British Heart Foundation 4-year PhD Studentships

UCL Department / Division: UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science

Duration of Studentship: 4 years

Overview

New developments in cardiovascular basic science, data science and engineering have the potential to significantly reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. However, true progress will only be made through interdisciplinary collaborations. At UCL we are offering a four-year PhD programme with interdisciplinary cardiovascular research at its core.

This four-year PhD programme provides an exciting opportunity for outstanding graduates with an interest in any aspect of cardiovascular disease. We are keen to encourage applications from graduates with previous experience in wide range of disciplines, including fundamental and laboratory sciences, engineering, mathematics or physics, and data science or epidemiology.

A four-year programme offers a broader and deeper research training opportunity than a traditional three-year PhD scheme and facilitates interdisciplinary research.

At UCL, we have an outstanding track record across fundamental, clinical, and population data science, as well as cardiovascular engineering and mathematics. We have also strong partnerships with some of the largest providers of specialized cardiac care in the UK (St Bartholomew’s, University College London, Moorfields, Royal Free and Great Ormond Street hospitals). Thus, we are ideally placed to offer a truly interdisciplinary 4-year PhD programme, with multiple opportunities for rapid translation into the clinical environment.

Three studentships are awarded annually by the British Heart Foundation. The first year of the programme provides postgraduate-level tuition in selected relevant topics, training in transferable research skills, and the opportunity to undertake three 15-week research projects, working with different cardiovascular scientists across UCL. These projects provide a basis for you to select a doctoral project and supervisors. During your PhD thesis research, you will be encouraged to present your work at international meetings, and funds will be made available for this. A generous consumables allowance is provided across the studentship.

PhD projects will cover the entire range of activity across the UCL campus, and so applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with our research. As a postgraduate research student within the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science, you will have the opportunity to connect with cardiovascular scientists, and to form links with researchers in engineering, epidemiology, chemistry and genetics. You will gain skills suitable for a career in research, the pharmaceutical industry or related fields.

Funding and Eligibility

Each student receives a stipend based on standard BHF rates (approximately £22,278 in year 1 increasing in years 2, 3 & 4) and tuition fees are covered at the UCL home (UK) rate. Non-UK applicants must show evidence of their ability to cover the difference between home and overseas fees for the duration of study and will also need to satisfy UKBA visa requirements. Applicants should hold a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree (or overseas equivalent) in an appropriate subject, or a recognised taught Master’s degree. Good spoken and written English is expected.

Applications

Details on how to apply can be found here.

General enquiries can be emailed to bhf4yr@ucl.ac.uk.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited via email to attend an online interview (Zoom/MS Teams).

Application deadline: 8/1/2024

Proposed interview date: February 2024