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EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Power

Why join us?

  • Fully funded 4-year PhD research studentships
  • A six month training programme of taught modules in fusion energy, including materials and plasma science
  • A supportive environment within a cohort of fusion energy PhD students
  • Extensive opportunities and funding for international collaboration and travel
  • Links to world-leading fusion facilities and expertise in the UK and overseas

PhD research projects in:

  • Materials science
  • Plasma Physics
  • Magnetic confinement fusion
  • Inertial fusion energy
  • Instrumentation & diagnostics
  • Experiment, theory and computation

Why Fusion?

Fusion has the potential to meet our energy needs in a sustainable way, with minimum impact on the environment. The urgency to address climate change is driving an acceleration in fusion research, both through emerging private companies and new publicly funded programmes. The next generation of fusion scientists will be ideally placed to realise our dream of fusion power.

The Fusion CDT:

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Power (the Fusion CDT) is a collaboration between the Universities of Durham, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and York. Our programme will train >100 PhD students from diverse backgrounds, equipping them with expertise in materials science, plasma physics, magnetic confinement fusion, and inertial fusion energy. Supported by a network of more than 20 industry partners and international labs, the Fusion CDT offers a collaborative, cohort-based training environment. It provides opportunities for you to build the skills and knowledge necessary to get your fusion career off to the best possible start. Many of the skills and techniques employed in fusion are highly transferable to other sectors - a PhD in Fusion can open the door to a wide range of exciting career paths.

The Fusion CDT welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and particularly from communities that are typically under-represented in fusion.

We support flexible working and part-time study where possible.

Fully-funded Fusion CDT students receive a stipend based on the standard UKRI rate.

How to apply

Please see the Fusion CDT website for further details of PhD projects available and how to apply.

Image 1 - A group of 6 people wearing fusion CDT t-shirts. Image 2 - 3 people working on computers

Photo credit: University of York / Alex Holland

Image 1 - A person in an industrial facility wearing a hard hat and high-vis vest. Image 2 - A person working with a nuclear regulator

“The Fusion CDT gave me a broad foundation in the field of fusion science, and additionally allowed for extensive networking with prominent members of the fusion community. This was not only helpful for collaborations during my PhD, but was also useful when looking for jobs within the field”.

Aneeqa Khan is a fusion PhD alumnus who is now a lecturer at the University of Manchester, following a fellowship at ITER, and a position at IPP Garching.


“It is the Fusion CDT Collaboratory project that has provided me the support with my unique position as an ONR Scientific Advisor. It has been a pillar of my experience that has helped me launch my own company”.

Thomas Davis is a Fusion CDT graduate. The Fusion CDT “collaboratory” allowed Thomas to work with the UK’s nuclear regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), for three months during his PhD.

Training the next generation of fusion scientists