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The UCL Eastman Dental Institute offers the possibility for suitable candidates to carry out an MPhil/PhD research programme (three-year full-time or five-year part-time). All new students are registered through the newly created UCL Eastman Dental Institute Centre for Postgraduate Research (UCL ECPgR) at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute.
Key information
Programme starts
September 2021
Modes and duration
Part-time not available to overseas students
Application dates
Tuition fees (2021/22)
Note on fees:
The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.
Entry requirements
A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a recognised MRes or Master’s degree. All prospective applicants, except those applying for advertised studentships, are encouraged to send an informal research enquiry. This should be sent directly to the Research Student Administrator (edi-phd@ucl.ac.uk). Making a research enquiry helps define your interests, contributes to making your application successful, and also serves to ensure the identification of the best possible supervisor for your needs. You can find information about the research departments within the Eastman on the Eastman website. All applicants must meet UCL's general entry requirements for MPhil/PhD.
English language requirements
If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Good
UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses
Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.
International students
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.
Select your country:
Overview
UCL Eastman Dental Institute is a world-leading, academic centre for postgraduate dentistry and translational research based in central London. The institute offers an extensive range of high-quality study opportunities including Master's degrees, speciality training, certificates, diplomas, research-informed degrees and CPD courses. It is also a world-class research centre offering a range of doctorates. The laboratory based and clinically intensive programmes are led by international specialists and the UCL Eastman Dental Institute enjoys many long-standing collaborations with international universities, the NHS, industry sponsors and other UCL research groups. Many research graduates become leading clinical specialists, consultants, senior lecturers and post-doctoral researchers.
Research areas
UCL Eastman Institute seeks to improve and make positive impact upon oral and systemic health through innovative and high-quality research. The institute has a global reputation in its three key areas of interest - Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Clinical Research and Microbial Diseases. During their research programme, the students will be expected to undertake a research project under the supervision of at least one member of the institute's academic staff. The nature of the project can be defined by either the academic supervisor or by the applicant, depending on both availability and method of funding. It is however expected that the nature of the research project will be on basic science but may be clinically relevant depending on the project.
About this degree
Additional costs
Research students will incur an additional fee element (AFE) per year of study, which ranges from £1000 to £10,000 (exceptionally over £10,000). This fee is mandatory to complete the programme and covers consumables, laboratory costs and costs associated with running the project. The exact amount will depend on the needs of the individual research project and will be discussed with you at the time of application
For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.
Funding
Some projects offered for PhD are already funded and studentships will be advertised on both the UCL Eastman Dental Institute's Research page and the UCL jobs website. It is worth noting that due to the complex nature of this programme, it is highly anticipated for the applicant to secure his or her own funding.
Full details of funding opportunities can be found on the UCL Scholarships website.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Careers
Recent graduates have either continued on an academic career pathway by obtaining research or academic positions at leading universities, or have entered managerial or research positions in the health service, government or industry.
Employability
Undertaking a PhD degree at UCL Eastman improves graduates' employability with industrial companies from the pharmaceutical sector in particular, and due to the reputation of the Institute graduates are sought after in the field of dentistry, in particular, worldwide.
Networking
Students are encouraged to attend and contribute to conferences in the UK and internationally. Each year, the institute allocates a sum of money for the purpose of supporting those who wish to travel to a conference or comparable event, either in the UK or overseas, in order to present a paper or poster based on their work. The institute also hosts a variety of speakers throughout the year and all our students are encouraged to attend these talks and network with their peers. An annual PhD Research Symposium is organised, where Research Students present oral and poster presentation highlighting their research projects.
Why study this degree at UCL?
UCL Eastman Dental Institute is the largest postgraduate dental school in Europe and has a reputation as one of the world’s leading academic centres for dentistry. Moreover, it is also a world-class research centre dedicated to basic, translational research allied to dentistry and oral health. We achieved a good outcome in the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014 and have one of the strongest NIHR-funded translational portfolios in dentistry with world-leading publications.
At UCL Eastman Dental Institute research is highly collaborative and most of our current research projects attract interaction with outside partners in UCL, other universities in the UK and around the globe. The grant success is derived from several sponsors - such as ERC, NIHR, EPSRC – which showcases the wide range of research activities in basic, translational and dental research. We have long-standing collaborations through an ever-growing portfolio of projects, with SMEs and large multinational companies alike.
The institute’s strategy is to undertake high-quality research that advances knowledge of the causes, treatment and prevention of orofacial and related disease and to translate such findings into improved clinical care and public policy.
Department: Eastman Dental Institute
What our students and staff say
"After 10 years working for the oil industry I was looking for a new challenge in a biomedical field and was attracted to a joint postdoctoral academic/industrial position at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute which enabled me to use all my past polymer, colloid and chemistry experience to develop new dental materials. With the imminent phase out of antibacterial mercury-based amalgam, white composites will become the main tooth restoration material. Current commercial composites have higher failure rates but I am running a research group – working with clinicians, cell biologists, microbiologists, material scientists, engineers and industrial companies – to develop a new antibacterial composite which also helps the tooth re-mineralise and thereby repair itself. Recently we helped a start-up company develop to market a modified dental composite which is now used in hospitals across Europe to repair common osteoporotic spinal fractures and stabilise screws to fix other bone fractures. "
Dr Anne Young
UCL Eastman Dental Institute MPhil/PhD
Reader in Biomaterials
"My clinical studies are focussed on innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for disease of the mouth, jawbone, salivary glands and the head and neck region in general. These include cancer and pre-cancer, chronic pain, chronic inflammation, and adverse side effects of cancer medications and radiotherapy. The ultimate goal is to provide patients with better diagnostic tools to identify disease at an early stage and better treatment."
Dr Stefano Fedele
UCL Eastman Dental Institute MPhil/PhD
UCL Eastman Dental Institute
"UCL is a top university in UK with lots of research facilities and experts, especially in my related fields - Neuroscience, Biomaterials, and Tissue Engineering - so I thought I would gain a lot of experience and academic connection here."
Titinun Suannun
Dentistry PhD
Application and next steps
Applications
Please note that due to the competition for places, applications will not be accepted after the deadline. You must also submit a portfolio. Details for portfolio submission will be sent to you once you have submitted your UCL application. Applicants will be considered for Slade scholarships as part of the admissions process.
This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found in our How to apply section.
Application deadlines
- All applicants
- 30 July 2021
At the UCL Eastman Dental Institute Centre for Postgraduate Research, start dates will be normally at three points in the year; September (date as per the start of the academic year), January (date as per the first day of the spring term) and March/April (date as per the first day of the summer term). Exceptions may be made depending on the funding requirements. Some of our applicants wish to submit their own research proposal. If you wish to do so, please make sure that first you identify a suitable supervisor with the correct expertise. If you are unsure, please contact our Research Student Administrator on edi-phd@ucl.ac.uk
For more information see our Applications page.
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Page last modified on 11 June 2021