Train at the forefront of human-based cardiovascular research

Led by King’s College London in partnership with Imperial College London and funded by the British Heart Foundation, this 4-year PhD programme is the first in the UK dedicated exclusively to in vitro, ex vivo and in silico human models of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

You will join an interdisciplinary cohort working at the interface of cell biology, bioengineering and data science, developing the tools and knowledge needed to transform the way we understand, diagnose and treat CVD. The Programme aims to train future leaders to become multi-disciplinary scientists with capacity to operate across disciplines.

Fully funded studentships – providing a stipend and tuition fees for 4 years, funds to support research, world-class supervision, and access to outstanding research infrastructure across King’s and Imperial.

Next-Generation Human Models of CVD is an interdisciplinary PhD program dedicated to creating, developing, and testing human models of CVD to drive breakthroughs in areas where CVD research faces significant challenges. Every PhD project will incorporate a human model of CVD (pink), with at least one other focal area - bioengineering (green) or multi-modal health data (MMHD, blue). MMHD encompasses a variety of data sources, such as electronic health records (e.g. from Cogstack or UK Biobank) and multi-omics analyses of both healthy and diseased tissues, with state-of-the-art facilities support from the Smart Trials Hub (STH). This programme will also have capacity for digital twin modelling of in vitro or living systems by integrating real-time, multi-modal, and spatial ‘omics data. Patient tissue samples are accessible from King’s Cardiovascular Biobank and Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals.

In bioengineering (green), supported by Imperial and King’s, students will utilise advanced approaches like bioprinting, biofabrication, and scaffold design, all essential for constructing human models of CVD.

Human Blood Vessel Organoids (BVOs) display striking similarity with the human microvasculature, consisting of a dense network of capillaries with CD31+ endothelial microvessels (shown in green) and PDGFRβ+pericytes (shown in red) in direct contact. DAPI staining (shown in blue) depicts cell nuclei.

Video showing a longitudinal section of the human heart muscle highlighting the alignment of the cardiomyocytes in green (cardiac troponin T2) and the presence of cardiac fibroblasts in red (YAP/TAZ). Blue colour indicates the nuclei (DNA).

Immunofluorescence staining of a myocardial section from a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy (Red is sarcomeric alpha-actinin, green is EH-myomesin, blue is nuclear stain - DAPI).

About the programme

CVD remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet many therapies fail when they move from animal models into patients. Our programme responds directly to this challenge by focusing on human-relevant models that better capture genetic diversity, complex disease mechanisms and real-world clinical data.

Students will work on urgent problems such as inflammation that follows myocardial infarction, heart failure, coronary microvascular dysfunction, myocardial dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis, cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction, and vascular calcification, using advanced experimental and computational approaches. Projects will explicitly integrate bioengineering, mechanistic human CVD models and multimodal health data (MMHD).

Cohort structure & delivery

King’s will fund 6 studentships. Applicants should have expertise in molecular & cellular biology and carry a strong interest in human models of CVD.

Imperial will fund 4 studentships. Applicants should have expertise in bioengineering and carry a strong interest in human models of CVD.

Each cohort will engage in year-1 of training through attending core and elective modules, workshops and 2 x mini-projects. In years 2-4, students will continue with one of their mini-projects towards a PhD.

Students from King’s will work on human models of CVD with an option to incorporate bioengineering and/or data science (e.g. multi-omics and patient record data).

Bioengineering students from Imperial will pair-up with a supervisor from King’s holding a model of CVD – facilitating the design or improvement of CVD models, which can incorporate data science (e.g. multi-omics and/or patient health data).

Our human cardiovascular models

Across King’s and Imperial, students will have access to a rich ecosystem of state-of-the-art human models and data resources, including:

In vitro cellular models – human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, leukocytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, co-culture systems and 3D cardiac and blood vessel organoids.

Engineered tissues and organ-on-chip platforms – bioengineered heart tissues and microfluidic systems that recreate mechanical load, flow and electrophysiology.

Prototype device development, bioprinting, biofabrication and biomaterial scaffold design.

Ex vivo human tissue – well-phenotyped samples from established cardiovascular biobanks, enabling deep mechanistic studies with histology, imaging and spatial omics.

In silico and data-driven models – computational electrophysiology and haemodynamics, multiscale modelling and AI-enabled analysis of MMHD, including emerging digital-twin approaches.

This integrated platform allows students to connect molecules to mechanisms to patients, building models that can genuinely inform future clinical trials and precision therapies.

Transendothelial migration of primary human neutrophils over TNF-activated endothelial cells, under hydrodynamic shear stress conditions.

Cardiomyocyte derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Vimentin (red), MyBP-C (green), and F-actin (blue).

Training and cohort experience

You will join a cohort-based training environment with:

• Foundations in advanced cell and molecular techniques, bioengineering, AI and statistics
• Workshops in multi-omics, imaging, clinical data and responsible AI
• Joint supervision and lab rotations across King’s and Imperial
• Career support in scientific writing, funding applications, public engagement and leadership
• The programme aims to develop future leaders into multidisciplinary scientists with the capacity to operate confidently across disciplines – from experimental biology and bioengineering through to data science, AI and clinical translation.

Who should apply?

We welcome applications from highly motivated students who:

• Hold (or expect to achieve) at least a 2:1 undergraduate degree or a Masters (merit or above) in a relevant discipline (e.g. cell/cardiovascular biology and bioengineering with a strong interest in cell biology of disease models).
• Come from backgrounds such as biomedical sciences and bioengineering.
• Are excited by interdisciplinary, team-based cardiovascular research with real clinical impact.

The programme is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we strongly encourage applications from groups under-represented in cardiovascular research.

If English is not your first language you will be required to provide evidence that you meet the minimum English requirements of the Faculty. More details on the minimum English requirements can be found on our website

Application

Applying to this programme is a two-stage process.

The link for Stage One consists of completing an online application form to inform us of your qualifications and relevant experience, your motivation for applying and your future career plans.

The applications will be reviewed, and successful candidates will be invited to panel interviews in Stage Two. Applicants who are offered an interview will be invited to submit an application via King’s Apply where final checks on academic qualifications, English language requirements and fee status will be made. Completing this process is required for applicants to be awarded a studentship.

Please direct all programme enquires to SCMMS-PGR@kcl.ac.uk

Leadership team

The programme is led by an experienced, cross-institutional team:

• Dr Aleksandar (Alex) Ivetic – Programme Director (King’s College London)
• Dr Anna Zampetaki – Deputy Director (King’s College London)
• Dr Adam Celiz – Co-Director (Imperial College London)

Together, they bring complementary expertise in human cardiovascular biology, vascular science, bioengineering and translational innovation, and a strong track record of mentoring early-career researchers.

iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte cultured for 30 days on decellularized matrix. Green colour indicates the contractile apparatus (sarcomeric actinin), blue the nucleus (DNA) and red the extracellular matrix protein collagen IV.