Who can apply

You can apply for a studentship on one of the Trust’s four-year programmes if you’re a graduate or student who ideally has, or expects to obtain, a first-class degree or 2:1, or the equivalent, in a relevant subject.

A Four-year PhD Studentship in Science includes support for:

• a studentship stipend

• PhD registration fees at the UK/EU student rate
• college fees (where required).

We’ll also make a contribution towards:

• laboratory rotation expenses in the first year
• research expenses for years two to four
• transferable skills training
• travel costs.

In the first year you’ll broaden your knowledge of the chosen subject area through taught courses and laboratory rotations.

At the end of the first year, you’ll make an informed choice about your three-year PhD research project.

The studentship may be held on a part-time basis.

Programmes

There are 32 programmes based in centres of excellence throughout the UK. These programmes provide research training in a range of important biomedical and public health research areas:

• Developmental biology and stem cell biology

• Genomics and population health

• Immunology and infectious disease

• Molecular and cellular biology

• Neuroscience

• Physiological sciences

• Computational, quantitative and structural biology

Each programme has an intake of three to five studentships a year.

In addition, we also fund a Four-year PhD Programme at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute(opens in a new tab). Please contact the Institute for more information.

To apply for a Four-year PhD Studentship in Science, contact a PhD Programme directly.

Please don’t apply to the Wellcome Trust.

Dates

Individual PhD programmes recruit students annually.

• Recruitment

  Autumn each year

• Programmes start

  October each year

More information

The following programmes are active, but not currently recruiting:

Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, University College London(opens in a new tab)
Director: Professor Claudio Stern

Systems Neuroscience: From networks to behaviour, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Director: Dr Chris Petrov

Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh(opens in a new tab)
Director: Professor Jean Beggs

Computational Infection Biology, University College Dublin (opens in a new tab)
Director: Professor Geraldine Butler

Combating Infectious Disease: Computational approaches in translational science (CIDCATS), University of York(opens in a new tab)
Director: Professor Paul Kaye