Gatsby Unit PhD programme

Year 1

Our PhD programme starts with a year of intensive courses in research and techniques in neuroscience and machine learning. New students are admitted at the start of each academic year in September.

All students begin by attending Boot Camp, a three-week course covering the fundamentals of neuroscience and technology. Students will take core courses in systems and theoretical neuroscience and machine learning (ML)  

• Term 1: Systems Neuroscience and Theoretical Neuroscience (SNTN)
• Term 1: Probabilistic and Unsupervised Learning; Approximate Inference and Learning in Probabilistic Models (PUL/AIL)
• Term 1: Kernel Methods, part of Advanced Topics in Machine Learning
• Term 2: Theoretical Neuroscience (TN)
• Term 2: Theory of Learning

Students are expected to achieve a passing mark on both coursework and exams to progress to the next phase of the programme. See also Teaching. 

After completing the core courses, students will start developing their thesis project under the guidance of their supervisor.

Year 2

Students will work on their thesis project. They will also need to carry out a 2-month rotation project in a field different from the field of their PhD thesis (e.g., if the thesis project is on TN, the rotation project should be on experimental neuroscience or ML). At the end of Year 2, students are expected to start writing their MPhil/PhD upgrade report and schedule to give an upgrade presentation to the Unit.

Year 3 and 4

Having passed all upgrade assessments, students will transfer from MPhil to PhD status and devote their remaining tenure to research. (Occasionally, some students may opt to only do an MPhil.)

At the end of Year 4, students will transfer to Completing Research Status (CRS). Thesis should be submitted no later than six months into the CRS period.

Across years

We foster a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment. Although each student works primarily with the Primary Supervisor, we strive to avoid boundaries between groups and promote an open research culture with regular unit-wide events that allow everyone to get involved in everything and be aware of what others are doing. Students thus have ready access to all members of the unit. Our external seminar series provides an opportunity to meet eminent speakers and external attendees. During their PhD, students are expected to attend all unit-wide events, including research talks, tea talks, one of the journal clubs and external seminars.

Students are encouraged to network with peers at SWC, the ELLIS Unit at UCL and other UCL departments (such as Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, Experimental Psychology; Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology; Statistical Science) and attend relevant conferences such as COSYNE, ICML, NeurIPS and ICLR.

We are committed to support the career and professional development of our students. Students develop communication skills by writing scientific publications and giving regular internal talks and presentations in conferences. Critical thinking is further developed through weekly journal clubs and lab meetings. Students teach during the second year of the programme and act as a mentor to junior PhDs. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of research and transferable skills courses available through the UCL Doctoral School and engage in outreach and public engagement activities (often jointly with SWC).

More formal sources of support inside the Unit include the student’s Supervisors, the (Deputy) Departmental Graduate Tutor, the Scientific Programme Manager, and the Administrative Manager. The student wellbeing advisors at our parent faculty, Faculty of Life Sciences, also offer wellbeing support and guidance. Outside the Unit and Faculty, a wide range of help and resources is available through UCL, the Doctoral School, and the Student's Union.

Applicants must have a strong analytical and mathematical background, a keen interest in neuroscience and/or machine learning, and a relevant first degree (for example, in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, Neuroscience, or Cognitive Psychology). Students seeking to combine work in neuroscience and machine learning are particularly encouraged to apply.

Candidates offered a place on the Gatsby Unit PhD programme will be required to meet UCL's standard admissions requirements. This includes UCL's English language proficiency requirements; the required UCL level of English proficiency for this programme is Level 3.

Full funding is available to all students, regardless of nationality. Our PhD studentships cover UCL tuition fees for both home and international students and include an annual tax-free stipend as well as travel budget for attending conferences and workshops. We also welcome applications from students with pre-secured funding or who are currently applying for other scholarships/studentships.

See GCNU-SWC joint PhD programme.

Applications must be submitted via the Gatsby Recruitment Portal by 17:00 GMT on Monday 9 November 2026. Applications by any other means will not be accepted. 

Please review information on this page carefully before submitting your application. You will be asked to provide the following:

• Academic background
  • Secondary school
  • University degrees (with copies of transcripts, see below)
  • Research experience
  • Awards, prizes, scholarships or other relevant notable achievements
  • Highlight up to three relevant advanced mathematics or mathematics-based courses that you have taken. We are particularly interested in subjects such as linear algebra, statistical theory, multivariate analysis, differential equations, or functional analysis. You may also include science or engineering courses with a large mathematical component such as classical, quantum or statistical mechanics, control theory, or signal processing.
  • English proficiency. Candidates offered a place on this PhD programme will be required to meet UCL's English language proficiency requirements. Please check the information on the UCL page carefully before answering the question(s). See also "Entry requirements" above for the required UCL level of English proficiency for the Gatsby Unit PhD programme.
• Transcripts: You will need to upload copies of your degree transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at this point. If you have more than one transcript for a single degree, please combine them into a single file before uploading.
• Statement of research interest: This is to help us gauge your motivation and the depth of your thought about problems in machine learning or neuroscience. You should identify one or more scientific questions of interest in machine learning or neuroscience and explain (1) why you find them interesting, (2) why you think they are important, and (3) how they would align with research in the Gatsby Unit. We are not seeking a thesis project proposal nor do we hold anyone to areas identified in this statement if they join us. Do not use the statement to describe research experience, although you may find it helpful to highlight experience of any sort that fits with or motivates the questions you discuss. (As a guide, the statement should be ~2 pages in length.)
• References: You will be asked to enter the names and contact information of at least two (ideally three) academic referees who have agreed to comment on your ability and suitability for doctoral research. The best referees have directly supervised your research. You may also ask professors with whom you have studied, particularly if you interacted extensively enough that they can judge your potential. A director of studies or similar mentor may be able to provide a useful overview, provided that they know you well. To give them adequate time you should submit the referee information as soon as you know who your referees will be, even if the rest of the application is still incomplete. Once you submit the referee information, an email request will be sent automatically. Please check with your referees to ensure that they have received the emails. (There have been reports of this email being treated as spam, so please ask your referee to check for a misfiled message if s/he does not see it.) You will receive an email confirmation when each reference is received. It is your responsibility to ensure that references reach us by 17:00 GMT, 10 November 2026 (i.e., one day after your deadline).

Applications will open in mid-September 2026. Visit the Gatsby Recruitment Portal and select "Gatsby Unit PhD Programme 2027" to start your application. The site is best viewed with a web browser (full-screen mode) on a computer. Please check the spam folder if you do not receive a verification email after registration. You won't need to complete your application all at once, as you will be able to save your progress and continue later. Submit by 17:00 GMT on Monday 9 November 2026.

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