PhD Study

Our MPhil/PhD programme currently has more than fifty research students from all over the world including the UK, Europe, Jordan, China, Australia, Colombia, Indonesia and Canada. Each student is carefully monitored by a small committee of specially chosen experts and receives regular training on research and other skills (scientific writing, imaging techniques, programming etc).

If you have any questions, please contact the Biosciences Postgraduate Research Admin team at biosciences.pgr.admin@ucl.ac.uk

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Learn more about our programme and apply

The department offers a standard 3 year PhD programme (5 years part-time). Applicants should first contact a potential supervisor to discuss a project. To register for a PhD you will require one of the following:

- a first or upper second class UK Bachelor's degree in an appropriate subject (or an overseas qualification of equivalent standard)

- a recognised Master's degree

* if you are an overseas applicant you will also require evidence of proficiency in English. The standard of English expected is Level 2.

To find out more, and apply, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/cell-and-developmental-biology-mphil-phd

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4 year funded PhD programmes

The department participates in the following funded programmes. These programmes typically feature rotations in several different laboratories during the first year before deciding on your PhD lab and project. Please follow the links below for more information:

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UCL Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships awarded through UCL; students can only apply for these with the support of a supervisor - please contact a prospective supervisor well in advance of the deadline and please note that our Department has an earlier deadline than the UCL one: for October 2026 entry the deadline is Friday 12 December 2025.

Scholarship applicants should e-mail their documents to the Postgraduate Research Admin Team.

Independently funded students

Independently funded students are welcome to apply and commence their studies throughout the year. Entry dates for 2025-2026 will be 1 October, 1 February and 1 May. To apply, view the list of our group leaders to review their research and decide which lab(s) suit your area of interest and email them to discuss potential projects.