This programme is no longer accepting new entrants.
Applicants with interests in this area should consider the Physical Sciences for Health programme, which shares many of the approaches and principles used in the former PSIBS programme.
Type of programme: Taught + Research.
Duration of programme: Four years full-time.
In the first year students follow a MSc programme at provides the necessary theoretical foundations, laboratory and practical skills for cross-disciplinary research at the Life Sciences Interface. Six tailor-made taught modules and three mini-projects are combined with training in communication skills, research ethics, intellectual property, public understandings of science and knowledge transfer.
Three-year PhD research project
On attainment of a MSc award students direct their focus to individual three-year PhD research projects. Each project involves three elements: a biological system, one or more imaging technologies, and advanced analysis of the system or data generated. Each project has three supervisors, one for each of the three areas. One supervisor is the lead supervisor. The DTC provides both study and pastoral support, through dedicated staff and the peer network.
The research and team coherence, actively developed in year one through a variety of group activities, continue to be nurtured in the subsequent years through regular pairings, seminars and other Centre-wide activities.
Integration between disciplines
The focus of PSIBS training is on the sciences of imaging rather than on a specific imaging application. The training programme offers a real integration between the disciplines within the various individual research projects.
The complementary research perspectives and skills brought by the participating academics uniquely enable training to tackle challenging problems that could not otherwise be satisfactorily addressed and resolved. In this way the research and training are at the cutting-edge, leading to understanding and insights not accessible within a single scientific discipline.