PhD Applications

Key information for applicants:

• How we will support you

  The programme offers:

  • Enhanced and tax-free stipends with increases every year (Y1: £19,919 outside London and £22,278 in London)
  • Fully-paid tuition fees at the UK ‘Home’ rate (and college fees where required)
  • Research expenses and travel costs
  • Bespoke training delivered with our industry and academic partners
  • A bursary to support the next step of your career post-PhD
  • Learning from and alongside a cohort of fellow students
  • Your own Director of Studies as a point of contact throughout your PhD
• Eligibility

  Applicants must have (or be on track to obtain):

  • A First Class or 2:1 undergraduate degree in statistics, mathematics, computer science, physics or an allied subject or
  • Any undergraduate degree subject and outcome but can demonstrate their suitability for this programme through additional qualifications or research experience.

  Allied subjects can include: engineering, machine learning, data science, robotics, systems biology, bioinformatics/biostatistics, epidemiology. Active or currently registered clinicians are not eligible and should consider the Wellcome Clinical PhD programmes.

  Applicants also need to meet the following criteria:

  • Successful admission to the specified degree programme at one of our partner universities. Students will be expected to meet the admissions requirements of that department and university but do not need to hold the offer at the point of application.
  • Two satisfactory academic or relevant references.
  • Acceptable proof of a legal right to study in the UK or ability to satisfy the current requirements of UK Visa and Immigration.
  • Training is in a mixture of formats (in-person, hybrid and virtual) throughout the first year so remote-based applicants are not eligible for the programme.
  • We cannot accept applicants who are looking for a part-time PhD or those who are aiming to study whilst continuing to be employed elsewhere.
• International applicants

  There are no nationality restrictions and international students are able to apply. However, applicants are advised the award only covers fees at the UK/Home level. International students will be required to secure an additional scholarship from our partner universities (after receiving a offer from us at interview) to cover the difference between Home and Overseas fees. This will limit the university choices available:

  (Please be aware that these are usually highly competitive and will need to be applied for separately in your application to the university post-offer. A successful application to the PhD programme does not guarantee a fee waiver or scholarship. We do not accept applications from candidates who are self-funding.)

  University	Programme	Subject specialties	International fee awards	Comments
  Queen’s University Belfast	None specified	Cancer epidemiology, public health, health economics, bioinformatics and computational biology	None
  University of Birmingham	PhD Computer Science	Medical imaging, causal reasoning, model-based learning, network models in biology	None
  University of Birmingham	PhD Cancer and Genomic Studies	Bioinformatics, genomics, electronic health records	None
  University of Cambridge	PhD Public Health	Public health, molecular epidemiology, biostatistics, computational biology and bioinformatics	Not recruiting for 2023-24 academic year
  UCL	PhD Statistical Science	Bayesian statistical modelling, health economics	Available	One international fee award available for 2023 entry with the Department of Statistical Science. Student must remain with the department for the duration of their studies.
  UCL	PhD Institute of Health Informatics		None
  University of Edinburgh	PhD MRC Human Genetics Unit	Medical imaging, computational biology and bioinformatics, health informatics, genetic epidemiology, public health	Available	All international applicants welcome.
  University of Manchester	PhD HDR UK Health Data Science	Clinical prediction models, text mining, medical image analysis, statistical epidemiology and wearable biosensors	Available	One international fee scholarship is available for 2023 entry.
  University of Oxford	DPhil HDR UK Health Data Science	Medical imaging, epidemiology, infectious diseases, computational biology and bioinformatics, public health, genetics	Not recruiting for 2023-24 academic year

  These are only initial programmes of study for Year 1. Students may transfer to a new university programme from Year 2 after research projects have been confirmed.

• Equality, diversity and inclusion

  Our programme is fully committed to creating a diverse and inclusive research culture. We welcome applications from everyone and in particular those under-represented in STEM subjects and academia. We will:

  • seek to understand the challenges and barriers to equality in order to eliminate discrimination, creating an environment where differences are valued;
  • welcome applications from returning students and those in employment who wish to re-enter academic research;
  • promote a culture of inclusion, recognising and celebrating difference and acknowledging the benefits achieved by diversity of thought and experience;
  • create a safe, non-judgemental space where we can discuss any issues that arise relating to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and support one another to understand and acknowledge a range of perspectives;
  • embed equality, diversity and inclusion across all levels of the programme and in everything that we do;
  • educate our community and raise awareness in all areas relating to equality, diversity and inclusion ensuring our commitment to EDI is understood by all.

  We aim to accommodate specific needs and personal circumstances but rely on applicants sharing this information with us. Please make us aware of individual circumstances when applying or contact us directly at phd@hdruk.ac.uk. Please note our applicant privacy notice.

• Application process and dates

  Applications are now closed. To complete and submit a PhD application, you will require the following information:

  • Your contact details
  • Details and transcripts of your university qualification(s)
  • Any relevant job history
  • Your answers to personal-statement type questions
  • Contact details for two referees
  • Any preferences you may have for university

  There is no need to apply to universities, submit a research proposal, provide IELTS scores or contact supervisors at this stage.

  Submitted applications will first be checked for eligibility and then will undergo a first stage review. This will involve triage by the programme team and then review by academics from our partner universities in December 2022. Successful applicants will be invited to an interview via remote video conferencing in January 2023.

  After receiving an offer, we will invite you to begin an application to relevant partner universities.

• Application assessment criteria

  Applicants should demonstrate that they meet the following criteria:

  Criterion	First Stage (Shortlisting)	Second Stage (Interview)
  Experience in mathematical or statistical sciences	Y	Y
  Experience of computer science or programming skills	Y	Y
  Clear motivation to develop and apply their quantitative skills in a health data science setting	Y	Y
  Emerging communication and leadership skills and aspiration to develop these across a broad audience	Y	Y
  Awareness of the mission of Health Data Research UK and the ethical and societal considerations around conducting research with health data	Y	Y
  Scientific comprehension skills*		Y
  Scientific reasoning and modelling skills*		Y

  *This will be assessed at interview via a pre-interview exercise.

  HDR UK reserves the right to reject applicants who do not meet the criteria at any stage. Regretfully, we can only provide feedback for candidates who reach interview.