Supervision

Supervisory Team

Once you have identified your primary supervisor from the list below, you will work with her/him and the Director of Graduate Studies to develop your supervisory team.

You are required to have two supervisors from Queen Mary, but you may have additional supervisors. Additional members of the supervisory team can include members of post-doctoral research staff, industrial partners or other external collaborators.

Research Areas and Potential Supervisors

Our Research strategy supports quality in science exemplified by our unique biomaterial innovations, producing translational impact from bench to clinic. At the same time, evaluating treatment interventions together with the parallel development of novel imaging and -omics technology emphasise our increasing focus on clinical trials and large studies facilitating prognostication of treatment modalities leading to improved health care and patient reported outcomes. This approach uses existing strengths in wound healing, inflammation, and immunology, which enhances our international reputation in periodontology, oral medicine, and oral cancer.

Research in the Institute of Dentistry is organised within multidisciplinary research groups, which provide critical mass of expertise and a fulfilling academic environment.

Major interests within these groups include the following:

Clinical Research/Wound Healing

Research areas:

• Wound healing following periodontal treatment
• Bone regeneration around dental implants
• Impact of dental implant surfaces placement on wound healing

Staff members:

• Dr Elena Calciolari – Clinical Reader in Translational Dental Medicine
• Professor Nikolaos Donos – Director of Research, Professor of Periodontology, and Implant Dentistry
• Dr Nikos Gkranias – Clinical Reader in Periodontology
• Dr Nikos Mardas – Clinical Reader in Periodontology
• Dr Jeniffer Perussolo – Clinical Lecturer in Periodontology

Infection and Immunity

Research areas

• Microbial pathogenesis and virulence
• Microbial-host interactions and immune defences
• Naturally occurring antibacterial peptides and other molecules
• Mucosal immune responses
• Clinical studies and genetic factors in oral ulceration
• Cell biology of bone formation and tissue regeneration
• Risk and prognostic factors in periodontitis

Staff Members:

• Professor Robert Allaker – Professor of Mucocutaneous Microbiology
• Dr Dominiki Chatzopoulou – Reader in Periodontology and Implant Dentistry
• Dr Elena Calciolari – Clinical Reader in Translational Dental Medicine
• Professor Nikolaos Donos – Director of Research, Professor of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry
• Professor Farida Fortune – Professor of Oral Medicine
• Dr Fabian Flores Borja – Lecturer in Immunobiology
• Dr Cecilia Gonzales-Marin – Clinical Senior Lecturer in Periodontology
• Dr Eleni Hagi-Pavli – Director of Graduate Studies, Reader of Oral Sciences
• Professor Angray Kang – Professor of Immunotechnology
• Dr Simon McArthur – Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience & Pharmacology Clinical
• Dr Mark Payne – Clinical Senior Lecturer
• Dr Jeniffer Perussolo – Clinical Lecturer in Periodontology
• Dr Noha Seoudi – Senior Clinical Lecturer in Oral Microbiology
• Dr Abish Stephen – Lecturer in Oral Microbiology
• Professor Anwar Tappuni – Clinical Professor in Oral Medicine
• Dr Hong Wan – Reader in Oral Cell Biology

Oral Cancer

Research areas:

• Oral epithelial ageing and role of telomerase in oral cancer
• Epithelial stem cells in cancer
• Keratinocyte biology
• Biology of tumour invasion and role of integrins
• Clinical studies of treatments in oral cancer
• Behavioural factors and smoking cessation 

Staff Members:

• Professor Farida Fortune – Professor of Oral Medicine
• Dr Ana Caetano – Clinical Senior Lecturer in Squamous Cell Carcinogenesis
• Professor Paul Coulthard – Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Dr Inês Sequeira – Senior Lecturer in Oral and Skin Biology
• Dr Hong Wan – Reader in Oral Cell Biology
• Dr Gernot Walko – Senior Lecturer in Squamous Cell Carcinogenesis
• Professor Ahmad Waseem  – Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oral Biology

Physical Sciences in Dentistry

Research Areas:

• Physical chemistry of dental caries
• X-ray microtomography of dental hard tissues
• Crystallographic studies of enamel and biomaterials
• Changes in bone structure associated with ageing and tooth loss
• Salivary proteins in enamel homeostasis and dental caries
• Biomechanical properties of bone and dental hard tissues
• Polymer chemistry and dental materials
• Development of polymers for drug delivery devices

Staff Members:

• Professor Paul Anderson – Professor of Oral Biology
• Dr Aylin Baysan – Clinical Reader in Cariology in relation to Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID)
• Professor Alan Boyde – Professor of Mineralised Tissue Biology
• Professor Michael Cattell  – Professor in Biomaterials and Dental Technology
• Professor B S Chong – Professor of Restorative Dentistry
• Dr Janet Davies – Clinical Reader in Paediatric Dentistry
• Professor Graham Davis – Professor of 3D X-ray Imaging
• Dr David Gillam – Reader in Translational Research in relation to Dentistry
• Professor Robert Hill  – Professor of Physical Sciences in Relation to Dentistry
• Dr Natalia Karpukhina  – Reader in Dental Physical Sciences
• Mrs Swati Nehete – Clinical Senior Lecturer
• Professor Mangala Patel  – Professor of Dental Biomaterials
• Dr Simon Rawlinson – Reader in Dental Hard Tissue Biology
• Professor Tuan Pham – Professor of AI in Imaging, Diagnostics, and Trauma
• Dr S K Sidhu – Reader in Restorative Dentistry
• Professor Ferranti Wong – Professor of Paediatric Dentistry
• Dr Lifong Zou – Clinical Senior Lecturer in Imaging

Clinical and Population Research

Research Areas:

• Clinical and population studies on sociopsychological, economic, and behavioural determinants of oral health inequalities
• Clinical and population studies on tobacco cessation in the oral health environment
• Clinical and population studies on oral health impact on quality-of-life population studies on the burden of oral diseases
• Clinical studies on determinants of treatment outcomes of oral and dental conditions, including oral cancer, Behcet's Syndrome, dry mouth, periodontal diseases, and malocclusion, clinical studies on minimum intervention.
• Development of primary care networks for practice-based research.
• Systematic reviews (collaborative work with the Cochrane Oral Heath Group)
• Behaviour change interventions aimed at preventing chronic diseases and more specifically those aimed at reducing sugars to prevent obesity and dental caries.

Staff Members:

• Dr Vanessa Muirhead – Clinical Reader in Dental Public Health
• Professor Manu Mathur – Professor of Dental Public Health
• Dr Ali Golkari  – Clinical Senior Lecturer in Dental Public Health and Primary Care
• Professor David Williams – Professor of Global Oral Health
• Dr Huda Yusuf – Clinical Reader in Dental Public Health

Supervision Meetings

There should be a minimum of ten supervisory meetings per academic year for full-time students (pro rata for part-time students) held at regular intervals up to submission of the thesis for examination. This is broadly one meeting per month.

Supervision may include, one-to-one meetings, telephone conversations or video-link/skype meetings – which is decided between the supervisor and student. Opportunities are also made available for research students and supervisors to meet informally but research group meetings, lab meetings and email conversations are not counted as supervision meetings.

Keeping a record of supervisions is key to a successful outcome. Students and supervisors must use the on-line Supervision Log, which you will be given access to after enrolment, and enter a minimum of ten online reports per academic year for full-time students, five per year for part-time students.