Fully funded studentships in Pathogens and host defences doctoral training partnership studentships

The University of Surrey is delighted to announce eight fully funded studentships within our collaboratively-funded Doctoral Training Partnership, partnering with the Pirbright Institute, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the University of Sussex.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our new DTP, developed to bridge the gap between veterinary and human infectious diseases research by building a cohort of students in the area of One Health, One Medicine.

Focusing this year on projects in virology and/or immunology, all studentships will be joint between the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (FHMS) at University of Surrey, and either the Pirbright Institute, near Woking in Surrey, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), Porton Down or the University of Sussex, Brighton. Students will have a principal supervisor at each site and be expected to spend time at each site.

These studentships will be for 3.5 years and will come with consumable funding as appropriate.

We’re offering a UKRI-aligned stipend (£17,668 pa for 2022-23), approved University of Surrey/Sussex fees and a research budget.

Six of these projects are jointly funded (50:50) by the University of Surrey and one of the strategic partners (the Pirbright Institute or the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory). The collaborative projects between the Universities of Surrey and Sussex are funded 100% by one of the two universities; one each.

The University of Surrey and its collaborative partners provide a vibrant, interdisciplinary research environment, with access to state-of-the-art facilities. We want the most talented researchers from diverse backgrounds to join us, bringing new ideas and perspectives. We offer sector-leading researcher development training and mentoring, and dedicated employability support.

You might also be interested in the FHMS Faculty Funded studentships projects

Eligibility

UK/home students (N.B. Only UK nationals are eligible for the projects with co-funding from DSTL)

Applicants for PhDs in Biosciences and Medicine or Veterinary Medicine and Science are expected to have a good honours degree (first or upper second) or a masters degree in an appropriate discipline.

How to apply

Applicants can express interest in either one or two of the advertised projects.

Applications should be submitted via the online application portal for the PhD programme specified in the individual projects:

Biosciences and Medicine PhD programme

Veterinary Medicine and Science PhD programme

N.B. Please select the October 2023 start date when applying.

When completing your application, in place of a research proposal, please provide a brief motivational document (1 page maximum) which specifies:

• the reference numbers(s) for the project or two projects you are applying for
• the project title(s) and principal supervisor name(s)
• if apply for two projects, please also indicate your order of preference for the projects
• an explanation of your motivations for wanting to study for a PhD
• an explanation of your reasons for selecting the project(s) you have chosen

Additionally, to complete a full application, you MUST also email a copy of your CV and 1-page motivational document directly to the relevant project principal supervisor of each project you apply for. Due to short turnaround times for applicant shortlisting, failure to do this may mean that your application is not considered.

Application deadline: 6 January 2023