PhD Studentship: Understanding the Causes, and Best Treatment, of Type 2 Diabetes in People Who Are Not Overweight

Overview

This PhD project at the University of Exeter, based in Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, looks at type 2 diabetes in people who are not overweight. Type 2 diabetes is often thought of as a condition of high body weight, but millions of people with the disease worldwide are lean, and neither the cause of their diabetes nor the best way to treat it is known.

The student will work with experts in diabetes, data science and genetics and use detailed existing studies covering hundreds of thousands of people with diabetes. The goal is to understand what causes apparent type 2 diabetes in thin people and how they can best be treated.

What you get

The project is one of up to 18 MRC-funded studentships offered through the GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme, with a start date of October 2027. The studentships last four years. Funding covers UK tuition fees and a doctoral stipend matching the UK Research Council national minimum, which is 21,805 pounds per year for 2026/27 and is updated annually. Up to 5,000 pounds per year is also available for research training and support costs.

Who can apply

The studentships are open to UK and international students. This project competes for a place with projects across the whole MRC GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Award, in which 18 studentships are available across the partnership.

Key dates

The closing date is 21 October 2026, and the studentship begins in October 2027.