Quantum Biology

The Quantum Biology PhD programme at the University of Surrey offers a unique opportunity to explore the fascinating interface between quantum physics and biology, with the potential to uncover new insights into the fundamental principles of life and advance technologies in fields such as medicine, biotechnology, and beyond.

On this Quantum Biology Quantum Biology programme you can contribute to an emerging and exciting discipline, that could hold the key to new approaches in solar energy, drugs and diagnostics, and even improve our understanding of how the brain works and the conceptual foundations of quantum theory.

Career opportunities

The Quantum Biology PhD offered at  University of Surrey University of Surrey gives you the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary research programme in a theoretical or experimental area of the discipline. As a PhD student at the University of Surrey, you’ll become part of Surrey’s QB-DTC, putting you at the heart of a community of academics, postdoctoral researchers and guest scientists. In the first year, you’ll embark on a training programme of interdisciplinary seminars. These workshops are designed to ‘fill in the gaps’ in physics for biologists and in biology for students from a physical science or mathematics background. Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors. After your first 12 months, you’ll complete a confirmation report, which will be assessed by independent examiners.

Research themes

• Photosynthesis

• Spin chemistry in biology

• Molecular mechanisms of mutation

• Enzymes

• Olfaction

• Nanobiotechnology

• Synthetic biology

• Magnetoreception

• Neurobiology

• The role of noise in quantum biology

• Open quantum systems

• Quantum information theory