University of Hull

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2026 · 2026-09

‘Living well with Water’ champions creative, place-based, participatory solutions to the urgent human and planetary health challenge of how we live well with water in a world of rising water risks and growing deprivation. We all need water, and humans have historically settled near water in green-blue regions, here defined as land within ten miles of the seacoast or foreshore of estuaries, deltas, and tidal rivers. These regions are home to some of the world’s largest cities but have always been vulnerable to flooding, pollution, and erosion. Many of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities also cluster around coastlines exposed to heightened water risks (Fernandez-Bilbao et al. 2011). Four of the five most deprived English authorities, according to Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019, are coastal or estuarine, including the two cities, Hull and Liverpool, whose universities lead this consortium. Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of coastal flooding and erosion (IPCC 2021), but it is an environmental injustice that many green-blue communities most at risk are least empowered to adapt. This is why living better with water underpins key UN-SDG goals, and why we urgently need investment, not just in coastal infrastructure, but in community resilience-building programmes that are place-based, participatory, and led by local needs. Addressing this, our consortium works with disadvantaged UK green-blue communities, and within UK Government’s policy frameworks for Levelling Up (2022) and climate change adaptation and resilience (FCERM 2020; NAP3 2023), to harness the creative power of place-based history and heritage to contribute to cultural placemaking and build healthier, happier, water-resilient communities at UK’s green-blue edge. We bring environmental humanities expertise in literature, history, heritage and creative community engagement into conversation with the social, environmental, and health sciences at Universities of Hull (UoH) and Liverpool (UoL), and our consortium builds on ongoing coastal humanities collaborations between UoH and UoL (UKRI Coast-R Network) and benefits from the cross-sectoral expertise of non-HEI partners, the National Trust, Royal Geographical Society, and Tate. Our cross-sectoral training combines collaborative doctoral awards (CDAs), industry placements, and cohort-wide residential training tailored to the transdisciplinary needs of researchers integrating arts and humanities with human and planetary health. Our aims and objectives embed UKRI’s four principles for change – diversity, connectivity, resilience, engagement – to: Aim 1: Widen access to doctoral training among underrepresented groups within disadvantaged UK green-blue regions (‘diversity’): Objective 1.1: use inclusive recruitment and selection, applying best practice from UKRI’s Widening Participation in Postgraduate Research and UoH’s Centre for Water Cultures CDT 1.2: work across non-HEI partners to support cross-sectoral training and mobility 1.3: create a safe, inclusive research environment tailored to individual needs. Aim 2: Engage disadvantaged communities with their green-blue histories and heritage in creative, collaborative, culturally meaningful ways (‘engagement’): Objective 2.1: maximise our reach by match-funding 15 additional doctoral awards 2.2: work with partners to tailor CDAs/ placements to local needs 2.3: promote transdisciplinary, cross-sectoral research practices that are Collaborative, Open, Inclusive, and Non-Extractive (COINE). Aim 3: Deliver doctoral training that crosses sectors (‘connectivity’) and translates research into policy outcomes and public good (‘resilience’): Objective 3.1: invest in disadvantaged green-blue economies by centering our training/partnerships within the communities, histories, and heritage of these regions 3.2: support doctoral projects that are locally embedded and community facing 3.3: work with partners/policymakers to scale up effective place-based resilience building.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2026 · 2026-09

This research proposal focusses on enhancing our ability to detect potential signs of life beyond Earth by investigating the spectroscopic signatures of halogen-containing molecules. These molecules, which include compounds with elements such as fluorine and chlorine, are prevalent in lists of potential biosignatures but are often overlooked in favour of more traditional targets such as water and methane. The core objective is to develop the methodology to create a database of spectroscopic data for a key selection of halogenated molecules, enabling their identification in existing and future astronomical observations. The project addresses a critical gap in current biosignature research. Existing spectral databases cover only a small fraction of potential biosignatures, potentially leading to missed detections. This research will use a newly developed approach to predict the rovibrational signatures of a range of halogenated compounds, creating a resource that could be used to (re)analyse existing data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), and Europa Clipper, for example. The importance of this work stems from several factors. Firstly, halogenated molecules constitute a significant portion of the potential biosignatures. Secondly, many organisms on Earth use these molecules in biological processes, suggesting their potential as indicators of extraterrestrial life. Thirdly, the limited abiotic production pathways of some halogenated compounds may reduce the risk of false positives. Finally, the presence of specific halogenated molecules can provide insights into the environmental conditions of a planet. The project will develop computational tools for accurate prediction of spectral signatures, create a publicly accessible database for selected molecules, identify key target molecules for future missions, and automate the data generation process for efficiency. The research team is well-equipped for success, possessing proven expertise in molecular physics, astrobiology and astrophysics. The project will leverage high-performance computing resources and collaborate with international experts. The open-science approach ensures that the generated data will be widely available. The proposed timeline includes benchmarking existing codes and expanding capabilities in the first year, developing an automated pipeline in the second year, and generating data for key halogenated compounds in the third year. This phased approach allows for rigorous testing and refinement of the computational methods, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the generated data. The project's success is further bolstered by the team's ability to integrate diverse expertise, from molecular physics to astrophysical observation, and its commitment to producing high-quality, reproducible results. The planned automation of data generation will enable the efficient processing of potentially large molecular datasets, ensuring the creation of a truly comprehensive database. This combination of methodological rigour, collaborative expertise, and efficient data processing makes the successful completion of this project highly probable. The anticipated outputs will have a lasting impact on the field of astrobiology and atmospheric science. To summarise, the funding of this proposal is a strategic investment in astrobiology, which directly addresses a critical gap in spectroscopic data for halogenated biosignatures. It enhances detection capabilities, reduces false positives, and drives technological advancement through automated computational pipelines. The data will support current and future space missions, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and generate high-impact, publicly accessible resources. Ultimately, it significantly advances our ability to search for life beyond Earth and also provides invaluable data for atmospheric science.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-12

Context: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasing, imposing a significant burden on healthcare systems. T1D arises when the immune system mistakenly destroys insulin-producing pancreatic ß-cells, necessitating lifelong insulin treatment and continuous blood sugar monitoring. The complex inflammatory nature of T1D, along with significant gaps in understanding the molecular drivers of ß-cell destruction, presents challenges in developing effective treatments. The challenge addressed: This project tackles the need for more effective T1D treatments by addressing the underlying cause - the destruction of pancreatic ß-cells. Current therapies only alleviate symptoms, underscoring the importance of strategies that prevent or delay ß-cell demise. This requires a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for ß-cell damage. This project centers around the role of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in the Hippo signalling pathway, known for its involvement in regulating organ size and tissue hemostasis. I was the first to show the crucial role of Hippo pathway components, including YAP, in islet/ß-cell biology and their pathophysiology in diabetes. My pilot data indicate that YAP, typically repressed in mature ß-cells, is upregulated in individuals with T1D in both exocrine and endocrine compartments. This upregulation acts as a positive regulator of ß-cell apoptosis and islet inflammation, potentially triggering autoimmunity and ß-cell loss in T1D. Therefore, elevated YAP expression in the pancreas represents a novel metabolic aspect of T1D. Aims and objectives: The primary objectives are to unravel YAP's role in T1D and explore strategies to block its downstream pathway to protect ß-cells. These objectives encompass: (1) Assessing whether YAP antagonism using well-established pharmacological inhibitors of YAP can protect ß-cells from inflammation and destruction in T1D. (2) Determining the molecular mechanisms underlying YAP's regulation and actions in T1D using advanced methodologies such as spatial transcriptomics, high-plex tissue imaging, and loss- and gain-of-function cell-based models. Using multi-model cell systems - including healthy and T1D human pancreatic tissue, disease-relevant in vitro and ex vivo T1D models, and established immune cell-islet interaction cultures, the project aims to outline a critical path for targeting the Hippo/YAP pathway in preclinical and future clinical studies. Potential applications and benefits: Over 4.3 million people in the UK have diabetes, with approximately 8% affected by T1D, which profoundly impacts their quality of life, daily routines, and mental health. Managing T1D incurs substantial costs, including medications, medical equipment, hospital care, and associated healthcare services. The NHS allocates at least £10 billion annually to diabetes, about 10% of its entire budget. This research aims to advance T1D therapy by investigating YAP as a dysregulated factor and an initiator of immune imbalance in T1D. Successful findings could open avenues for signaling-based T1D therapies leveraging the Hippo/YAP pathway. Moreover, a significant fraction of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) eventually become insulin-dependent due to ß-cell damage, making this research relevant to many millions with diabetes. Existing drugs targeting YAP in oncology trials could be repurposed for rapid assessment in T1D. The direct beneficiaries of this research are individuals with T1D, as it aims to protect ß-cell mass, improve glycemic control, and reduce long-term complications. This would enhance quality of life and reduce the burden on healthcare systems by decreasing costs and resources needed for lifelong insulin therapy and addressing outcomes of poor long-term control (cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), retinopathy, neuropathy, etc.).

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-11

  Cardiovascular disease is the largest cause of mortality worldwide, causing 32% of global deaths.  Of these deaths, 85% are due to unwanted blood clots (thrombi) that form and block blood vessels leading to heart attacks and strokes. Therefore, targeting these unwanted thrombi with effective therapy is crucial to have a profound effect on patient wellbeing. Although a range of therapies exists to prevent or dissolve blood clots, their effectiveness can vary based on factors such as race, sex, and individual resistance to treatment, with significant side effects like bleeding. Currently, only about 20% of drugs that show promise in lab-based and animal models prove effective in clinical settings. This discrepancy is largely due to the limitations of existing preclinical models. To develop new and more effective drugs, it is essential to combine mathematical/artificial intelligence models, lab-based assays, and animal models that reliably predict clinical outcomes. Present lab-based models can replicate thrombus formation but lack key physiological features—such as the proper size, shape, and stiffness of blood vessels—needed to mimic the natural environment. While animal models offer physiological conditions, their high variability and poor correlation to human responses further reduce the predictive value of these studies. This in turn impacts the accuracy of mathematical and artificial intelligence systems that rely on such data. Our approach seeks to overcome these challenges by engineering Artificial Blood Vessels (ABVs) that closely mimic the biophysical properties of native vessels in both healthy and disease states. We will line the interior of these ABVs with vascular endothelial cells derived from arteries or veins and encase them with smooth muscle cells. This arrangement replicates the natural positioning of these critical cell types within the vascular bed, whether studying arterial or venous thrombus formation. Additionally, by introducing essential physiological factors such as the differing oxygen concentrations found in veins versus arteries, we aim to significantly enhance the replication of the natural blood vessel environment. By developing this more physiologically relevant model system, we expect to identify drug compounds that are more likely to succeed in clinical trials. In addition, our vascular model would be able to evaluate differences in patient cohort’s response to drugs and drug-potency both prior to and during clinical trials, thereby driving the best clinical outcomes for patients suffering from thrombosis. This will not only significantly reduce reliance on animal experiments, but also improve the assessment of how different patient cohorts respond to therapy. Ultimately, our work is designed to drive significant advancements in multidisciplinary  science, drug development, service delivery and patient outcomes for those suffering from vascular disease    

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-10

This project will investigate the cognitive processing underlying our ability to understand who is knowledgeable, and who is ignorant. This ability is crucial for social interactions, as it enables us to predict and interpret others’ actions, communicate effectively, and, more generally, facilitates the accumulation and transmission of our culture through learning from each other. By adapting behavioural tasks we have recently used to investigate how we process other peoples’ beliefs, we will investigate both explicit and implicit knowledge processing in adults. Philosophers have noted that there is a distinction between knowledge and simply having a belief:  while knowing something implies that you believe it, believing something does not mean that you know it. Yet, despite this distinction, the vast majority of psychological research into how we understand others’ mental states (theory of mind) has focused on beliefs rather than knowledge. Although comparative and developmental psychologists have recently taken an interest in knowledge processing (e.g., Martin & Santos, 2016; Harris et al., 2017), contemporary cognitive psychology has very little to say regarding the nature of knowledge and ignorance processing in human adults (Bricker, 2020). Consequently, psychologists and philosophers have recently highlighted the need for new research in order to test current, and develop new, theories of this fundamental feature of theory of mind (Phillips et al., 2021). One theory claims that, unlike belief processing, knowledge and ignorance processing is automatic, requiring little, or no, deliberate conscious thought and therefore likely available to human infants and non-human primates (Phillips et al., 2021; Nagel, 2017). A second theory claims that while knowledge processing might be automatic, ignorance processing very likely requires more deliberate, conscious thought beyond the abilities of non-human primates and possibly human infants (Martin & Santos, 2016). On both theories, however, knowledge processing is the basic foundation from which we build our understanding of others’ mental states. If correct, this view has important implications across the variety of disciplines investigating theory of mind, including developmental and comparative psychology, clinical and behavioural neuroscience, cognitive science, and philosophy. While developmental and comparative psychology offer tentative support to this view, we lack the evidence needed from cognitive psychology to convincingly test these theories. Therefore, across five experiments with adult participants, we will test these theories with the following questions: Is knowledge attribution automatic and more basic than belief attribution? Is ignorance attribution automatic and more basic than false belief attribution? Do we implicitly track others’ knowledge, rather than their beliefs? Our experiments adapt behavioural theory-of-mind tasks that we have previously used to investigate belief attribution, including investigating whether belief attribution is automatic (Apperly, et al., 2006; O’Connor et al., 2023). We will use two types of task: explicit tasks where participants answer questions about another’s knowledge, and implicit tasks where participants do not answer such questions, but we measure knowledge processing nonetheless. By testing these recent theoretical claims, this project will generate new insights into knowledge and ignorance processing in adults, addressing a significant gap in our understanding of this fundamental theory of mind ability. In the long term, a more comprehensive understanding of how we process different mental states may enhance our understanding of the challenges faced by many populations in social interactions, such as those with acquired brain injury or autism (Ferguson & Bradford, 2021).

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

This project will establish a multidisciplinary network of international scholars to reassess the forms, functions, and dissemination of early modern English proverbs. Proverbs saturated the everyday speech of early modern England and are recorded in many forms of writing – including letters, sermons, plays, and literary texts. The most influential creative writer of the period, William Shakespeare, used an estimated 4,600 proverbs in his works (Dent 1981), employing several as titles (e.g. All’s Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure). While many of these sayings are now obscure or obsolete, others have survived into the digital age, reminding us that proverbs are both historically contingent and a transhistorical cultural-linguistic phenomenon. Proverbs thus offer fertile ways of thinking about questions of shared history and cross-cultural understanding, as well as issues central to early modern studies – including the relationship between classical and popular culture; rhetoric and pedagogy; authorship, style, and creativity; and adaptation, appropriation, and afterlives. But, despite the importance of proverbs to the language and literature of the period, the topic has attracted surprisingly little critical attention. As a timely corrective, this project pursues the following main objectives: To create new frameworks for studying proverbs in early modern texts that incorporate different disciplinary approaches, and to instigate a fresh investigation into the formal and functional characteristics of early modern proverbs To investigate the distribution and function of early modern proverbs across different media and social boundaries, and consider how proverbs construct cultural norms and social relationships  To enhance public understanding of proverbs by demonstrating both their transhistorical reach and their ability to capture culturally specific world-views To evaluate relevant tools and techniques for identifying and classifying early modern proverbs, including digital methods and artificial intelligence To foster dialogue and knowledge exchange between academic and non-academic partners To produce world-leading publications exploring the use of proverbs by Shakespeare and his contemporaries To bring together an international network of leading experts from different disciplines to explore these questions collaboratively We will coordinate three interdisciplinary workshops, an international conference, and linked public engagement events (objectives 1-3, 7). The workshops will focus on three key areas – methods (objective 1), materials (objective 2), and communities (objective 3) – and will inform the project team’s development of research tasks and case studies. The research will be disseminated via an essay collection, blogs, and online resources that will inform scholarly practice (objective 6) and engage non-academic audiences (objective 3). It will also feed into work with our project partners to generate innovative teaching methodologies and performance practices (objective 5). Alongside these events, the team will also produce a proof-of-concept analysis that will assess the viability of various computational methods to systematically identify proverbs in a curated electronic corpus of early modern texts (objective 4). The project thus has the potential to reshape how scholars, editors, and students engage with proverbs in early modern literature and culture; it will also transform public understanding of the use of proverbs, both historically and in the present.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-12

The proposed project, “CATALYSE”, will develop, and maintain long-term collaborations between Europe, China, South Africa, and Nigeria towards renewable dimethyl ether (DME) fuel production from CO2. This objective will be achieved through joint research in new process systems and material development in direct air capture (DAC) and utilization. This requires skills and knowledge in experimental study, process modelling, analysis and optimization, computational material design and catalysis which will be strengthened by the individual mobility of researchers between Europe and the participating countries. There are 14 partners involved in CATALYSE who are world-leading in their respective areas of which there are 3 industrial partners.  CATALYSE will start in January 2025 for 48 months. There will be 25 experienced and 32 early-stage researchers to participate in 330 person-month exchange visits. A total of €1.52m funding is requested to support the planned exchange activities. The European partners are experts in process modelling and optimisation, process intensification, computational material design, catalysis, and CO2 utilisation while the Chinese partners are experts in process intensification, green hydrogen production and DAC. The South African partners are experts in DAC and sustainability assessments while the Nigeria partners are experts in renewable energy and green  hydrogen production. Knowledge transfer and training will take place through the planned secondments.  We will generate at least 30 Journal publications and 30 conference papers. In addition, 2 Special Issues will be published in leading journals such as Applied Energy, 2 Workshops and 2 Special Sessions at major international conferences will be organised to disseminate project results.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-12

Our vision is to develop human wound microbiota and infection models that can suitably replace, and substantially improve upon, currently available rodent microbiota/infection models. We will combine our human ex vivo skin platform with a novel curated clinical biobank of skin/wound bacteria to deliver methodology that will be state-of-the-art but also widely adoptable. This new human-centric model will provide fundamental insights into the characteristics of bacteria that lead to poor healing in the clinic, identifying important therapeutic targets. Finally, we will work with a dermatology-focused industrial partner to demonstrate the feasibility of our human ex vivo skin microbiota/infection models for targeted antimicrobial testing, confirming commercial and clinical suitability. This research will deliver a robust and transformative animal replacement platform to enable human-focussed, predictive outputs from host-microbiome and antimicrobial testing studies. Our proposal builds upon pioneering new research demonstrating how the skin's microbial community, or microbiota, is linked to wound infection and clinical outcome. Our group were the first to reveal that the bacterial profile of human chronic skin wounds predicts whether they will heal, and it is now clear that certain types of bacteria lead to poor healing when tested in mice. Despite these important findings, understanding of the role of the skin microbiota in human wound infection and pathology is still in its infancy. This is because currently used murine skin and wound microbiota/infection models show poor translational applicability to humans. Moreover, current state-of-the-art non-animal models fail to recapitulate the complex architecture, physiology and microbiota of human skin. Non-animal skin/wound microbiome models are greatly needed to translate research into clinical outcomes. Chronic, non-healing wounds remain an area of significant unmet need, costing the National Health Service a staggering £8.2Bn per year to treat. Many wounds still fail to heal even with best practice care, with infection preceding up to 90% of wound-related limb amputations. Thus, validated and predictive human models have significant potential to drive 3Rs and societal impact. Our approach will succeed as we have assembled a world-leading team, unique resources and the tools to deliver a substantially improved translational model, meeting important academic and commercial demand. Our expertise spans skin biology, microbiology and infection, with a track-record of developing novel models, supported by established clinical and commercial partnerships. We will facilitate wide adoption of our platform through our leading translational wound centre, working with national and international stakeholders to provide access to expertise and resources.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-06

The pace of deployment of offshore wind (OW) energy is rapidly accelerating to power the transition to net zero. The UK government aims to increase from the current 14GW of offshore wind to at least 50GW by 2030, requiring c£17bn investment per year, then 120-170GW by 2050, to provide clean energy resilience. Despite the remarkable success of OW over the past decade, making it a central component of the UK energy mix, future growth brings new challenges. Deployment must now expand beyond the relatively benign, shallow waters of the southern North Sea to sites further from shore, a fundamentally different engineering, operating and natural environment. In such areas the two-way effects of new OW engineering on the marine biosphere and concomitant impact on other sea users are poorly understood. Beyond technical challenges, a major barrier to rapid deployment is consenting time. The Government aim to reduce typical consent time from 4 years to 1 year by 2030 is only achievable if new approaches to data collection, aggregation and modelling are validated and adopted. The volume and speed of deployment must increase 6-fold, while remaining commercially competitive, requiring industrialisation of manufacturing and installation while ensuring that materials (such as rare earth metals, copper, composites) and other resources (including energy) are used sustainably. The OW workforce will reach >100,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030, with >8,000 projected at HE Level 7+. To achieve and sustain this, the workforce must be drawn from a diverse talent pool and be built on equitable, inclusive cultures where safety and wellbeing are central. The sector OW Industry Council (OWIC) recognises that increasing growth, and UK supply chain content, requires a highly skilled and resilient workforce and highlights the key role of CDT programmes in providing this. The previous EPSRC-NERC Aura CDT in Offshore Wind Energy and the Environment (Aura CDT I) successfully demonstrated the value of OW research and training at the interface of engineering and environmental sciences. Sustainable sector growth now requires further research that integrates emergent social, societal and economic challenges of OW energy. Thus, the proposed UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience (Aura CDT II), provides integrated solutions across the EPSRC/NERC/ESRC remit. These transdisciplinary sector needs are co-identified by key sector stakeholders, including Aura CDT project partners OWIC, ORE Catapult, The Crown Estate, Renewable UK and DEFRA. Direct industry engagement has co-created five Aura CDT II challenge-based themes to: push the frontiers of offshore wind technology; accelerate consent and support environmental sustainability; achieve a sustainable wind farm life cycle; build and support a sustainable workforce; and develop a resilient net-zero energy system. The importance of these themes to the sector is demonstrated by the cash and in-kind support of >40 project partners, allowing us to support >75 CDT students. The CDT connects the University of Hull with partner Universities Sheffield, Durham and Loughborough. PL Dorrell (Director of Aura CDT I) is supported by nine CLs from the partner universities and a pool of >100 diverse supervisors bringing world leading expertise in the areas of engineering, environment and social sciences required to support the training and research elements. Both full and part time students will receive postgraduate training delivered collaboratively through an intensive 6-month multidisciplinary programme at Hull and subsequent courses, with all partners, addressing topics including leadership, public engagement, responsible innovation and EDIW. Small clusters of doctoral students will link expertise from across the four universities and industry partners to provide holistic insights into sector challenges while building cross-cohort collaboration and multiplying impacts.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-06

Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are nuclear imaging methods used to investigate functional information in the body by detecting small levels of radioactive isotopes chemically coupled with a biologically active agent. Using animals in basic scientific research, PET and SPECT imaging offer a unique opportunity to investigate biological mechanisms in a range of systems including metabolism, cell-tracking, oncology, cardiology and neuro-degeneration. Currently, nuclear imaging is performed with only a single isotope at a time which limits the biological readouts to a single process. The feasibility of multi-isotope imaging has been explored, however these efforts are invariably on specific isotope combinations using in-house methods and rarely adopt standardised quantification units, e.g. standard uptake values (SUV). Routine applications of quantitative multi-isotope imaging in the support of basic science have yet to be realised due to a lack of protocol standardization and complications in accurate quantification. The proposed research will address these limitations by developing methods which use different isotopes to quantify activity in multiple biological pathways simultaneously, and demonstrate that these methods can be widely adopted across preclinical nuclear imaging facilities. To achieve this a research programme has been designed to: Use a range of available isotopes to fully characterise the impact of scanner performance and measurements when multiple isotopes are presented Establish robust, data-driven protocols to inform how multi-isotope imaging can be used Validate my protocols by collecting meaningful data in three diverse areas of biological research In recent years there have been significant improvements in global isotope supply, scanner technology, and substantial financial investments towards researching combinational therapies (using multiple therapies in tandem or sequentially to treat disease). This makes the development and validation of multi-isotope imaging methodologies in bioscience timely in terms of capability to deliver, and complementing the current research climate. To achieve standardisation, protocols will be developed for simultaneous multi-isotope imaging in research by using multiple models of small animal scanners that are available on the market, across two research facilities (University of Hull (UoH) and King's College London (KCL)), to demonstrate the repeatability and robustness of our methods.