PhD in Reproductive Biology

A PhD in Reproductive Biology would provide you with the time and resources to conduct a three to four-year research project into an area of reproduction. These projects could involve the study of pollinators, researching reproductive organ conditions such as the endometriosis or developing drugs to for contraception. Regardless, your work will contribute to the current understanding of Reproductive Biology.

What’s it like to do a PhD in Reproductive Biology? 

As a PhD student in Reproductive Biology, you’ll likely gain experience with a range of laboratory techniques. Depending on your project, you may work directly with patients or observe and sample organisms in the field. Therefore, you’ll also develop an excellent understanding of ethics.

Some typical research topics in Reproductive Biology include:

• Studying reproductive hormones in animals
• Developing novel drugs for contraception or to assist conception in humans
• Investigating the response of natural pollinators to environmental changes
• Researching a specific condition such as polycystic ovaries
• Study the formation of the placenta in healthy or diseased cases

In a standard workday, you’ll be working in the laboratory, studying patients, or taking part in field work, depending on your research topic. You’ll also be writing up the results of previous experiments, analysing data and discussing your current work and plans with your supervisor.

Your PhD will end with you writing a thesis of roughly 60,000 words and a viva exam, in which you’ll defend your thesis.

Almost all Reproductive Biology projects have a research proposal attached outlining the work, which is written by the supervisor. Many of these projects come fully-funded, though some request you self-fund, which can be tricky since you must pay both PhD and bench fees.

Funding challenge also makes proposing your own research in Reproductive Biology uncommon, as well as the difficulty of finding a supervisor with research interests that overlap with your project, who also has adequate equipment.

Entry requiements

The entry requirements for most Reproductive Biology PhD programmes involve a Masters in a subject directly related to Biology, with at least a Merit or Distinction. If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need to show that you have the right level of language proficiency. 

PhD in Reproductive Biology funding options 

The research council responsible for funding Reproductive Biology PhDs in the UK is the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). They provide fully-funded studentships including a stipend for living costs, a consumables budget for bench fees and a tuition fee waiver. Students don’t apply directly to the BBSRC, you apply for advertised projects with this funding attached.

It’s uncommon for Reproductive Biology PhD students to be ‘self-funded’ due to the additional bench fees. However, if you were planning to fund yourself it might be achievable (depending on your project) through the UK government’s PhD loan and part-time work.