UCL EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentships - applications open

On this page: 

• Summary 
• Key Facts
• Funding 
• Student Eligibility 
• Residency Requirements for UK Nationals
• Residency Requirements for EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals with pre-settled status
• Project Eligibility
• How to Apply
• What Happens After Applying 

Please note, some links below lead to external sites.

Applications now open 

The UCL EPSRC DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) invites applications for 3 funded PhD studentships for interdisciplinary research via an open competition.

• The EPSRC DTP is intended to recruit excellent PhD students regardless of their chosen department. All studentship projects must be interdisciplinary and lie within the EPSRC remit.  
• Studentships are expected to start on 26 September 2022 unless exceptional circumstances require an alternate start date.  Three studentships are available.  
• Successful candidates will be expected to engage with and contribute to a cross-disciplinary and collaborative programme of seminars and activities for the duration of the studentship. 

Key Facts

Value: Fees, Stipend (£19,062 per year), Research Training Support Grant
Duration: Up to 4 years (thesis to be submitted within funded period)
Eligible Fee Status: Home, International
Eligible Programmes: Full- or  part-time research degrees (MPhil/PhD, MRes + PhD (1+3), or EngD) except those of EPSRC or UKRI funded CDTs (Centres for Doctoral Training)
Primary Selection Criteria: Academic merit
Available To: Prospective students
Application Deadline: 12:00 on 08 June 2022

Funding available

All studentships are fully funded for 4 years. They provide:

• 4 years fees (Home rate)
• Maintenance stipend at the UCL EPSRC DTP enhanced rate (£19,062 in 2022/23, rises with inflation each year)
• Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £4,800. This is to cover additional costs of training eg courses, project costs, conferences, travel
• For overseas fee status students, a UCL award to cover the fee difference between the Home and international fee rate

Students will be initially registered for 4 years and are expected to submit their thesis within the 4 year funded period. The project should be designed and supervised to facilitate this.

Student Eligibility

• You must fulfil the academic entry requirements for UCL
• You must fulfil any additional academic entry requirements for the department programme you will be hosted by
• These studentships are open to those with Home and International fee status (including EU); however, the number of students with International fee status which can be recruited is capped according to the EPSRC terms and conditions so competition for International places is particularly strong.

An official fee status assessment by UCL admissions will be required for all successful candidates. However, the following guidance is provided to help you determine whether you will be Home or International category for EPSRC funding:

• UK nationals are Home category, provided they meet residency requirements.
• EU nationals with settled status are Home category.
• EU nationals with pre-settled status are Home category, provided they meet residency requirements.
• Irish nationals living in UK or Ireland are Home category
• Those who have indefinite leave to remain or enter are Home category.
• All others are classified as International category.

Residency requirements for UK nationals:

• living in UK, EEA, or Switzerland on 31-Dec-2020 and lived in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar for at least 3 years immediately before the studentship begins
• lived continuously in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar between 31-Dec-2020 and the start of the studentship

Residency requirements for EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals with pre-settled status:

• living in UK by 31-Dec-2020 (a requirement to receive pre-settled status)
• living in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar for at least 3 years immediately before the studentship begins

Note: These studentships are open to those with Home and International fee status (including EU); however, the number of students recruited with International fee status which can be recruited is capped according to the EPSRC terms and conditions.

Project Eligibility

Program of study:
Your project can be within an MPhil/PhD, MRes + PhD (1+3), or EngD programme in any of the eligible host departments, listed below. However, you cannot apply for a studentship to be hosted in one of the Centres for Doctoral Training which are already funded by EPSRC or UKRI-AI. To join one of these programmes, you should apply directly to those schemes using their own application process

Project eligibility: 
The research project must demonstrate interdisciplinarity, and be aligned with a challenge that cannot be addressed with a single disciplinary approach (examples include the UCL Grand Challenges and the UN Sustainable Development Goals). The project must be based in UCL Engineering but can be co-supervised by supervisors in any UCL Faculty. The project must be co-supervised by supervisors from different departments, and possibly different Faculties, and must lie within the EPSRC remit — the EPSRC’s website provides information on EPSRC Themes and EPSRC Research Areas within this remit. The proposed project supervisors must agree to support your application. You can apply for MRes/PhD, MPhil/PhD, or EngD programmes. These studentships may not be used to apply to EPSRC and UKRI CDTs (Centres for Doctoral Training).

Host departments and supervisors can advise on available projects that are within EPSRC remit, and on remit considerations if you wish to devise your own project. The proposed project supervisor must agree to support your application.

Available host departments:

Faculty of Engineering

• Biochemical Engineering

• Chemical Engineering

• Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering

• Electronic and Electrical Engineering

• Mechanical Engineering

• Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Public Policy

• Security and Crime Science

• Computer Science

• School of Management

How To Apply

To apply for a funded studentship you need to:

1. Make an application through UCL Select. Please select Research Degree: Chemical Engineering, even if you are interested in a course from a different host department. Once you have applied, the Chemical Engineering team will re-direct your offer to the host department of your choice. 

In your application please include:

•  A one page research proposal
• A letter from the Department Graduate Tutor to confirm support of your application
• Two references 

Your referees cannot be part of the proposed supervisory team for the doctoral study you are applying for. Referee 1 must be an academic reference (if your most recent academic qualification was more than 5 years ago this can be substituted by a reference related to research experience gained during employment).

2.    Complete the main application form. The application form must be submitted by 12.00pm on 08 June 2022, late applications will not be considered. 

What happens after applying

Stage 1: Shortlisting and interview
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by the recruitment panel with an invitation to attend an interview (likely to be held online). If you have any adaptations/requirements to enable you to attend an interview, please make sure you provide this information when confirming your interview appointment. 

Stage 2: Final Selection
Outcomes are expected to be confirmed by mid-July, although this may be later in the case of reserve candidates

Selection criteria:

Primary criteria

1. Candidate’s academic performance and skills to date
2. Candidate’s potential for success and excellence in doctoral research and potential for future success
3. Fit to interdisciplinary remit

Secondary criteria / suitability checks

1. Fit to EPSRC remit. The DTP can only fund projects that are within EPSRC’s remit.
2. Suitability of project, to ensure a high quality of training for success
3. Suitability of supervisory team / host department, to ensure a high quality experience

For informal enquiries, please contact chemeng-phdenquires@ucl.ac.uk

What happens if you are not selected

There is always strong competition for funded studentships. If you receive a rejection from this open competition, it does not mean that you have been rejected by UCL or other funding opportunities you have applied to. You should receive separate outcome notifications from other opportunities you have applied to. You are advised to contact the department you applied to be hosted by to see if there are other opportunities you can apply to.

Appeals and Complaints

Appeals will only be possible on the grounds that the published recruitment/selection process was not followed. Students won’t be able to appeal on the grounds of disagreeing with the academic selection or judgement made.

If you think that the published process (as shown on this webpage) has not been followed, you may contact chemeng-phdenquiries@ucl.ac.uk to raise your concern. Please clearly mark your email INTERDISCIPLINARY DTP APPEAL in the subject line. Your appeal and application will be reviewed by a panel in light of this new information.