Meet our postgraduate research students

Nikolay Burlutskiy

First year full-time doctoral student Nikolay is studying Visual Modelling for the Formal Specification and Interpretation of temporal Reasoning and Argumentation.

Nikolay's passion for robotics led him to university and then into business but, although the money was good, he knew his heart lay in research. He knew he would have to get a PhD if he was going to realise his full potential.

The University of Brighton provided him with a studentship covering tuition fees and some living expenses.

Alice Hagan

I am working as a PhD student in the university’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences. I have been developing a delivery system capable of blocking blood flow to cancerous liver tumours and releasing drugs directly into the targeted area. The system could improve treatment and reduce damage to surrounding cells and the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy.

My research studies focus on liver tumours. Mortality rates for many cancer types are falling but deaths from liver cancer are expected to rise by nearly 40 per cent by 2030 due to rising alcohol consumption and other risk factors.

Specifically my research involves microscopic ‘beads’ which are injected through a catheter into the specific blood vessels supplying liver tumours. Blood vessels feeding the tumour are blocked, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients, whereas the rest of the liver tissue remains unaffected. The beads then slowly release the drug into the tumour site, giving a sustained dose of chemotherapy to the cancerous region. When the drugs are delivered this way, the amount of drug that reaches the rest of the body is greatly reduced, meaning fewer side effects for the patient.

My research is investigating the efficacy of beads loaded with novel, targeted drugs that could disrupt the mechanisms by which liver tumours sometimes escape destruction. The novel part of my research is the local delivery of these types of drugs.

I am thrilled to have been awarded £80,000 funding from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to pursue my research. I am now working with Biocompatibles UK Ltd, a healthcare company specialising in drug delivery methods and a BTG International group company. The university has a longstanding relationship with BTG that I am happy to be able to continue with this collaboration.

Louisa Buck

Third year part-time doctoral student Louisa Buck's research subject is 'Why do British political cartoonists use images of Greek mythology?'

Louisa returned to study after taking time out to have a family and working in the print industry. She gained an MA and then went on to develop her idea for a doctorate with the help of her tutor.

She honed her ideas for her research PhD and finally presented them to the university research committee which agreed and she became a doctoral student. 

Stephanie Davis

Stephanie is an MPhil/PhD researcher in psychology in the school of applied social sciences. She is researching how queer and trans people of colour use activism to negotiate their identities and to navigate racism, queer phobia and trans phobia.

After a break from study Stephanie finally managed to achieve her dream of doing a PhD at Brighton.

Her goal is to be a scholar activist, merging the personal, political, creative and academic together.