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The UCL EPSRC Landscape Award (UELA) has studentships available for 2025-26. Applications are now open. Closing date: 13:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
Important note:
With the changes to UKRI schemes, the UCL EPSRC DTP is changing name to UCL EPSRC Landscape Award - to be known as UELA. During the transition phase you may still see references to the DTP on these webpages, for now the terms UCL EPSRC DTP and UELA can be considered the same!
[Additional information for UCL staff on the recruitment process - UCL staff login required]
Summary
The UCL EPSRC Landcape Award (UELA) has 50 fully-funded four-year studentships available for 2025/26. Studentships are open to both Home and International fee status students, however EPSRC caps the number of International students at 30% so a maximum of 15 International students can be recruited and competition for these places will be particularly strong.
Applications close at 13:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025. If there are places available after all offers have been made, additional applications will be considered in Round 2. Round 2 will open in February and close in early June. We will not know whether there are places available for round 2 until after it closes, and Round 2 will be for Home candidates only. We strongly recommend you apply by the initial deadline for round 1 of 13:00 UK time on 28 January 2025.
Studentships are expected to start on 01-Oct-2025 unless exceptional circumstances require an alternate start date. Exceptional circumstance include, but are not limited to, disability and caring responsibilities.
Prospective students may apply to any of the projects available in the project catalogue. Some of the projects are collaborative - these are jointly funded by an external partner organisation, and involve time spent on placement at the partner’s premises.
Note: Where unavoidable, UELA reserves the right to withdraw projects from the catalogue before or after the application deadline. Candidates who have applied to a project that has been withdrawn will be informed as soon as possible.
An application consists of 4 parts. Please make sure you read all of the guidance on this page before applying.
- Key Facts
- Funding available
- Student eligibility
- Projects available
- How to apply
- Part C - Questions
- Part D - Information for Referees
- Diversity monitoring data
- What happens after applying
- Successful candidates
- UCL admissions portal
- Grade Transcripts
- Successful International candidates
- What happens if you are not selected
- Appeals and complaints
Funding available
All studentships are fully funded for 4 years. They provide:
- 4 years fees (Home rate) (International students will receive a UCL award to cover the home/international fee difference)
- Maintenance stipend at UELA enhanced rate (ie £1,500 above the UKRI London-weighted rate; this will be at least £22,737 in 2025/26, and rises each year)
- Research Training Support Grant (RTSG). This is to cover additional costs of training eg courses, project costs, conferences, travel
Students will be 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.
For part time students the stipend and duration will be adjusted pro-rata (e.g. a 50% FTE student will receive 50% of stipend for up to 8 years).
Student Eligibility
You must fulfil the academic entry requirements for UCL.
You must fulfil any additional academic entry requirements for the department 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, or refugee or humanitarian protection status 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 with International fee status which can be recruited is capped according to the EPSRC terms and conditions.
Projects Available
Students can apply to any of the projects listed in the project catalogue. You may apply to a maximum of 5 projects.
Note: Where unavoidable, UELA reserves the right to withdraw projects from the catalogue before or after the application deadline. Candidates who have applied to a project that has been withdrawn will be informed as soon as possible. In round 2, applications will only be considered if there are remaining places available after all round 1 offers have been made.
View the 2025-26 project catalogue
How to apply
An application to UELA consists of 4 parts:
- Part A: Complete once. This must be submitted before parts B, C and D can be completed.
- Part B: Complete once. This must be submitted by 13:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
- Part C: Complete for each project you are applying to. You can apply to a maximum of 5 projects. This must be submitted by 13:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
- Part D: To be completed by your two nominated referees. Both references should be submitted by 13:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025 for an application to be considered complete. If your references are not received by this deadline it will not prevent your application being reviewed, but your application may be at a disadvantage. We are not able to inform candidates whether their references have been received.
Late, incomplete, or incorrect applications will not be considered. A complete application consists of parts A, B, C, and D. If your references are not received by the deadline it will not prevent your application being reviewed, but your application may be at a disadvantage.
Successful candidates will also need to complete an application via the UCL admissions portal after they have been made a provisional offer by UELA.
All applications must be made through the online forms. Candidates can prepare their application in advance of submitting online. The information that is required is provided on this webpage to help you prepare your application, but applications will only be accepted via the online portal.
Step 1: Part A
You must complete this form only once (unless you make an error in your email address and have to re-do it, as per instructions below).
This form collects personal data which will not be shared with the review panel. More information on the diversity data collected is shown below.
Other information collected in this form includes:
- Your intended study mode - full time or part time (minimum 50% FTE)
- If needed, your justification for a delayed start date (note that studentships are expected to start on 01-October-2025 and delayed starts will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (this includes, but is not limited to, disability and caring responsibilities))
- Any adaptations required for you to be able to attend an interview (to be held online)
- How you heard about this opportunity
- Details of 2 referees
Referee details required:
- Name
- Institution/organisation
- Email address
Important: We cannot accept referee email addresses from a personal service (such as gmail, yahoo, hotmail, 123.com, qq.com). You must provide their institution/organisation email address.
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). Your referees cannot be part of the proposed supervisory team for the doctoral study you are applying for.
We are not able to inform candidates whether their references have been received.
Before completing part A of your application, make sure you have permission from your referees, and are confident that they will be able to submit a reference within the timeframe.
Please note that none of the above information will be used for the selection process.
- You must complete and submit part A before you can complete parts B and C. After submitting part A an email will be sent to the email address you provided with your "Applicant ID" and personalised links for parts B and C of your application. You must use the links in your email to apply - they will automatically complete your applicant ID details correctly. Do not share your links with anyone else.
- If you do not receive the email within 24 hours of submitting, check your spam/junk folder. If you still can't find it, there may be an error in the email address you provided – please simply redo part A. [Note: 123.com and qq.com email addresses frequently cause errors in the system; it is recommended that you try using an alternative email address from a free service such as gmail, yahoo, hotmail.]
- An email will also automatically be sent to each of your referees using the email address you have provided, asking them to provide a reference. Important: you must provide their institution/organisation email not a personal one (such as gmail, yahoo, 123, qq, etc.). If personal email addresses are detected by our system your part A submission will be rejected and you will need to re-do it with appropriate referee email addresses (you will receive an email notifying you if this happens).
Step 2: Part B
You must complete this form only once. You must complete the online form using the link in the email you received after completing part A - it will automatically complete your applicant ID details for you.
This form contains an online template which we review in place of a traditional CV. We collect information on transcript details with a full record of modules for awarded and in-progress qualifications, work experience, other achievements/experience, and details of research projects/experience.
International candidates will need to provide their UK degree equivalency. Please use UCL’s prospective student webpages to check your degree results against the information provided for your country of study.
You must enter all your degree and module grades exactly as shown on your transcript, do not do any conversion. If the data entered in your part B form does not match what is shown on the transcript, your application will be invalid and you will not be given an official offer via UCL's admissions portal. Information on the requirements for official transcripts is shown below.
The host department(s) of the project(s) you are applying to should not request your CV, grade transcript, or any other application documents from you. Please email the DTP manager (epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk) with any concerns and/or if you are asked to provide additional documents/information.
Step 3: Part C
You must complete this form once for each project you are applying to (up to a maximum of 5). You must complete the online form using the link in the email you received after completing part A - it will automatically complete your applicant ID details for you. You will receive only one link to part C of your application - you can use the same link for each project you apply to (up to a maximum of 5). If you apply for more than 5 projects, we will only accept the most recently submitted 5 forms. If you make a submission in error, you can contact epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk to ask for it to be discarded up to 13:00 UK time on 21 January 2025 (requests after this time cannot be processed in time for you to resubmit before the deadline).
This form is the main part of your application. It asks questions to assess your aptitude, suitability, and motivation for doctoral study and the specific project.
The questions in the part C form are provided at the end of this page so you can prepare your answers. However, we cannot accept applications via email. You must submit your application using the online form.
The host department(s) of the project(s) you are applying to should not request your CV, grade transcript, or any other application documents from you. Please email the DTP manager (epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk) with any concerns and/or if you are asked to provide additional documents/information.
Step 4 - Information for Referees - Part D
If a candidate nominates you as a referee in their application form, you will receive an email from the UELA asking you to comment on the applicant's suitability and ability to undertake doctoral research, including examples where possible. The skills you are asked to comment on are:
- Critical thinking
- Independent and collaborative work
- Written and oral communication skills
- Ability to organise workload
- Data analysis
Depending on the capacity in which you know the candidate, you may not be able to comment on all of the above skills, but please try to identify specific examples where the applicant has demonstrated the qualities and experience relevant to doctoral research. If you do not think you can comment meaningfully on, or your organisation’s policies limit what you can include in a reference, you will need to inform the applicant so they can find an alternative referee.
What not to include in the reference:
- The name of the candidate. The reference must be anonymous so please use "the candidate" or "X" instead of their name.
- Protected characteristics (such as ethnicity or gender). Please use they/them/their instead of he/him/his or she/her/hers.
- Anything else that might identify the candidate.
Please note that references should be submitted by 13:00 UK time on Tuesday 28 January 2025 for the candidate's application to be complete. If the reference is not received by this deadline it may disadvantage the candidate's application.
Who can be a referee:
You cannot be a referee if you are part of the proposed supervisory team for the doctoral study the candidate is applying for. Referee 1 must be an academic reference (if the candidate's recent academic qualification was more than 5 years ago this can be substituted by a reference related to research experience gained during employment).
We are not able to inform candidates whether their references have been received.
Diversity monitoring data
The UELA is committed to equality of opportunity in our studentship selection processes.
Part A of the application collects diversity monitoring data. By providing this information, you will help us to ensure that our policies and procedures are effective in avoiding discrimination and promoting equal opportunities in making those awards.
You have the option to select “not disclosed” for any of the questions. The answers you supply will be kept confidential. The data will not be sent to reviewing panel members, and the answers you give will have no bearing on the outcome of your application. When analysing the data internally it is aggregated and not considered on an individual basis.
You can view UCL's privacy policy at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/ucl-prospective-students-enquirers-and-applicants-privacy-notice
UCL has an obligation to report the data on all applicants to EPSRC (the funder). The data is aggregated before reporting and will not be linked to individual applicants. Please review their data policy (https://www.ukri.org/about-us/privacy-notice/) - note that EPSRC is part of UKRI which has a single shared data policy.
What happens after applying
Applications will be reviewed in a 3-stage process. Make sure you respond quickly to any correspondence about the application process during this period.
Final outcomes for round 1 are expected to be confirmed by early April 2025, although this may be later in the case of reserve candidates.
Stage 1: Shortlisting
Parts B, C and D of your application are sent to the host department of the project you have applied for. All applications are anonymised. The department will review and shortlist candidates to be interviewed.
Stage 2: Interview
Once stage 2 begins, all those students who were not shortlisted in stage 1 will be notified that they were not successful.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by their proposed host department with an invite to attend an interview (held online). If you have any adaptations/requirements to enable you to attend an interview, please make sure you provide these in part A of your application so that supportive arrangements can be made accordingly.
Stage 3: Nomination to central panel and final selection
After stage 3, all those students who were not shortlisted after interview in stage 2 will be notified that they were not successful.
Departments select their preferred candidates from those interviewed to nominate to the central selection panel. As part of this nomination the central panel will receive information on candidate's performance at interview.
Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of senior academics representing diverse areas of UCL from across EPSRC’s subject area remit. The central panel will make final selections for all 50 awards, ensuring the number of International students stays within EPSRC's cap (an absolute maximum of 15 international students). A reserve list will also operate. The majority of outcomes are expected to be communicated by early April but will be later in the case of reserve candidates.
Selection criteria:
Primary criteria
- Candidate’s academic performance and skills to date
- Candidate’s potential for success and excellence in doctoral research and potential for future success
Secondary criteria / suitability checks
- Fee status - within EPSRC's cap on international recruitment an absolute maximum of 15 international students can be recruited, so competition for international candidates will be particularly strong
Successful candidates
UCL Admissions portal
If following stage 3 of the process, you have been selected for an informal offer of a UELA studentship, you will need to complete an application to study at UCL via the UCL admissions portal. You will need to receive an offer of study at UCL via the formal admissions process to be given a formal UCL UELA funding offer letter. Guidance on completing an application in the UCL admissions portal will be provided to candidates when they need to complete it.
Grade transcripts
You will be asked to submit your official grade transcripts as part of your UCL application to study via the UCL admissions portal. We advise you to prepare these well in advance. Transcripts need to meet the requirements of the UCL admissions office.
Successful international candidates
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
Depending on nationality, successful international candidates, might need to apply for the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS). You are able to apply for the ATAS certificate with a UCL conditional offer of study. The certificate is valid for 6 months, so all international candidates are expected to apply as soon as they receive their conditional offer of study from UCL.
English Language Requirements
International candidates might need to provide evidence of their English language proficiency as part of their application via the UCL admissions portal. Please check the UCL English language requirements webpage for more information.
Student visa
All successful international candidates will be required to apply for a Student visa. In order to apply for your visa, you will need your ATAS certificate and an unconditional offer of study from UCL. Students applying for a visa of more than 6 months in duration will be required to pay the immigration health surcharge (IHS) for access to the National Health Service (NHS). You can find out how much will be expected to pay using the fee calculator on the UKVI website. The full amount of your IHS will need to be paid at the time you submit your visa application.
What happens if you are not selected
There is always strong competition for funded studentships. If you receive a rejection from the UCL UELA, 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
As applications are reviewed by panels of academic staff in a multi-step process, it will not be possible to request an appeal if you disagree with the outcome of your application on grounds of the academic assessment or judgement made.
However, if you think that the published process (as shown on this webpage) has not been followed, you may contact epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk to raise your concern. Please clearly mark your email UELA RECRUITMENT APPEAL in the subject line. Your appeal and application will be reviewed by a panel in light of this new information.
Questions for Part C
You must complete the online form using the link in the email you received after completing part A - it will automatically complete your applicant ID details for you. The questions are provided here only so that you can prepare your answers in advance, applications will only be accepted via the online forms.
Q1. Your motivation for Doctoral research.
(maximum 300 words)
Explain your motivation for doing doctoral research in general, and this project in particular. Think about your previous research experience and how it fits with this project.
What are your career aims? How does doctoral research, and this project specifically, fit with those aims? From the research opportunities available worldwide, what made you choose this one?
Make sure you give information or evidence to back up your statements rather than making generic statements such as “I am passionate about doing research in topic X”. Applicants for interdisciplinary projects, please also give specific details about your motivation for undertaking an interdisciplinary project.
Q2.Your suitability for Doctoral research
(maximum 300 words)
Explain how your personal attributes will help you succeed at Doctoral research. For applicants for interdisciplinary projects, please give specific evidence of your suitability for interdisciplinary doctoral research.
Think about the skills and attributes needed to be a successful Doctoral researcher e.g. independence, curiosity, time-management, problem-solving, communication, etc. Give examples from your experience that demonstrate these qualities. Demonstrate with examples how you approach challenges to overcome them. What makes you stand out as an excellent candidate for doctoral research?
Q3. Knowledge and skills
(maximum 300 words)
Explain how your knowledge and skills will help you succeed in doctoral research, and this project specifically, including interdisciplinary research where applicable. What do you think are the important areas of knowledge and the technical skills needed for this project?
Give examples to show how you have the right background knowledge, skills and experience to be able to undertake this project. How will you go about increasing your knowledge and acquiring new skills so that you can succeed in the project? What makes you the best candidate for this specific project?
Q4 Your research experience
Choose 1 of the 3 research projects you included in section of your application to discuss in more detail in this section. You don’t have to use the most recent, chose the one that you think is most relevant and/or best demonstrates your experience and skills in relation to the project you are applying for. For applicants for interdisciplinary projects, please give specific evidence related to interdisciplinary research experience.
Q4a. About the research
(maximum 500 words)
This is your opportunity to discuss one of your research projects in more detail to demonstrate your relevant experience. Research experience could include an experimental or theoretical piece of research, a literature review, or analysis of existing data.
State whether you were working alone or as part of a team, and explain what your intellectual and practical contributions to the research were. You should include the aims and hypothesis of the project, and give some context to the purpose of it e.g. was it addressing an outstanding question, improving current knowledge, or developing a new or improved technique. Discuss the techniques you used and why. If your project was a literature review or analysis of existing data, explain how you chose the review topic or analysis to perform. Discuss challenges encountered during the research and how you approached these.
4b. Outcomes of the research
(maximum 500 words)
Research can have many types of outcomes. These can include published papers and conference presentations, but there are often wider outcomes as well. Describe the main results or conclusions of your project. How does this contribute to the field of study? If you presented your results at a conference or they will contribute to a publication provide details (making sure not to give details that would identify you such as a full publication citation). If you weren’t able to meet the project aims, what were the limitations of the approach and how would you overcome this if you continued to work on it?
If you did a literature review did you find any gaps where further research is needed and how might you conduct some of that research?
If you analysed existing data, did it have any gaps or limitations, and how would you collect new or additional data to overcome this?
Consider also your personal outcomes, for example did you gain knowledge, skills, or confidence in a particular technique or subject area; did you gain other skills that would help you succeed at Doctoral research; what did you learn about the research process and your ability to be a researcher?
Q5.Contextual information (Optional)
(maximum 200 words)
If you wish, you can use this space to provide any contextual information to support your application. Examples may include (but are not limited to): career breaks, caring responsibilities, disability, long term health condition. Make sure you don’t directly declare any protected characteristics (eg gender, ethnicity).
IMPORTANT: Remember that your application will be read by the supervisor and others that you will be working with if you are offered a studentship, so don’t mention any personal details which you would not want them to know.