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Centre for Novel Agricultural Products
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Research and training opportunities

PhD and Masters by Research

CNAP provides a collaborative, ambitious and multidisciplinary research and training environment for early career researchers.

Postgraduates are members of the Department of Biology, as well as CNAP, and our postgraduate programmes include a core research project as well as skills and networking opportunities applicable to a wide range of future careers.

The Department’s Bioscience Technology Facility enables access to state-of-the-art equipment and provides technical training in imaging, ‘omics technologies, molecular interactions and data science.

CNAP group leaders are active in multiple doctoral training programmes and we lead Plant BioDesign. Many research projects in CNAP provide the opportunity to collaborate with other universities and/or industry partners.

Explore our postgraduate study options

Independent Research Fellows

CNAP is a vibrant, collegial and successful environment for research fellows. We have hosted fellows with prestigious awards from UKRI and The Royal Society, as well as international awards. Many progress to academic appointments and we, and the Department, provide financial, personal and professional support to enable fellows to make the best start to their independent research careers.

If you are considering a fellowship application and would like to discuss hosting this at CNAP, please get in touch. 

Contact the CNAP Director to discuss a Fellowship

Meet some of our current researchers

During my PhD at CNAP I’ve been supported to take part in many enriching experiences outside of the lab. I joined an international PhD programme on sustainable food systems with training in France and Brazil, and completed a placement in government at the Open Innovation Team working on a range of policy projects and seeing how academics can contribute to policy development.  I also independently created and supervised a GenerationResearch undergraduate summer internship.

Maria Pattichis, Postgraduate researcher

The combination of world-class facilities and a genuinely collaborative community in CNAP make it a really exciting place to work. From the moment I joined as a PhD student, I found myself surrounded by experts across a remarkable breadth of disciplines - all generous with their time and knowledge - making CNAP an intellectually stimulating environment that pushes you to think broadly, not only about your science but also the applications of your research.

James Barratt, Postgraduate researcher, now Postdoctoral Research Associate

I benefitted from structured professional and leadership development opportunities in CNAP, supporting my transition to research independence. My fellowship provides the freedom to pursue high-risk, high-reward research at the interface of metabolism, physiology, and global carbon cycling.

Dr Ousmane Dao, Royal Society Career Development Fellowship

My fellowship is hosted in CNAP, providing me with mentorship, access to facilities and equipment, and additional financial support. The strong career support for fellows at York enabled me to secure a permanent lectureship position which I will take up on completion of my fellowship.

Dr Charlotte Walker, BBSRC Discovery Fellowship

The fellowship and funding was crucial for kick-starting my lab group, providing funding for post-docs, a technician, equipment and other resources. The protected research and innovation time provided by the fellowship also allowed me to develop other projects and research grants.

Dr Benjamin Lichman, UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (Round 1)