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Cambridge University offers many funding opportunities internally and attracts significant resources from external sources. These pages are intended to help you begin your search for funding.

Internal funding searches

The best collated source of internal funding opportunities for Cambridge students is the Student Funding Search

Before applying for scholarships, read the eligibility criteria thoroughly and make sure you submit your application by the correct deadline. It is important to note that most fully funded opportunities at Cambridge are only available to students about to start a new course. Once you are registered as a student, there are few full scholarships available.

Undergraduate students

Please see the Financial Support pages on the Undergraduate Study website

Postgraduate students

There are many funding opportunities at Cambridge for prospective postgraduate students, from a wide variety of sources including the Cambridge Trust , Gates Cambridge , Colleges, Departments, Research Councils and central University funds. Information can be found on the pages below:

• Student Funding Search
• Postgraduate Admissions webpages  

Please note that postgraduate Students are expected to have their finances in place before they start their course, and will have provided a financial undertaking to confirm this. Therefore most funding opportunities at Cambridge are only available to applicants who are about to start a new course. However, small part-cost bursaries may be available to current postgraduate students from colleges and departments for fieldwork, hardship and conferences etc...

External funding

Many hundreds of charities make awards to current and prospective postgraduate students.  However, they can be hard to find and may require a specific and specialized approach.

A useful source of information for exploring funding opportunities from charities and voluntary organisations is the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding. This is an external resource published independently by Gradfunding .  This award winning guide is written by two UK based PhD students who, between them, won over £50,000 from 50 different charity awards.  It provides a database of alternative funding opportunities from charities and trusts and gives advice about how to apply to them, including, model personal and financial statements.  The University has subscribed to the Guide, which can be accessed free of charge.

Current Cambridge staff and students - use your University email address to register online

Applicants who do not yet have a University email account - email [email protected] to receive a pin which will enable you to access the Guide.

ELCAS - Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Services is the MOD's Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme which promotes lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. Funding is available to both current members and those that have left the Armed Forces.

Please review the ELCAS website for accredited courses; new courses are not being added for the time being.

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Applicants wishing to be considered for funding competitions should check their eligibility on the University-wide Sources of Funding web page.

The application portal acts as a scholarship funding application as well as an application for admission. In most cases, no further funding application form is required. There are some exceptions, however: we recommend checking the Student Funding and also College webpages which provide information about other grants for students applying to Cambridge and their closing dates. When using the search facility on the Student Funding portal, we recommend searching for 'technology' as well as computer science.

The current costs of a PhD are available from the Student Registry's Graduate Course Costs and Fee Status page . You will need sufficient funding to cover the University Tuition Fee, and at least the minimum maintenance for three years.

The department regularly advertises research assistantships and early stage researcher (such as Marie Curie ITN) positions on its PhD studentships and RA'ships  page, and in certain cases, these may result in a Ph.D. Degree. Please use the deadline published on the individual job listing.

Home students

The Department makes awards to UK students both from funds supplied, for example the EPSRC Doctoral Training Grant, and from its own funds such as the Premium Studentship and the Hopper Studentship . In the year starting October 2023, the Department will help to fund three research students from its Doctoral Training Grant. These funds are limited. The Applications Panel considers all successful applicants for funding awards within its gift and submits the names of highly ranked home and international students to the Cambridge Trusts.

Very highly ranked international students will be considered for nomination to the Gates Cambridge Trust and Cambridge International Scholarship Scheme ( CISS ) competitions.

The Department will contact applicants directly about its internal awards such as the Premium Studentship .

It is worth noting that full funding must be secured before starting a course at Cambridge. Most of the scholarships will not accept applications from students who are already in residence. Do not assert that you will be able to support yourself and hope that something else will turn up once you are in Cambridge.

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PhD in Economics

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This is the most advanced programme of graduate studies in Economics at Cambridge. Upon its completion, candidates are awarded a PhD degree for producing a thesis of high-quality, original, and publishable research over a period of four years (full-time) and seven years (part-time).

A good number of our PhD students receive full or partial funding for their studies, from a variety of funding bodies, such as the ESRC and the Gates Foundation .

Our PhD students receive high quality training on a variety of research methods and are exposed to cutting edge research conducted by our own Faculty members, as well visitors to the Faculty (via the Cambridge-INET Institute , seminars, PhD workshops, locally organised conferences, etc.). Faculty members can supervise a wide range of topics from six broadly defined research areas: microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, econometrics, applied microeconomics, economic history and alternative approaches to economics.

PhD students in Cambridge benefit from a high faculty-to-student ratio and therefore form close relationships with many Faculty members. They also forge strong links with our post-doctoral researchers, and they actively participate in the Faculty’s vibrant research life. They have access to a wide range of facilities, such as their own desk/office space in the same building as regular Faculty members, computing equipment, a variety of software and access to a wide range of databases.

PhD students are encouraged to attend academic conferences and showcase their research work in a variety of ways. Upon completions of their studies, many of our PhD students become academics, or researchers at international or government research institutions (see recent job market placements here ).

Explore here the profiles of our current PhD students.

To obtain the degree of PhD in Economics, students need to:

1. Obtain the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) . If accepted for the PhD degree, you will be registered initially for the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) in Economics. Students registered for the CPGS are required to:

• Attend the 'How to do Economics' lecture course. Other postgraduate courses in research methods are organised by the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Physical Sciences, and are available to all PhD students.  
• Undertake a minimum of four courses from PhD or MPhil Modules from at least two subject areas. You must achieve a pass mark (60%) on each component of the coursework. Students who fail any examinations will be called for a viva on the coursework.

• Write a research proposal (maximum length 10,000 words) that should include a review of the relevant literature, a research question, and outline of a research design and methods. The expectation is that this proposal will be for a piece of research that could form the basis of one chapter of a PhD dissertation. You will be given an oral examination on this piece of work and must perform to a satisfactory standard.  
• Attend (a) one of the three research workshops (on microeconomics, macroeconomics or econometrics) at which research students present both their own work and recent papers in the literature - assessment of workshops will be arranged by course organisers; (b) attend at least one of the Faculty's general seminars in which papers are given both by outside speakers and Faculty members;  
• To be registered for the PhD submit an acceptable piece of research (first year chapter) of not more than 20,000 words. The piece of research submitted must be of a standard that would enable it to form the basis of one-third of your eventual PhD thesis. This means that it must contain research that could be expanded upon to constitute one-third of the PhD thesis.

2. Once upgraded to PhD status, a student concentrates on her or his PhD dissertation. In general the thesis format is either in the form of a book divided into chapters, or of three or more connected articles; in either case, the Faculty has a strict limit of 60,000 words. As research progresses, there will be opportunities to present work in progress at research workshops attended by Faculty members and research students. PhD students will also be required to attend research seminars given by outside speakers and Faculty members. 

Upon completion and submission of the PhD thesis, students do an oral examination (viva) with two examiners, one internal to the University of Cambridge (not the supervisor or research advisor), and one external (from any other University in the UK or the rest of the world).

After a successful thesis defence, the examiners recommend awarding the degree of PhD.

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PhD in Chemistry

Entry requirement:   2.1 Masters degree or equivalent . 

Please check international qualifications equivalence guidelines here .

Coming to Cambridge for a PhD in Chemistry means you will be joining a community of over 50 academics, 350 PhD students and more than 200 postdoctoral researchers. The research opportunities are vast and career development is second to none. 

The route to a PhD takes up to four years of full-time research, culminating in a substantial thesis of up to 60,000 words which is examined by viva. Along your journey to a PhD, you will be absorbed in the laboratory life of your chosen research group. The postgraduate chemistry lecture series we offer aims to bring everyone up to the same high-level of foundational knowledge; irrespective of prior educational background at Masters level. You will present your research at seminars and conferences as you progress. Most PhD students go to at least one international and national chemistry conference in the course of their studies.

HOW TO APPLY

We strongly recommend that you correspond with potential supervisors early and well in advance of submitting your application. This is also important for maintaining oversight of which project you could be working on. Prospective projects may not always reflect groups publications therefore, we encourage you to discuss this with your potential supervisors to avoid disappointment. 

For information about funding please click here .

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• Postgraduate School of Life Sciences
• About us overview
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• Cardiovascular Science and Medicine
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• Epidemiology and Public Health
• Functional and Evolutionary Genomics
• Infection and Immunity
• Medical Imaging
• Metabolic Medicine and Endocrinology
• Molecules and Cells
• Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour
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• Reproduction, Development and Lifelong Health (including Physiology)
• Women's Health
• Researcher Development overview
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• PSLS Mailing List
• Research Themes
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• 1 Funded Projects
• 2 Funded Programmes
• 2.1 BBSRC DTP PhD in Biological Sciences
• 2.2 Cardiovascular Research 4-Year Cambridge-BHF PhD Programme
• 2.3 Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute MPhil and PhD in Medical Science
• 2.4 CRUK Cambridge Centre MRes + PhD in Cancer Biology
• 2.5 CRUK Cambridge Centre Clinical Research Fellowships
• 2.6 EMBL-EBI International PhD Programme
• 2.7 Herchel Smith Cambridge Harvard PhD Programme
• 2.8 MRC Biostatistics Unit
• 2.9 MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit 
• 2.10 MRC DTP and iCASE Programme
• 2.11 MRC Epidemiology Unit
• 2.12 MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
• 2.13 MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit
• 2.14 National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Programme 
• 2.15 Wellcome 1+3 Programme in Stem Cell Biology & Medicine
• 2.16 Wellcome Sanger Institute

Funded Projects

Within the PSLS there are a number of opportunities to work on funded projects. Please see the  Job Opportunities website  for more details, or view the list along the right hand side of this page. 

Funded Programmes

The University and its Partner Institutions offer a number of programmes that are funded by the Research Councils or major charities, such as the Wellcome Trust, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK etc. 

These programmes advertise studentships that are awarded specifically for the particular programme of study on a strictly competitive basis; candidates are normally interviewed in Cambridge for these awards. These programmes mean that successful candidates receive a combined offer of a place on the course and funding. 

The Programmes currently available in the PSLS are listed below:

BBSRC DTP PhD in Biological Sciences

Applications for the BBSRC DTP PhD studentships starting in October 2024 are now closed. 

Details concerning opportunities for study in October 2025 will be announced via the BBSRC DTP  website .

Find out more

Cardiovascular Research  4-Year  Cambridge- BHF PhD Programme

The goal of this 1+3 MRes + PhD programme in Cardiovascular Research is to train scientists in cross-disciplinary research related to cardiovascular disease, particularly those who can work effectively across traditional disciplines and lead collaborative research projects. The programme combines formal training in molecular and cellular biology, physiology of model organisms, human physiology, human genetics, genomics and population health sciences.

The programme brings together world-leading expertise, drawing on faculty at the University of Cambridge’s Schools of Medicine and Biological Sciences and several interdisciplinary institutes: the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Institute of Public Health, Institute of Metabolic Science, and Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine.

The programme provides a generous living allowance and full fees at the ‘home’ rate.

How to apply?

Applicants apply directly via the  Postgraduate Applicant Portal .

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Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute MPhil and PhD in Medical Science

The PhD in Medical Science in CRUK CI is a research course in which each student studies in the research laboratory of their principal supervisor, with close interaction with their graduate and post-doctoral colleagues. Each student will be work on a specific project that will be aligned with and contribute to the overall objectives of the lab. Students are expected to take ownership of their projects and to drive them forward with assistance from other members of the Institute. Students are supported to submit their theses within 4 years of commencing study, and to prepare their research findings for publication in scientific journals.

About half of our PhD students receive studentships from Cancer Research UK. In addition, studentship funding is available from grants held by individual research groups and we also host students on the MB/PhD programme and clinical research training fellows. We welcome applications from students who have won competitive fellowships.

The CRUK also offers one funded place per year on the MPhil in Medical Science at CRUK CI. 

Projects will be advertised via the Department website  and along the right hand side of this page.  

Applicants apply for the course directly via the Graduate Applicant Portal for the MPhil and the PhD . 

CRUK Cambridge Centre MRes + PhD in Cancer Biology

Seven (5 +2 Black leaders studentships) CRUK Cambridge Centre MRes + PhD studentships are available for non-clinical applicants, to commence in October 2024. 

Find out more about the course  

Students will apply for one of the 7 studentships and, if successful, will start in October 2024. Two students of the seven are recruited through the  Black Leaders In Cancer PhD Scholarship programme .  

Students apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal . 

CRUK Cambridge Centre  Clinical Research Fellowships

One of the main principles of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre is the open exchange of scientific knowledge and skills across the many disciplines involved in cancer science, creating a culture of continuous learning and development for all members. In keeping with this aim, the Centre also supports a broad programme of formal education and training designed to nurture the next generation of cancer researchers and clinicians.

We provide funding for Clinical Research Training Fellowships comprising of a 3-year PhD for candidates who have completed their medical training.

By being part of the CRUK Cambridge Centre, clinical students will also have the opportunity to attend a number of lecture series, workshops and meetings aimed at facilitating and strengthening collaborations between complementary disciplines and across different departments and institutes.

EMBL-EBI International PhD Programme

Established in 1983, the EMBL International PhD Programme provides students with the best starting platform for a successful career in science. Characterised by first-class training, internationality, dedicated mentoring and early independence in research, it is among the world's most competitive PhD training schemes. All of EMBL's six sites participate in the programme.

The typical duration of a PhD thesis at EMBL is 3.5 to 4 years. EMBL predoctoral fellowships are initially awarded for 3.5 years, with the possibility of a half-year extension. The stipend is competitive by international standards and includes broad health care benefits and pension.

Projects are advertised on the Department website  

Application opens:  August 2023

Application submission deadline:  09 October 2023, 23:59 CEST

Reference deadline:  11 October 2023, 23:59 CEST

Interview dates:  To be confirmed

Written application results:  Will be announced around mid-November 2023

Expected start date:  Flexible, by October 2024 at the latest

Herchel Smith Cambridge Harvard PhD Programme

Funded by a generous bequest from Dr Herchel Smith the University is pleased to offer a PhD studentship programme for prospective Harvard and Cambridge students. Cambridge presently recruits four PhD students annually (for a four-year period of study), while Harvard recruits six PhD students annually (for a two-year period of study).

The Herchel Smith Research Studentships are among the most prestigious studentships offered by the Universities. Students are selected at both institutions within the broad area of Life Sciences and regular meetings of students and Managers are incorporated into the scheme,.

At Cambridge the Herchel Smith Research Studentships provide:

Tuition Fees (fully or partially covered by a college)

Stipend at the Wellcome Trust rates for four years

Research Support grant (£5,000 a year)

Visa costs (for the overseas students)

Successful applicants may have the opportunity to apply to undertake a one- or two-month research project at Harvard University as part of their studies.

To view Terms and Conditions, please click  here.

There is no separate form of application for Herchel Smith Studentships; all eligible applicants who apply through the Postgraduate Applicant Portal will be considered.

MRC Biostatistics  Unit

The MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge (MRC BSU) aims to advance understanding of the cause, natural history and treatment of disease, and to evaluate public health strategies, through the development of statistical methods and their application to the design, analysis and interpretation of biomedical studies.

The BSU is an internationally recognised research unit and part of the University of Cambridge, specialising in statistical modelling with application to medical, biological or public health sciences. Details of the work carried out in the Unit appear on our Research page.

The BSU provides an ideal place to commence a career in Biostatistics. Our thriving PhD programme is hugely successful and competition for places is high. The BSU’s relaxed yet enthusiastic, dedicated and stimulating environment provides students with the essential tools, both in research and transferrable skills, to set them on their way to a successful career as an independent researcher.

A BSU Studentship covers all fees at the University of Cambridge home/EU rate, a taxfree stipend or living allowance and a generous travel and training budget.

PhD opportunities will be advertised on the Unit’s website and applicants apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal.

MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit 

The MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC CBU), at the University of Cambridge, is one of the largest and most enduring contributors to the understanding of human cognition and its disorders. The unit explores cognitive activities such as attention, emotion, language and memory. The research carried out spans the spectrum from basic to translational science including developing new treatments for depression, improving hearing through cochlear implants and helping children to overcome memory problems.

We host 20-30 graduate students at any time and applications are invited from prospective PhD students wishing to pursue research in areas covered by any of our research programmes. Our approaches include experimental cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, computational modelling and neuroimaging using MRI, MEG, and EEG.

The programme is funded by the MRC and students received a living stipend and full fees at the Home/EU rate.

Students apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal for the MPhil or the PhD .  

MRC DTP and iCASE Programme

The Cambridge MRC DTP is offering  5 fully funded MRC Industry Partner (iCASE) PhD studentships  commencing in October 2024. Please see the list for projects currently available. Further projects will be added once confirmed.

The industry partner specifies a research project that will be of importance to them, and provides a placement at their premises for the student of at least 3 months, together with an additional non-academic supervisor. Students will need to select from a list available projects , based either in the School of Clinical Medicine, or the School of Biological Science. 

These studentships   allow postgraduate research students to receive high quality research training, with the additional benefit of working closely with an industrial partner. These collaborations will provide MRC iCASE students with unique technical and transferable skills, as well as an insight into how commercial science is conducted, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Each iCASE studentship is fully funded, and includes an annual stipend for 4 years at the UKRI minimum rate, plus an additional stipend top-up per annum, University fees and research costs.

In addition to excellent research facilities, students will have access to a wide variety of training and researcher development activities, many of which are offered through the  Postgraduate School of Life Sciences  and the wider University, and access to the  MRC flexible supplement,  which can be used to fund a wide range of additional training activities, and opportunities.

Please see the  How to Apply  page for further details on how to fill out your application form. The final closing date for all applications will be  1st  December 2023.

For general enquiries, please email  [email protected]

The Medical Research Council (MRC) and University of Cambridge actively support equality, diversity and inclusion, and we encourage applications from eligible applicants from all sections of society.

MRC Epidemiology Unit

The MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge (MRC EU) studies the genetic, developmental and environmental factors that cause obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders. The outcomes from these studies are then used to develop strategies for the prevention of these diseases in the general population.

The MRC Epidemiology Unit is a research department in the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge and investigates the causes and prevention of obesity and diabetes. The department also hosts the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Centre of Excellence in Public Health Research. CEDAR studies the population-level determinants of dietary and physical activity behaviours, develops and evaluates public health interventions and is helping to shape public health practice and policy.

Our PhD students have the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research under the supervision of senior scientists supported by postdoctoral researchers and a large team of fieldworkers, data managers, statisticians, study coordinators, technical and administrative staff.

MRC Studentships (when available) offer Full Funding for applicants who are both UK nationals and UK residents, to cover the University Composition Fee and a stipend (see MRC student eligibility criteria). For other European Economic Area (EEA) applicants, MRC Studentships offer only Partial Funding, covering only the University Composition Fee. More information about financing your studies can be found here .

Applicants apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal for the PhD .

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) is a research institute dedicated to the understanding of important biological processes at the levels of atoms, molecules, cells and organisms. Our work covers a broad range of science, employing the diverse methods of physics, chemistry and biology to advance the knowledge needed to solve key problems in human health.

We believe that major challenges are best addressed in a multidisciplinary environment with long-term support and where detailed molecular studies are channelled into opportunities for medical benefits or major technical innovation. The LMB has four Research Divisions with distinct but well aligned research priorities:

• Cell Biology: To discover the molecular mechanisms of fundamental cellular processes with potential medical significance
• Neurobiology: To understand fundamental properties of nerve cells in health and disease through the elucidation of molecular mechanisms
• Protein & Nucleic Acid Chemistry: To obtain insights into human biological diseases at the molecular and structural level
• Structural Studies: To understand the mechanisms underlying fundamental biological processes

Our scientists tackle fundamental, often difficult, and long-term research problems. The LMB has made revolutionary contributions to science, such as pioneering X-ray crystallography to determine protein structures, the sequencing of DNA and the development of monoclonal antibodies. Eleven Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work carried out by LMB scientists: the most recent one – in 2017 to Richard Henderson, for developments in cryo-electron microscopy for the solution of the atomic structures of macromolecules.

About a fifth of the scientists at the LMB are graduate students, often driving the most creative areas of scientific research. We recruit 15-20 PhD students every year.

During the application process you will automatically be considered for the appropriate LMB funding:

• Full MRC Studentships for UK and eligible EU graduates
• Full International Scholarships for other graduates from the EU, the Commonwealth and world wide candidates
• César Milstein Studentship for Argentinian Nationals

Students apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal. 

Here is a list of current projects and how to find out more about us

MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit

Research at the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit (MRC MBU) is focussed on the biology of mitochondria and their dysfunction in an ever-increasing range of human diseases. The Unit combines studies exploring the molecular function of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system, the mitochondrial proteome and genome, and how mitochondria interact with the cell through homeostatic, signalling and execution pathways. Combined with the wealth of clinical, genetic and biochemical data provided by mitochondrial medicine, and the use of model systems with perturbed mitochondrial physiology, the Unit aims to exploit its findings for the development of new therapies to treat human disease.

The Mitochondrial Biology Unit has an active post-graduate programme for training students for the PhD or occasionally MPhil degrees. The programme aims to provide high quality training in both research and in transferable skills. The students are supervised and assessed by a research supervisor and a separate advisor, under the overall supervision of the Unit's postgraduate education committee consisting of three of the Unit's Faculty. 

Each year, the Unit awards up to four UKRI/MRC PhD studentships on a competitive basis to eligible students. The studentship pays for Cambridge University and College fees, and each student receives a generous full stipend of £18,000 per year, payable for up to four years. Three of these studentships are available for UK/Irish citizens or UK permanent residents and one is available to EU/international students.

Applicants apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal for the  PhD .

National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Programme 

Us citizens only.

The National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program is an accelerated, individualized doctoral training program for outstanding science students committed to biomedical research careers. The program is based on the British system, in which students perform doctoral research without required formal courses other than those students choose to take in relationship to their own interests. Students selected for admission to the program have already developed a passion for science through engagement in summer, job related, or undergraduate research programs. The program is available to US citizens available to US citizens or US permanent residents.  

Students will receive tuition and stipend support, based on NIH policy, for the duration of the program (approximately 4 yrs.)

Applicants apply to NIH first - How to Apply

Then apply to the University of Cambridge Postgraduate Applicant Portal.

Wellcome 1+3 Programme in Stem Cell Biology & Medicine

Wellcome generously funds our highly competitive 4-Year MRes + PhD (1+3) PhD Programme in Stem Cell Biology & Medicine. The Cambridge Stem Cell Institute offers a unique environment for high-level research training in stem cell biology, with our research groups working across three key research themes: Stem Cell States, Stem Cells in Disease and Stem Cells & Therapeutics. The University of Cambridge is exceptional in the depth and diversity of its research in this field, and has a dynamic and interactive research community, ranked amongst the foremost in the world. Our Programme in Stem Cell Biology & Medicine enables students to take advantage of the strength and breadth of stem cell research available in Cambridge, plus the added benefits that the unique culture of College life and membership of the University of Cambridge provide.

This programme provides students with an opportunity to spend time in three different labs during their first 'rotation' year, before making a decision about where they would like to undertake their thesis work in years 2-4.　

These studentships are considered once each year and are relevant to prospective students who have not decided on a specific supervisor and/or do not have their own funding.

Up to five studentships are available on this programme each year. Funding includes a generous stipend, plus research costs and tuition fees at the home rate.

Applicants apply directly via the Postgraduate Applicant Portal.

Wellcome Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute uses sequencing, informatics and analysis of genetic variation to further our understanding of gene function in health and disease, and to explore the diversity of complex organisms.

The Institute’s PhD programmes aim  to provide training and research opportunities in the field of genomic science that reflect the unique nature of Sanger Institute science, with an emphasis on large-scale, high-throughput approaches and the development of a blend of wet-lab and computational skills. The Institute also aims to provide students with general research and transferable skills training in addition to training in their specific research area. Applicants will generally have a bioscience background, but applicants with a computational or mathematical background can also apply.

The Sanger 4-year PhD programme provides 12 funded PhD studentships per year and the Clinical PhD programme provides 2 funded clinical PhD fellowships per year. 

The Wellcome Sanger Institute occasionally takes on MPhil students providing they have their own funding. Before applying for the MPhil course, applicants must have the support of a faculty member at the Institute.

Sanger Institute 4-year PhD programme: Applications are submitted first via the  Sanger Institute application process .

PhD Programme for Health Professionals: Applicants apply directly via the  Postgraduate Applicant Portal .

MPhil students: Applicants apply directly via the  Postgraduate Applicant Portal . 

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View training here

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Clinical & vet med students access here.

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Fees and Funding

• Current Students
• Prospective Students

Postgraduate Students in Philosophy at Cambridge are funded from a considerable variety of sources. 

Candidates who are offered a place and have indicated on their application that they wish to apply for funding are put forward by the Faculty to the University's funding competition. You can read more about how this works here.

It is possible for students who are not nominated to be successful in finding funding sources outside of the Faculty’s nominations, such as college awards. Applicants are strongly advised to consult the Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions webpage , which provides further details and more guidance through what is potentially a complex and confusing field. Students are encouraged to use the Cambridge Student Funding Search , which provides the most comprehensive overview of the funding opportunities available to applicants.

The Faculty also puts forward nominations for PhD applicants to be considered for AHRC funding.

Sources of Funding

Listed below are some of the main sources of funding available to incoming students. Some of these offer fully funded studentships, while others offer lesser but still useful contributions towards the total cost.

Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP Studentships

The Open-Oxford-Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnership offers AHRC-funded studentships for PhD study in the arts and humanities. The studentships are open to applicants from the UK, European Union and overseas. The Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP offers at least 77 studentships each year, across the range of arts and humanities subject areas. In addition to funding for fees and living costs (depending on eligibility), OOC DTP students benefit from being able to access a variety of other funding sources and a wide range of training available at the three partner universities. Please see the following website for more information: https://www.oocdtp.ac.uk/

These awards provide payment of university fees up to the 'home' rate throughout the funded period. Any prospective doctoral student wishing to study at a UK research organisation, including international students, is eligible for studentship funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), including the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Awards to international students are limited, however, and will not normally exceed 30% of the total awards in any one year.

All UKRI-funded doctoral students are eligible for a full award, comprising a stipend to support living costs and fees up to the home rate. The DTP partners will cover the gap between the home and overseas fee rates for international students.

To apply for an award please make this clear on your application form.

For advice on whether to apply you may contact the Director of Postgraduate Admissions, via the Postgraduate Secretary

Grants from the University of Cambridge

Vice-Chancellor’s Awards & Cambridge International Scholarships

On behalf of the University, the Cambridge Trust offers the Vice-Chancellor's Awards (for UK and EU students) and the Cambridge International Scholarships (for international students) for those undertaking PhD studies.

The aim of the Vice-Chancellor's Awards and Cambridge International Scholarships is to ensure that the highest scored students, irrespective of nationality, receive full financial support to undertake research leading to a PhD.  The Scholarships pay the University Composition Fee and a maintenance allowance sufficient for a single person (note application deadline of 1st December 2022).

Grants from the Cambridge Trusts

The funding opportunities detailed in this section are not available to UK students. 

Gates Cambridge

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established in October 2000 by a donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge; this is the largest ever single donation to a UK university.

Each year Gates Cambridge offers c.80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the US round and 55 available in the International round.

Please consult the Gates website before writing your statement since the criteria for a Gates Scholarship are not purely academic. You are encouraged to contact the Director of Postgraduate Admissions, via the Postgraduate Secretary, for advice on whether to apply and what to include in your statement.

Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust

The Cambridge Trust is a major source of funding to scholars at Cambridge and offers a number of scholarships for postgraduate students.  If you wish to be considered for a scholarship from the Trust, you must complete the funding section of the online application form via the Applicant Portal expressing your wish to be considered for funding and give details of the scholarships for which you wish to be considered.

Jacobsen Fellowships and Royal Institute of Philosophy Bursaries

Fellowships of £8,000 and bursaries of £3,000, each for one year, are available to postgraduates who have already completed one year of postgraduate work.

Burney Studentship and Fund

Research students working in the philosophy of religion may apply for the Burney Studentship or smaller grants from the fund. The studentship is tenable for one year, but a student may be re-elected once.

The Faculty has several of its own awards for which all candidates who apply by the December deadline will be considered. The number and value of these awards varies from year to year, but last year we offered five MPhil awards of slightly over £4000 each.

Studentships offered by colleges

Conditions of eligibility, methods of application and closing dates vary widely. Applicants are urged to consult the Cambridge Student Funding Search for details. The following colleges usually or always offer some full cost studentships:

Christ's, Clare Hall, Corpus Christi , Darwin , Downing , Emmanuel , Girton , King's , Magdalene , Newnham , Pembroke , Peterhouse , St John's , Selwyn , Sidney Sussex , Trinity , Trinity Hall .

DH Mellor Cambridge Trust Philosophy Studentships

Darwin College offers annually, by competition, one fully-funded PhD Philosophy Studentship and two Masters Philosophy studentships of up to £12,000 to students commencing graduate work in the Faculty of Philosophy. Other things being equal, preference will be given to UK students. The award is for students to study at Darwin College. Applications are welcome from students applying to Darwin, or from students who, if applying to other Colleges, are prepared to apply to transfer to Darwin. No special application forms are necessary, and all those eligible will be considered from information contained in their original application to the University. The tenure of the award is for one year, but holders may be considered in subsequent years.

Onora O’Neill Studentship

Newnham College will offer annually a studentship of between £3,000 - £12,000 to students commencing Postgraduate work in the Faculty of Philosophy. Current first year Newnham PhD students can also apply.

Stephan Körner Postgraduate Scholarship

Available to female students who list Murray Edwards College as their first choice college

Murray Edwards College offers this scholarship to a student in Philosophy, Classics or Law, to assist in funding a full one-year MPhil and/or 3-year PhD course.

Postgraduate students who are registered for the PhD may offer to undertake supervisions, i.e. small group teaching of undergraduates. This provides very useful experience for future job applications and also a financial reward. It is paid at piecework rates (currently approx. £28 per hour) and students may undertake up to six hours per week for the twenty teaching weeks of the year.

Postgraduate students also have the opportunity to lead discussion groups for first and second year students and to assist in the running of first year logic classes. Those who are near completing their PhD's may be invited by the Faculty to give a short course of lectures on the subject of their research. All of these forms of teaching provide excellent experience, useful lines on CVs, and are paid.

Students are liable to pay tuition fees to the University for each term of any degree course they undertake until the course has been completed or a prescribed maximum has been paid (e.g. nine terms for the PhD). In addition to tuition fees, students must budget for their own maintenance (including accommodation) and for the living expenses of any dependents who might accompany them. Although liability is incurred on a termly basis, colleges - who are responsible for collecting University fees - may require students to pay a full year's fees in advance.

General living expenses

As well as allowing for University fees, prospective students must budget for living expenses while at Cambridge. These vary according to individual needs and tastes; the cost of accommodation is a particularly significant factor, as private rented accommodation in Cambridge is more expensive than in many other British cities, and costs considerably more than college accommodation. Married accommodation may be more expensive. The cost of food, clothing, other personal requirements, books, stationery, and other research expenses, including the costs of thesis preparation, and of travel to and from Cambridge must also be budgeted for. Inflation must also be borne in mind.

In order to be admitted to the University of Cambridge, applicants are required to show evidence of funds to cover maintenance costs while studying. The Postgraduate Admissions website has a useful maintenance calculator, which calculates an estimate for your absolute minimum living expenses while studying at Cambridge. The calculator can be found here:

https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance

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The PhD is awarded after three to four years of full-time research (or five to seven years of part-time study) on the basis of a dissertation of 80,000 words (exclusive of footnotes, appendices and bibliography, but subject to an overall word limit of 100,000 words exclusive of bibliography, table of contents and any other preliminary matter). Examination for the PhD involves an oral examination (viva) by two examiners.

Research students who intend to undertake PhD research are in the first instance automatically registered for a one-year research training programme leading to the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) in Legal Studies. They are assigned a supervisory team by the Degree Committee of the Faculty, ordinarily consisting of a supervisor (who is principally responsible for directing and assisting the research) and an advisor (who provides a second point of contact for academic advice). At the end of the first year, the Degree Committee decides whether students should be registered for the PhD. This decision is taken on the basis of the student’s personal progress log, first-year dissertation of 15,000 words, viva conducted by two assessors from within the Faculty, and outline of plans for the full research project. Candidates who successfully complete the requirements of the CPGS and the first-year progress review are retrospectively registered for the PhD.

All full-time PhD students are ordinarily required to be resident in Cambridge for the duration of their research (save where given leave to work away from Cambridge for academic reasons or whilst undertaking fieldwork), and during the first year in particular must attend weekly research training sessions in the Faculty.

This overview of the PhD programme must be read in conjunction with the detailed information available under the 'Courses' section (see, in particular, the Course Directory) of the Postgraduate Admissions website . Further information on postgraduate admission to research courses in the Faculty of Law is available from [email protected] or +44 (0)1223 330039.

The Faculty of Law The David Williams Building 10 West Road Cambridge CB3 9DZ United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 1223 330033 Email: [email protected]

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The Department has a large community of around 80 PhD students working on their own projects. The PhD students at Geography and the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) study a broad range of topics that reflect the diverse interests of the academic staff in the Department.

1. Before making an application

Before applying, you should satisfy yourself that advanced study in your chosen research topic can be supervised by an academic at Geography or SPRI. Acceptance of any applicant will be dependent on specialist supervision being available. Unfortunately, if we cannot supervise your topic, we will decline your application regardless of its academic merit. Please check the research groups then look through the online staff list .

Identification of a potential supervisor does not imply a guarantee of admission and the full admissions procedure must be followed in all cases. If your potential supervisor’s details are available from our website, you may e-mail the person with a draft research proposal (maximum 2,000 words). If contact details are not available, kindly e-mail the Postgraduate Office Administrator with your research proposal and the name(s) of whom you are trying to contact.

2. Go to the University’s Postgraduate Admissions Pages

Go to the University’s Postgraduate Admissions pages which has all the information you need to make a formal application. Applicants should plan well in advance to ensure their papers can be processed in time. The deadline for all PhD applicants is March 26th 2024.

Please note this deadline does not apply to applicants for the Cambridge ESRC DTP Interdisciplinary Studentship , who should contact graduate.enquiries @ geog.cam.ac.uk before making an application.

When making the formal application PhD applicants will need to provide a statement (maximum 2,000 words) detailing your research proposal, including aims and methods, sources and the location of the proposed research. Your proposal should include a list of specific resource needs for your research such as travel budget, fieldwork, laboratory equipment, chemical and IT needs. Please state in your application which academic in the Department your believe has interests that are closest to your own and therefore might supervise your research. It is advisable to approach the Academic identified in advance to discuss your proposal.

Physical Geography applicants choosing from the list of topics do not need to include a research proposal but should include information about why you have chosen a topic and the relevant experience you have for the chosen topic.

If you are applying for a PhD programme, and have only recently started a masters degree at a new institution, we understand that it may be more suitable for you to request references from your prior academic and/or professional environment.

Cambridge Funding Competitions deadlines:

GATES (US) – 11th October 2023;

GATES (non-US), Trusts and Research Councils – 5th December 2023;

NERC DTP ( home and international students ) – 5th January 2024 (although you are encouraged to apply by 5th December to be considered for other funding sources too).

Applications must be made in advance of these dates to be considered for funding, please note these deadlines are earlier than the final admissions deadline. Please also note these deadlines include submission of all your references which must have been submitted by your referees in advance of these funding deadlines.

Doctoral work in the Department is funded through Research Council funding ( ESRC , AHRC and NERC ), studentships from the Cambridge Trust , the Gates Foundation and other funding agencies. While the Geography Department has modest funds for fieldwork or conference attendance, it does not fund PhD studentships.

• Overseas applicants should look in particular at scholarships available through the Gates Foundation and scholarships administered by the Cambridge Trust . You should apply for these by the advertised deadline when you complete your formal application. Information can be found and eligibility can be checked via the University’s Postgraduate Admissions page.
• UK students should look in particular at the Research Council studentships and funding available via the Cambridge Trust .

It is advisable to complete a Funding Search to help you find the most suitable funding options from those listed above.

Finance information for PhD courses run by the Department is to be found from the University’s Postgraduate Admissions pages .

In addition to fees and maintenance, you will need to ensure you have funds to cover all fieldwork, laboratory work, access to data, archives and travel needs for the length of your study. You should ensure that you have sufficient funds or that your funding body provides sufficient support.

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Two MIT PhD students awarded J-WAFS fellowships for their research on water

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Since 2014, the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) has advanced interdisciplinary research aimed at solving the world's most pressing water and food security challenges to meet human needs. In 2017, J-WAFS established the Rasikbhai L. Meswani Water Solutions Fellowship and the J-WAFS Graduate Student Fellowship. These fellowships provide support to outstanding MIT graduate students who are pursuing research that has the potential to improve water and food systems around the world. 

Recently, J-WAFS awarded the 2024-25 fellowships to Jonathan Bessette and Akash Ball, two MIT PhD students dedicated to addressing water scarcity by enhancing desalination and purification processes. This work is of important relevance since the world's freshwater supply has been steadily depleting due to the effects of climate change. In fact, one-third of the global population lacks access to safe drinking water. Bessette and Ball are focused on designing innovative solutions to enhance the resilience and sustainability of global water systems. To support their endeavors, J-WAFS will provide each recipient with funding for one academic semester for continued research and related activities.

“This year, we received many strong fellowship applications,” says J-WAFS executive director Renee J. Robins. “Bessette and Ball both stood out, even in a very competitive pool of candidates. The award of the J-WAFS fellowships to these two students underscores our confidence in their potential to bring transformative solutions to global water challenges.”

2024-25 Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellowship for Water Solutions

The Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellowship for Water Solutions is a doctoral fellowship for students pursuing research related to water and water supply at MIT. The fellowship is made possible by Elina and Nikhil Meswani and family. 

Jonathan Bessette is a doctoral student in the Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, advised by Professor Amos Winter. His research is focused on water treatment systems for the developing world, mainly desalination, or the process in which salts are removed from water. Currently, Bessette is working on designing and constructing a low-cost, deployable, community-scale desalination system for humanitarian crises.

In arid and semi-arid regions, groundwater often serves as the sole water source, despite its common salinity issues. Many remote and developing areas lack reliable centralized power and water systems, making brackish groundwater desalination a vital, sustainable solution for global water scarcity. 

“An overlooked need for desalination is inland groundwater aquifers, rather than in coastal areas,” says Bessette. “This is because much of the population lives far enough from a coast that seawater desalination could never reach them. My work involves designing low-cost, sustainable, renewable-powered desalination technologies for highly constrained situations, such as drinking water for remote communities,” he adds.

To achieve this goal, Bessette developed a batteryless, renewable electrodialysis desalination system. The technology is energy-efficient, conserves water, and is particularly suited for challenging environments, as it is decentralized and sustainable. The system offers significant advantages over the conventional reverse osmosis method, especially in terms of reduced energy consumption for treating brackish water. Highlighting Bessette’s capacity for engineering insight, his advisor noted the “simple and elegant solution” that Bessette and a staff engineer, Shane Pratt, devised that negated the need for the system to have large batteries. Bessette is now focusing on simplifying the system’s architecture to make it more reliable and cost-effective for deployment in remote areas.

Growing up in upstate New York, Bessette completed a bachelor's degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo. As an undergrad, he taught middle and high school students in low-income areas of Buffalo about engineering and sustainability. However, he cited his junior-year travel to India and his experience there measuring water contaminants in rural sites as cementing his dedication to a career addressing food, water, and sanitation challenges. In addition to his doctoral research, his commitment to these goals is further evidenced by another project he is pursuing, funded by a J-WAFS India grant, that uses low-cost, remote sensors to better understand water fetching practices. Bessette is conducting this work with fellow MIT student Gokul Sampath in order to help families in rural India gain access to safe drinking water.

2024-25 J-WAFS Graduate Student Fellowship for Water and Food Solutions

The J-WAFS Graduate Student Fellowship is supported by the J-WAFS Research Affiliate Program , which offers companies the opportunity to engage with MIT on water and food research. Current fellowship support was provided by two J-WAFS Research Affiliates: Xylem , a leading U.S.-based provider of water treatment and infrastructure solutions, and GoAigua , a Spanish company at the forefront of digital transformation in the water industry through innovative solutions. 

Akash Ball is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering, advised by Professor Heather Kulik. His research focuses on the computational discovery of novel functional materials for energy-efficient ion separation membranes with high selectivity. Advanced membranes like these are increasingly needed for applications such as water desalination, battery recycling, and removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. 

“Climate change, water pollution, and scarce freshwater reserves cause severe water distress for about 4 billion people annually, with 2 billion in India and China’s semiarid regions,” Ball notes. “One potential solution to this global water predicament is the desalination of seawater, since seawater accounts for 97 percent of all water on Earth.”

Although several commercial reverse osmosis membranes are currently available, these membranes suffer several problems, like slow water permeation, permeability-selectivity trade-off, and high fabrication costs. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials that are promising candidates for highly selective ion separation with fast water transport due to high surface area, the presence of different pore windows, and the tunability of chemical functionality. In the Kulik lab, Ball is developing a systematic understanding of how MOF chemistry and pore geometry affect water transport and ion rejection rates. By the end of his PhD, Ball plans to identify existing, best-performing MOFs with unparalleled water uptake using machine learning models, propose novel hypothetical MOFs tailored to specific ion separations from water, and discover experimental design rules that enable the synthesis of next-generation membranes.  

Ball’s advisor praised the creativity he brings to his research, and his leadership skills that benefit her whole lab. Before coming to MIT, Ball obtained a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University in India. During a research internship at IIT Bombay in 2018, he worked on developing a technology for in situ arsenic detection in water. Like Bessette, he noted the impact of this prior research experience on his interest in global water challenges, along with his personal experience growing up in an area in India where access to safe drinking water was not guaranteed.

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• Kulik Research Group
• Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)
• K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center
• Department of Chemical Engineering
• Department of Mechanical Engineering

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• Awards, honors and fellowships
• Graduate, postdoctoral
• Chemical engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Desalination
• Climate change
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• International development
• Computer modeling

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Cambridge International Scholarship

These prestigious scholarships are offered to applicants who are from countries other than the United Kingdom or Ireland, in any subject, who are highly ranked by their prospective Departments within the University, and are awarded on the basis of academic ability and research potential, examination results, and references. The financial situation of applicants does not affect selection. This scholarship is tenable at any College.

Award details

Trust scholarships do not automatically fund the optional writing-up period (if applicable). Scholars will be able to apply for a brief period of extension funding, should it be required at the end of their scholarship.

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The Trust’s awards period runs from March to the end of July and is an ongoing process throughout that period. The majority of our full awards are made in March. Some of our partner funded awards can take time, and sometimes when offers are declined we may be able to offer them elsewhere.

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British Microsoft-backed self-driving startup Wayve raises $1 billion, clocking new high in Europe-based AI funding deal

British self-driving startup Wayve has raised $1 billion in its latest funding round, setting a record for venture capital investment into a Europe-based AI company. 

Announced Tuesday, the Series C round, led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, also included AI giants Nvidia and Microsoft.

London-based Wayve, founded in 2017, makes software for autonomous driving that enables vehicles to learn as they drive and make on-the-road decisions on their own. 

Wayve counts Microsoft and Meta’s chief scientist, Yann Le Cunn, among its high-profile backers. The company, founded by University of Cambridge PhD students Alex Kendall and Amar Shah, had raised $300 million in previous funding rounds. The company’s valuation following the latest venture capital investment has not been disclosed.

Wayve will use the funds to expand and launch its AI software products—which it refers to as “Embodied AI” because similar systems could be used for any autonomous device that has to navigate and act in the physical world—eventually deploying those systems in vehicles built by major automotive manufacturers. The startup’s software is different from previous generations of self-driving AI because its models are trained “end-to-end”—taking in camera and sensor data about what is happening around the vehicle and outputting the best driving action to take. The company has also trained an AI system that pairs a large language model with a driving model, so that a vehicle can explain what it is seeing and why it is taking certain actions, and also take instruction in natural language.

Earlier self-driving cars relied on multiple small AI models, each of which did one particular thing, such as identify objects in camera data, and then fused these small models together with complicated rules-based software to arrive at driving decisions.

“This significant funding milestone highlights our team’s unwavering conviction that Embodied AI will address the long-standing challenges the industry has faced in scaling this technology to everyone, everywhere,” Wayve cofounder and CEO Kendall said in a statement Tuesday.

The investment is a big win for Britain, which already has twice as many AI-focused companies as any other European country , employing over 50,000 people and contributing £3.7 billion ($4.6 billion) to the economy . Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has tried to position the country as a global AI hub, at the forefront of both development and regulation. 

Votes of confidence from leading companies have helped affirm the U.K.’s position. For instance, in April Microsoft announced it would open an office dedicated to AI research in London . 

Wayve’s recent capital injection surpasses that of prominent generative AI startups like Germany’s Aleph Alpha, which raised $500 million in November, and France’s Mistral, which raised $415 million the following month. 

“The fact that a homegrown British business has secured the biggest investment yet in a U.K. AI company is a testament to our leadership in this industry,” Sunak said of Wayve’s investment. “This announcement anchors the U.K.’s position as an AI superpower.”

Wayve pointed Fortune to its press release when approached for comment.

Persistent roadblocks 

Auto companies like Tesla and General Motors have taken a swing at autonomous vehicles, yet the industry isn’t free of challenges. Despite the ambitions of the world’s biggest companies to make driverless cars a reality , considerable safety, affordability, and legal qualms remain. 

Last year, GM’s self-driving car unit, Cruise, recalled its vehicles for a software update and laid off a quarter of its workforce. Glitches in Tesla’s “full self-driving” technology have led to the investigation of the Elon Musk–helmed company by the U.S. Justice Department. The latest generation of Tesla’s full self-driving system uses an end-to-end approach somewhat similar to Wayve’s.

Apple also recently canceled plans to pursue its long-running self-driving car project.

But things could play out differently for Wayve. 

Its tech can explain to drivers how it’s “thinking.” It uses real-life videos and data from partners like Asda and Ocado, that teach it how to navigate different on-the-road scenarios. The goal is to make autonomous vehicle tech more trustworthy and safe for drivers on the road, Kendall told Fortune in September. The opportunity, overall, continues to grow, he added.

“The U.K., I think, is in a really great spot to capitalize on this technology,” Kendall told Fortune at the time. “What we’re hearing is the government sees this as a really big growth opportunity and wants to make time for this,” he said.

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From long-distance hurdles to doctoral success

Graduation , Faculty of Engineering , Science and technology

Xichen Chen's unexpected choice to pursue a PhD came amid personal challenges that have helped to shape her engineering career.

Xichen Chen had never envisioned pursuing a PhD until the challenges of a long-distance relationship became the catalyst for her unexpected path towards doctoral studies.

For nearly three years, Xichen and her husband Dr Yu Wang navigated the obstacles of maintaining their connection across borders. She had stayed in Beijing to take a job after completing her masters degree in structural engineering, while Yu had moved to New Zealand to pursue his PhD in geotechnical engineering at the University of Auckland.

“It wasn't easy for us to live apart for so long. So, after about nine months of working, I finally made the decision to leave my job and began preparing to apply for my own PhD,” she says.

Little did she know, the decision would not only unite their paths, but it would mark the beginning of a journey in the Faculty of Engineering that has shaped her academic career.

Four and a half years after moving to New Zealand, Xichen graduated with her PhD in Engineering on 7 May. The focus of her thesis, which earned a place on the Dean’s List for outstanding research, is on the adoption and implementation of digital technology in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector.

She has also authored and led six Q1 (top-quartile and best quality) journal articles resulting from her PhD research, with two more currently being prepared for submission – a notable achievement given she received multiple rejections for her first journal paper and faced significant disruptions to her research and data collection due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.

She says that while the future of designing, constructing, and maintaining buildings and infrastructure is bound to digitalise, research into how digital technologies are adopted and practically deployed remains limited. Similarly, the societal impact of digital transformation, especially on the current and future workforce, is not fully understood.

“This represents a fundamental and practical problem that practitioners and academia face in civil and construction engineering, not only in New Zealand but also in many other countries.

“Enduring global challenges, such as rapid urbanisation, population growth, the need for climate change adaptation and aging workforces worldwide have further highlighted the necessity for the AEC sector to transition towards a less labour-intensive, yet more productive, innovative and sustainable industry.”

After submitting her thesis last year, Xichen briefly transitioned into the industry as a technology consultant. However, she soon realised her passion lay in research and is currently pursuing academic positions in New Zealand and overseas with the goal of becoming a lecturer or assistant professor.

“My future research aims to investigate the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction decisions and explore how AI and other emerging digital technologies can be integrated to enhance efficiency and sustainability in the built environment.”

Xichen’s family has a strong background in engineering. Her parents, sister and sister’s husband all work in the field, which led her to pursue engineering when choosing what to study.

“My choice of civil engineering was largely influenced by my elder sister, who has been my closest friend and role model since childhood. Witnessing her successfully complete her bachelors and masters degrees in civil structural engineering inspired me to follow a similar path.”

She also credits her doctoral supervisors, Associate Professor Alice Yan Chang-Richards from the Faculty of Engineering and Professor Florence Yean Yng Ling from the National University of Singapore, for their guidance.

“They were steadfast supporters of my research journey and served as the closest role models, demonstrating the standards of excellence expected of a capable researcher.”

She was a recipient of the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and University of Auckland Joint Doctoral Scholarship, and served as the president of the Auckland CSC Students and Scholars Association.

The global impact of her research in engineering and technology innovation management was also recognised when she was invited as a guest author to collaborate on opinion pieces with researchers from the University of Cambridge, University College London and the University of Toronto.

“I hadn’t initially planned to pursue a PhD and doubted my ability to see it through. But this journey has taught me not to fear the unknown until I’ve given it a chance, and I’ve discovered that I'm capable of far more than I once thought. Sometimes a bit more patience, persistence and another attempt are all it takes.”

Media contact

Hussein Moses | Media adviser M: 027 361 1000 E: hussein.moses@auckland.ac.nz

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Bill Gates Sr Prize 2024 awarded

• May 7, 2024

Our Scholars

Stephen Metcalf has won this year's Bill Gates Sr Prize for his outstanding contribution to academia, Gates Cambridge and the wider community

Stephen has made an exceptional contribution to the Trust’s strategic thinking about how it can best support Scholars in their professional development. Eilis Ferran

An outstanding scholar who has led efforts to strengthen the Gates Cambridge community has won this year’s Bill Gates Sr Prize in recognition of the way he exemplifies the Gates Cambridge values. 

Stephen Metcalf [2019 ] has been selected for the prize which was established by the Gates Cambridge Trustees in June 2012 in recognition of the late Bill Gates Sr.’s role in establishing the Gates Cambridge Scholarships, being a Trustee and engaging with, and inspiring, many generations of Gates Cambridge Scholars.

The award, announced at the graduation dinner on Friday, allows Scholars to recognise the impact and contribution to the Scholar community of one of their peers, with particular reference to the Scholarship’s selection criteria. 

Stephen Metcalf is doing a PhD in Public Health and Primary Care and is also Director of the Learning for Purpose programme, Gates Cambridge’s professional development initiative. He was recognised for his exceptional academic contributions to the field of Public Health and Primary Care, his visionary leadership and his deep commitment to improving the lives of others. 

Stephen has published over 15 scholarly articles, contributing significant knowledge to his field. His research focuses on resilience against early-life adversity, exploring why some children thrive despite challenging upbringings and has practical implications for public health strategies and interventions. 

He was also praised for the leadership he has shown In his role as the Learning for Purpose Director. He has developed and led a comprehensive curriculum of workshops and events that bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical skills. He has collaborated with organisations like Ashoka and fostered a supportive scholarly environment through speaker training, creative writing groups and community-building activities like football and Frisbee sessions. 

Stephen also advocates for the University rent guarantor scheme, addressing a significant barrier to housing for students, particularly international ones. In addition, he teaches ethics to medical students, leads a mental health reading and discussion group, and organises a weekly meditation course. 

One nominator said: “I strongly believe that Stephen is an exemplary candidate for the Bill Gates Sr. Prize. His outstanding achievements and the positive impact of his work make him a deserving recipient of this prestigious recognition.”

Another stated: “Stephen is one of the main faces of the Gates Cambridge community, and one of the people whose generosity has made my experience in Cambridge so deeply stimulating.”

Eilis Ferran, Provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust, said: “Stephen is a very deserving recipient of the Bill Gates Sr. Prize. His work both academically, in the Gates Cambridge community and more broadly have had real impact . He has made an exceptional contribution to the Trust’s strategic thinking about how it can best support Scholars in their professional development .”

* Top photo of Stephen with Eilis Ferran [left] and Mimi Gates [right]. 

Latest News

Tracing the role of transposable elements in disease

What causes genetic disease? Rebecca Berrens’ research focuses on transposable elements or transposons, pieces of DNA formed as a result of ancient viruses that inserted into our genome. These can damage genes when they are active in the early stages of human development because they are able to move about the genome.  This can result […]

Celebrating a new home for Gates Cambridge

The Gates Cambridge family celebrated the opening of the new Bill Gates Sr. House last week. Former Provosts, Vice-Chancellors, trustees, staff and Gates Cambridge Scholars from across the years as well as representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gathered to inaugurate the new state-of-the-art building which brings together scholars and staff for the […]

An outstanding scholar who has led efforts to strengthen the Gates Cambridge community has won this year’s Bill Gates Sr Prize in recognition of the way he exemplifies the Gates Cambridge values.  Stephen Metcalf [2019] has been selected for the prize which was established by the Gates Cambridge Trustees in June 2012 in recognition of […]

A new home for Gates Cambridge

The Gates Cambridge Trust is officially opening Bill Gates Sr. House, a multi-million-pound, state-of-the-art, sustainable building in central Cambridge, at an event today [3rd May] which includes an oral history film of the University of Cambridge’s prestigious scholarship programme. The building is a tribute to Bill Gates Sr.’s seminal role in establishing the Gates Cambridge […]

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Apply for Harvard SEAS Funding for GHC and TAPIA 2024 Tech Conferences

• Share This: Share Apply for Harvard SEAS Funding for GHC and TAPIA 2024 Tech Conferences on Facebook Share Apply for Harvard SEAS Funding for GHC and TAPIA 2024 Tech Conferences on LinkedIn Share Apply for Harvard SEAS Funding for GHC and TAPIA 2024 Tech Conferences on X

Attention Harvard College students: the SEAS application to apply for potential conference funding (covering registration, hotel, and flights) for 25 undergraduates to attend the ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference (September 18-20 in San Diego, CA), and 20 undergraduates to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration (October 8-11 in Philadelphia, PA) has opened!

“Supported by Harvard SEAS, the CS Diversity Committee will arrange and pay for registration and hotels, and ordinarily they will reimburse students for flights. They cannot reimburse students who have already registered on their own. These conferences allow students to meet and learn from computer scientists from a variety of backgrounds.

Why should you attend?  Harvard students have found the following to be benefits of attending Tapia and Grace Hopper:                                 

• Connect with peers and women in Harvard CS and from around the world  
• Explore CS career paths  
• Meet professionals in various industries, such as tech companies, research teams within tech companies, and national laboratories  
• Learn about how diverse fields intersect with technology 
• Gain interview and internship leads while jumpstarting the hiring process 
• Build confidence 

Apply By: Sunday June 9th at 11:59pm (Eastern Daylight Time)  

Via this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScq6q9IxDXv0NFABmjQdfsqRDQd2QoAo2MkgBVPs47qx5yctw/viewform

The Diversity Committee also encourages students to apply to other funding sources for these opportunities—especially for the Grace Hopper Celebration–as there are a limited number of registrations. “

Contact [email protected] with questions.

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Graduate Profile: Frances Lee, MDiv '24

How I've Changed   

I have become a more fearless, more spiritually connected version of myself.  

Memorable Moment 

The moment I stopped feeling like an imposter and realized that I belong here. After that moment, I focused my energies and worked to use the rest of my time at HDS as an experimental container for innovative spiritual caregiving and creating alternative spiritual community for BIPOC. 

Favorite Class or Professor 

Terry Tempest Williams's Finding Beauty in a Broken World. Terry was relentless in reminding me that I am an artist and creative, and that the world needs my particular story. The braided essay I wrote in her class was the seed that turned my MDiv thesis into a longer creative memoir about gender transition, sexuality, Christianity, chaplaincy education and going to Taiwan to find my ancestors. Thank you, Terry, I am honored to call you teacher and friend. 

Message of Thanks   

Thank you, Dean Teddy, for your gentle advising and showing me the brilliant and celebratory heart of preaching in the Black Church. Thank you, Monica, for employing me to do research and write for the guidebook, "Brightly Shining Jewel: How Sanghas Can Care for Their Chaplains." Thank you, Dr. Giles, for seeing and encouraging the chaplain in me during my first semester at HDS in your class. Thank you, Dean Melissa and Steph, for holding the school's grief and joy in the pursuit of justice. Thank you, Katie and Matt, for your immense administrative support in getting resources for us to run the Greenhouse. Thank you, exceptional co-founders and co-facilitators, Auds and Eve, for helping create a special sanctuary for BIPOC students across campus. And finally, thank you to my wife Bunny for her endless love, patience and support as I live into my spiritual leadership. 

What I Hope to Be Remembered By 

Being an essential community member at HDS. Co-founding BBSnax, the only BIPOC networking and resource sharing student group at HDS. Co-founding the Greenhouse, a beloved BIPOC healing sanctuary and ritual lab.  

Future Plans 

My plan is to be hired as an interfaith university chaplain in the Boston area. My plan is to secure funding to continue the Greenhouse by exploring the role that ritual experimentation can play in a non-traditional spiritual container rich with BIPOC cultural histories and experiences. 

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The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the University's principal research degree for graduate students and is available in all faculties and departments.

A Cambridge PhD is intellectually demanding and you will need to have a high level of attainment and motivation to pursue this programme of advanced study and research.

In most faculties, a candidate is expected to have completed one year of postgraduate study, normally on a research preparation master's course, prior to starting a PhD.

Completion normally requires three or four years of full-time study, or at least five years of part-time study, including a probationary period.

Terms of research are normally consecutive and, for full-time students, require residency in Cambridge. Not all departments offer part-time research degrees.

Various routes to the PhD are possible and, if you are made an offer of admission, it will be made clear whether you are required to study for a master's degree or certificate in the first instance, or will be admitted directly to the probationary year for the PhD. You are registered for the PhD only after a satisfactory progress assessment at the end of the probationary year (five terms for part-time degrees). The assessment is designed also to focus your mind on the stages necessary for the completion of your research within the normal time limit and to address any structural problems that have arisen during the first year. Students must pass the first year assessment in order to continue their PhD study.

During your PhD, your effort will be focused on writing a dissertation. The word count of the dissertation is dependent on the department and the Student Registry or Educational Student Policy will be able to tell you the maximum word limit. This must represent a significant contribution to learning, for example through the discovery of new knowledge, the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of a new theory, or the revision of older views, and must take account of previously published work on the subject. Some Cambridge dissertations go on to form the basis of significant publications.

Although you will spend long hours working independently, your department and College will both support you throughout your PhD. You are also able to attend regular seminars in your subject area and could be involved in teaching, perhaps giving seminars or supervising, or in the social life of your department and College.

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Go to the Course Directory and filter courses using the relevant checkboxes.

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