Oxford Brookes Helps Train Future Science Leaders

Oxford Brookes partners with leading institutions to train the next generation of researchers addressing global challenges in life and environmental sciences.

Oxford Brookes University is collaborating with the University of Oxford and other key partners on the new Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award (ILESLA).

This doctoral training programme aims to prepare a new generation of creative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial researchers equipped to tackle the complex, cross-disciplinary challenges facing the world today.

The primary goal of ILESLA is to cultivate researchers capable of developing innovative solutions to challenges in, and at the intersection of, biological and environmental sciences – from climate change and food security to infectious diseases, biodiversity loss, and sustainability.

Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) – UKRI and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) – UKRI, ILESLA’s partners include The Open University, The Pirbright Institute, Diamond Light Source, and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.

Initially based at the University of Oxford’s Doctoral Training Centre (DTC), students will participate in a rigorous programme of cohort-based, experiential learning. They will develop essential research skills, including mathematics and statistics, programming, imaging, data science, and modelling biological or environmental processes. During their doctoral studies, students will address challenges across five interconnected themes:

• Climate and Earth: Advancing understanding of climate and Earth systems.
• Biodiversity and Sustainability: Exploring sustainable approaches to support food, feed, and energy security, manufacturing, and biodiversity.
• Animal and Human Health: Developing innovative methods to enhance animal and human health.
• Rules of Life: Conducting frontier science to answer fundamental questions about biological processes, organisms, and ecosystems.
• Transformative Technologies: Creating tools and technologies underpinning biological and environmental research.

Following the initial training, students will undertake two research projects with different supervisory teams across the partnership, before deciding on their three-year doctoral project. Through this partnership, students will join a community of over 500 research groups conducting world-leading research in life and environmental sciences, alongside a broader consortium of research centres, industry partners, and third-sector organisations.

This network includes institutions delivering the UK’s national capabilities in synchrotron and neutron science, viral disease research, weather, oceanography, climate change, land and freshwater ecosystems, as well as molecular and imaging techniques spanning subatomic scales to Earth observation.

A defining feature of ILESLA is its Open Innovation Industrial Consortium (OIIC). Comprising 13 industry partners, the consortium provides students with direct opportunities to engage with industry, gaining insights into the application and commercialisation of research beyond academia.

ILESLA is committed to inclusivity, hosting initiatives to recruit and support students from diverse backgrounds, including mature students and those in employment. The programme anticipates welcoming cohorts of approximately 60 students each year.

Over the next five years, two students annually will conduct their doctoral projects within groups at Oxford Brookes University. These students will benefit from the university’s wide-ranging research expertise, spanning computer-based DNA sequence analysis, molecular and bioimaging techniques, and environmental and ecological studies. Oxford Brookes staff will also contribute their knowledge by teaching at the DTC, and the university’s Bioinnovation Hub offers students hands-on experience with biotech companies.

Professor Joe Tah, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, commented:

“Being a key partner in the Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award underscores Oxford Brookes’ commitment to collaborative, cross-disciplinary research that addresses the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, we are better positioned to drive meaningful change and create sustainable solutions that impact both the scientific community and the wider world. This partnership is a crucial step in advancing the future of environmental science through innovation and collective action.”

More information about the award is available on the ILESLA website.