EPSRC
We offer fully-funded Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) studentships through a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP).
You can search our studentships or find out more about funding.
The EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences – from mathematics to materials science, and from information technology to structural engineering.
In response to the new UKRI eligibility criteria, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering International fee discounts for successful UKRI applicants. The fees will be discounted to the home fees level. This approach ensures that students regardless of nationality or financial means will be able to apply for our prestigious UKRI studentships. Successful applicants will receive a fully-funded studentship and will not be charged the international fee difference.
EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership
Our EPSRC DTP offers fully-funded PhD studentships in a variety of projects, across our Academic Schools and interdisciplinary Research Institutes. Students will benefit from an excellent local research environment as well as a comprehensive programme of research and professional skills development.
Project areas
PhD projects are available across a range of topics that align with Cardiff’s research strengths and EPSRC's priorities. Projects will be rooted in an academic school but may work at the interfaces with other disciplines, be connected to an interdisciplinary Research Institute, and involve collaborations with other scientific researchers, industrial partners and other organisations. Projects will be made available via three routes:
- Standard Studentships
- Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hubs
- CASE Studentships
We will shortly be announcing our new EPSRC Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hubs. These Hubs will enable students to join a small cohort of researchers in an interdisciplinary training environment. More details on these Hubs and how to apply will be published here.
Objectives
Our objective is to train the next generation of research leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in the physical sciences and engineering, by:
- equipping students with advanced research skills, supported by expert supervision, a well-funded infrastructure and dynamic research culture
- supporting them to communicate their research through seminars, external conferences and networking
- fostering interdisciplinary research through groupings of engineering, physical, chemical, biological, medical and social scientists
- offering a comprehensive programme of professional and career development opportunities
- hosting cohort activities that encourage interactions of doctoral students across disciplines
- engendering a commitment to research excellence and impact, and explorations of new ways of thinking.
Contact us and indicate your interest in EPSRC funding and if you want to be kept up-to-date with any further studentships that are published under this scheme.
EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training
As well as the DTP, EPSRC also has two Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) that are recruiting students:
EPSRC Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hubs
We are pleased to announce our new EPSRC Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hubs. These hubs will enable students to join a small cohort of researchers in an interdisciplinary training environment.
Information about each of the five hubs can be found below.
All available projects are searchable via our funding search page. Please search for 'EPSRC' or the hub name in the keyword search box.
Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hub on Cleaning with Air, supported by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership
Research area and aims
The quality of our environment and discharge of anthropogenically generated species to it continues to attract unparalleled media and political coverage, particularly around pollution released from industrial sources. However, pollution from domestic households contributes significantly, especially from washing and disinfection waste, such as from washing machines and dishwashing. Traditionally toxic chemicals are used for these applications, as they deliver oxygen in a potent form, but cause pollution from the oxygen delivery systems. This problem can be removed by generating the activated cleaning species directly from a catalyst in situ using oxygen from the air, replacing common bleach for example.
The underlying research aim is to develop intersectional research projects (supported by 2 schools) where reactive oxygen species (produced from air and/or water using heat, electricity or electromagnetic radiation) are used to drive chemical and biological oxidation on surfaces, in air and in liquids. Application of the technological innovations will enable industrial stakeholders to drive formulations of cleaner, greener and more effective cleaning products with zero chemical discharge.
Our objectives are:
- To deliver cohort-based training for postgraduate research students, giving a deep expertise in one area of advanced cleaning research, delivering a broader scholarly knowledge of the environmental and societal constraints that need to guide new consumer products
- To deliver novel high impact research within three key themes (with additional funding from industry):
- catalytic clothes washing,
- disinfection of solid surfaces.
- catalytic dishwashing,
- To engage with industry and other end-user communities to co-design relevant cutting-edge PhD projects, and to use this engagement to enhance students’ experience.
- To create a new area of interdisciplinary collaborative research in a new theme of catalytically benign cleaning.
Research environment and training programme
We offer fully-funded PhD opportunities across at least 2 of the following schools to ensure a fully integrated solution:
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Physics/ICS
- Archaeology
- Pharmacy
Students will be assigned research projects requiring supervisor teams comprised of a traditional EPSRC-facing lead supervisor in the school of Chemistry, and a secondary supervisor from, at minimum, one other school. The student will take a leading role in the overall scope/design of the project in discussion with supervisors. It is anticipated that most time will be in the lead supervisor’s laboratory, but to ensure interdisciplinary working all students will complete a broadening ‘Research Sabbatical’ (RS) in a co-investigator’s research group. The duration and timing of the RS will be flexible, but will be for a minimum period of 8 weeks, if appropriate multiple or longer RS periods will be established, with visits to international collaborators a possibility.
The course structure will enable and embed inclusive, interdisciplinary and collaborative ways of working, including skill development in key areas, flexibility of choice in research project and supervisor, research sabbaticals, public engagement training and bespoke support in career planning.
For more information, please contact this hub’s Academic Lead, Dr Jennifer Edwards.
Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hub on Precision Oncology (IPOCH) supported by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership
Research area and aims
The 20th century was spent understanding the principles of quantum mechanics; the 21st century will be spent deepening this understanding and applying those principles across a range of interdisciplinary subjects from physics, engineering, and healthcare; and delivering applications from imaging to information communication and processing to signal detection of fundamental processes and beyond. To realise the 'quantum advantage' to everyday applications, there is a pressing need for the training of a new generation of quantum technologists to exploit these breakthroughs. QuMaT will connect diverse fields in the physical sciences hitherto considered isolated, playing to Cardiff University’s strengths in materials, quantum science and condensed matter physics.
Cardiff University has world-leading expertise in quantum materials and technologies, including developing that expertise to deliver technological applications. QuMaT will facilitate the unified development of this programme, enabling future success with grants in a combination of the 34 UK priority areas which stretch across the EPSRC remit.
Key research goals
QuMaT will:
- Develop quantum materials growth, characterisation and simulation techniques to establish Cardiff University at the forefront of UK quantum technology development across disciplines
- Transform into a unique convergence of quantum technologies EPSRC CDT with strong industrial support from a broad spectrum of quantum technologies and the ability to converge and spin out new quantum technology sectors
- Initialise a comprehensive advanced training and research environment to cultivate self-sustaining, world leading characterisation, simulation and manipulation of quantum materials for emerging quantum technologies, for which EPSRC predicts an immediate market of over £1 billion
Research environment and training programme
- The students will be able to work across the Schools of Medicine, Engineering and Computer Science, thus benefiting from long-established expertise in interdisciplinary bio-medical research and development. Candidates will be part of a cohort of PhD students, under the IPOCH umbrella, which will establish a peer community environment.
- Candidates will have the opportunity to learn state-of-the-art imaging technology, supported by image analytics. Complex tissue characterization will require the development of bespoke machine learning and AI frameworks. These tools will be tested from lab to the clinical diagnostic/therapeutic level, thus providing a solid understanding of patient-specific treatment pathway. Bespoke training at post
-graduate level will support students throughout their degree. - The students will be performing state-of-the-art research which will attract global exposure and collaborations that will benefit their future careers. Students will have the opportunity to disseminate their findings and ideas through conferences and high impact publications
. - We will establish a Patient Public Interaction group, to ensure that we remain guided by our wider community.
- We acknowledge the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation and our part in promoting them. IPOCH will utilise resources developed for Postgraduate students by ORBIT, including Self-Assessment tools to determine our current level of alignment.
- The Hub will use an open science approach to make scientific research and dissemination accessible to all levels (science, industry, society). We will use as a reference the new UKRI’s open access policy for research publications developed through collaborative networks. We will follow the model used internationally such as those use for instance at The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA).
For more information, please contact this hub’s Academic Lead, Professor Emiliano Spezi.
Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Hub on Quantum Materials and Technologies (QuMaT), supported by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership
Aims and research areas
Current research into sustainable transport focuses on advances in the following key sectors:
- aerospace
- automotive
- rail
- marine.
However research is often fragmented with topics considered in isolation and work to meet the demands of a merged industry not yet widely seen. This hub will be unique, delivering cohort-based doctoral training to address these issues, generating new interdisciplinary solutions.
We will bring together internationally leading researchers in engineering, computer science, psychology, and geography and planning, alongside excellent facilities to train the next generation of future leaders, providing them with coherent training fully aligned with industrial needs for sustainable transport/smart mobility.
We will use a whole-system approach to deliver:
- a rapid transit/public transport system
- transport networks and policy innovation for active travel/emerging micro-mobilities
- cleaner vehicular technologies
- cleaner fuel technologies.
Addressing the challenges associated with delivery under these four key themes will form the key research goals of the hub.
Research environment and training
QuMaT spans 4 schools, creating an interdisciplinary environment.
In their first year, research students will attend existing postgraduate courses, plus an experimental quantum materials growth techniques course, and a unique programme on advanced measurements in the quantum limit. Students across all years will attend weekly physics seminars, Physics Chat (PhD student bi-weekly presentations) and monthly journal clubs, where they will be able to discuss state of the art results and present their own ideas to their peers.
Students will attend level 7 courses such as 'Quantum Theory of Solids' and 'Gravitational Wave Detection', training them in the theoretical and experimental techniques relevant to establishing a baseline of competence necessary to productive interdisciplinary overlap. First year students will additionally attend a specifically designed course on quantum materials and technology (invited seminars and colloquia), and will make onsite visits to industrial partners. In their second, third and fourth years, students will be supported to attend international conferences and workshops as well as technical summer schools.
To promote collaboration, in addition to the bi-weekly meetings, students will organise an annual one-day Postgraduate Conference. Led by QuMaT students, the conference will include postgraduate research students from across the represented schools, industrial partners, and beyond. Students, supported by QuMaT academics, will be responsible for all aspects of the event, including room booking, catering, inviting speakers, setting session themes, and chairing sessions. A budget will be allocated and approved by the QuMaT management team.
QuMaT students will also serve as a social hub for postgraduate students more widely. They will appoint a social committee to organise a social events. The QuMaT Management Team will agree a budget with the student committee each term based on planned activities, with an emphasis on team-building.
Cohort performance will be monitored through a written personal development plan (PDP) and mentoring scheme in which the student and supervisory team will identify training needs.
QuMaT will include a nominated point of contact to enable a pragmatic procedure for raising points of concern.
For more information, please contact the hub’s Academic Lead, Professor Sean Giblin.
Contact us and indicate your interest in EPSRC funding and if you want to be kept up-to-date with any further studentships that are published under this scheme.
