The University of Southampton (UoS) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) are Russell Group universities with world-leading research programmes and are proud to offer Medical Research Council funded doctoral training programme (MRC DTP) PhD studentships alongside other PhD studentships. Students are based at UoS or QMUL researching topics including cancer, neurological, inflammatory or infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance or global health, with a focus on interdisciplinary studies and whole organism, applying state-of-the-art computational and experimental methodologies to medical research, with potential links with industry (iCASE studentship). Our PhD students will join a vibrant student community for a 4-year funded study period, beginning in September 2025.
Online applicant information session
Tuesday 17th December 2024, 12:30-2:00pm (Greenwich Mean Time (GMT))
Join us for an overview of the programme and application process and to ask any questions.
Please register here for a place by Tuesday 17th December 10:30am (GMT).
The DTP is committed to inclusivity and strongly encourages applicants from all backgrounds and regardless of their personal circumstances. We will select those who display the potential to become, or to support, the world-leading biomedical researchers of the future based on their application and performance at the time of interview. However, we particularly welcome applicants from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds, as they are under-represented nationwide in STEM roles.
If you are interested in applying for a PhD studentship with our DTP in Translational Biomedical Sciences, please complete the following three steps:
1. Choose a university
Before applying you will need to decide which university you would like to study at.
Please be aware that you will only be able to submit one funding application to the MRC DTP and you cannot apply to both partners.
Applicants must hold a 1st class or 2:1 degree in life, physical or mathematical sciences. With a life-sciences degree, maths, statistics or computing modules at A-Level or above are desirable. With a physics or maths degree, life-sciences modules at undergraduate level are essential.
Eligibility details and application guidance can be found here.
| University of Southampton | Queen Mary University of London |
|---|---|
| Stipend: £19,237 pa (UKRI rate outside London, academic year 2024/25, reviewed annually by UKRI) Research groups and centres Academic enquiries: Dr Sandrine Willaime-Morawek, Associate Professor in Stem Cells and Neurobiology s.willaime-morawek@soton.ac.uk Application enquiries: +44 (0)2382126501 fmed-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk | Stipend: £21,237 pa (UKRI rate inside London, academic year 2024/25, reviewed annually by UKRI) Research institutes Academic enquiries: Dr Katiuscia Bianchi, Lecturer in Molecular Oncology K.Bianchi@qmul.ac.uk Application enquiries: +44(0)2078823888 bci-cancercourses@qmul.ac.uk |
2. Apply for admission to your chosen university
Apply to your chosen university to study for a research degree by completing an online application for PhD admission. At the point of completing your application for an MRC studentship (step 3) you only need to have submitted the PhD-admissions application and are not required to hold an offer at this stage.
| University of Southampton (Guidance) | Queen Mary University of London |
|---|---|
| Complete the UoS online application here In the supervisor field on the application form please quote reference IPHD/UoS/202526/1022. | Complete the QMUL online application here (the application form will only identify the MRes component, but your application is for the full programme). |
3. Complete the anonymous application for a PhD studentship
When you have applied to the university of your choice, you can then complete an application for the MRC DTP funding.
In your funding application form you will be asked for more details about your research topic and given space to tell us about relevant achievements and experience in support of your studentship application.
Please be aware that while you may already have submitted some of this information as part of your PhD admissions application to your chosen university (step 2), we will require you to repeat it for the purposes of your funding application.
Please note: You will be asked to write a personal statement in both applications. We therefore recommend that you prepare your statement in a word processing programme, e.g. Microsoft Word, and then copy and paste it into the relevant fields of the application forms. Tips for writing a personal statement are provided here.
| University of Southampton | Queen Mary University of London |
|---|---|
| Complete the anonymous application for a PhD studentship here Your application cannot receive consideration until you have completed both applications. | Complete the anonymous application for a PhD studentship here Your application cannot receive consideration until you have completed both applications. |
Deadlines
Closing date for applications: Sunday 12th January 2025
Interviews: On or after 10th of February 2025. Candidates interviewed are asked to give a short presentation on a recent research project they have been involved in.
UoS and QMUL are committed to making Equality, Diversity and Inclusion an integral component of University life. Both institutions hold Athena Swan Silver Awards and are Race Equality Charter signatories. We particularly welcome applications from those from minority ethnic groups, a disadvantaged background or having taken a career break. Flexible study is available and should be discussed at application. University benefits include onsite childcare facilities, state-of-the-art on-campus sports, arts and culture facilities and a full programme of events.