of Singapore, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution round out the team for terrestrial ecosystem structure, while the ice elevation team features scientists from the University of Washington, University at Buffalo, Colorado School of Mines, the Australian Antarctic Division and Fricker's alma mater , the University of Tasmania.

Ocean Dynamics and Surface Exchange with the Atmosphere (ODYSEA)

The second UC San Diego-selected concept is led by Gille and called the Ocean Dynamics and Surface Exchange with the Atmosphere (ODYSEA) . This satellite will measure ocean surface currents globally for the first time and will simultaneously measure winds over the ocean.   

The understanding of the planet as a coupled system requires measurement at the air-sea interface, where the ocean meets the atmosphere.  In this transition zone between ocean and atmosphere, clouds form, storms initiate, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean, and nutrients are transported into ocean ecosystems. ODYSEA will provide understanding of these interactions that is critical to understanding our weather and climate, as well as marine ecosystems.

“ODYSEA fills an important gap in wind and ocean current tracking, and will be a game-changer in understanding how the ocean and the atmosphere exchange gases, heat, and energy, which is one of the greatest challenges in climate science,” said Gille. 

Gille has experience with NASA missions for surface winds and sea surface height.  She currently leads one of the science teams for another satellite mission to monitor the planet, called Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) , which launched in December 2022. 

The ODYSEA satellite will offer entirely new capabilities by measuring daily global surface currents and their interactions with winds, providing data that will improve weather and climate predictions​.​​ These data can show how ocean currents influence the atmosphere, and improve weather, climate and ocean circulation models. This information is also useful for search-and-rescue operations and tracking events like oil spills. 

The technology powering ODYSEA will be a Doppler scatterometer. Scatterometers use radar signals to measure wind speed and direction. A new innovation, ODYSEA will also measure the speed and direction of surface currents by taking advantage of the Doppler shift in the radar signal due to the motion of the ocean surface. The Doppler scatterometry technique, which forms the basis for ODYSEA, was demonstrated through a prior airplane-based experiment called S-MODE.  

Gille likened the Doppler shift to the sound of an ambulance in transit. “This is the reason why the pitch of an ambulance siren changes depending on whether the ambulance is driving toward you or away from you. If the ambulance is coming toward you, the sound waves get shorter and the pitch increases. Similarly, since ocean currents move, they will shift the wavelengths of the returned radar signal detected by ODYSEA.”

The international team led by Gille is a U.S./French collaboration and includes more than 20 partners, including Deputy Principal Investigators Melanie Fewings from Oregon State University and Mark Bourassa from Florida State University, Project Scientist Tong Lee from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), as well as French Lead Scientist Fabrice Ardhuin from the Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale.  Other team members are located at Jet Propulsion Lab, the French space agency CNES (Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales), Colorado School of Mines, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, NOAA, the US Naval Research Lab, and multiple French research organizations.   

Now that Fricker and Gille’s teams have been selected by NASA, both groups will in the next year finalize the technical capabilities of each mission, demonstrate feasibility and refine satellite design so the missions can be executed on time and on budget. NASA will then choose two of the four accepted proposals to move forward to launch. 

“The NASA Earth System Explorers Program presents a transformative opportunity to advance our understanding of the planet, and it’s an incredible honor to have two missions led by our outstanding faculty selected for consideration,” said Margaret Leinen, Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences at UC San Diego and Director of Scripps Oceanography. “I know I’ll be cheering for both of them.” 

For more information about NASA’s Earth System Explorers Program, visit: https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2023ESE/ . 

Learn more about research and education at UC San Diego in: Climate Change

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