UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Understandable agri-food Systems Transformed by Artificial Intelligence (SUSTAIN)

Are you aspiring to change the world through AI?

Applications are invited for fully-funded four-year PhD studentships to join the SUSTAIN doctoral training program conducting research in the application of Artificial Intelligence to sustainable agri-food. This prestigious centre is a collaboration between the Universities of Lincoln, Aberdeen, Queen’s Belfast and Strathclyde, supported by industry leaders across the UK and globally.

There are five remaining studentships available as part of the second cohort, starting in October 2025. Sixty studentships will be awarded, in total, over five years. Applications for our 2025 cohort are now open.

Programme Structure

Students will study a 4-year PhD at their chosen host institution (either the University of Lincoln, University of Aberdeen, Queen’s University Belfast or the University of Strathclyde), investigating a research area that links both an identified industry need and individual academic interests, helping to develop a new generation of AI systems across the food supply chain. There are a number of exciting research projects listed on the SUSTAIN website for students to consider.

Why SUSTAIN?

Bringing together the expertise and resources of our four academic institutions, SUSTAIN spans the landscape of UK agriculture, critical AI research areas, and the national geography of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It provides training in technical and social science aspects of AI, alongside training in plant, animal and/or biosciences, tailored to individual students’ needs and interests.

Our fully-funded studentship package includes:

• All PhD tuition fees paid.
• A tax-free stipend at UKRI rates to cover living costs.
• A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £3,000 each year to support travel, training and consumables costs (up to £12,000 in total).
• Additional funding to support outreach and dissemination, attendance at summer schools, research events, and development projects.

Students can also benefit from:

• The opportunity to develop their career, working alongside and in collaboration with academic and industry specialists.
• Internships, project work and engagement opportunities with world-leading companies who are interested in both research collaboration and in working with CDT-trained graduates.
• The chance to make a real difference by helping to address the challenges facing the global agri-food industry, through application and/or consideration of AI: climate change, population growth, political pressures affecting migration, and the demographics of an ageing population.

Applications

Applications for our 2025 cohort are now open.

Deadline for applications is Friday 24^th January 12pm (GMT). To apply, please visit our website.

If you are a dynamic, focussed graduate who either holds or is predicted, a minimum upper second-class honours degree, then file your application to be part of the AI-enhanced food production revolution! Visit the SUSTAIN website to find out more.

For further enquiries, please contact the SUSTAIN Team at SUSTAIN@lincoln.ac.uk.

Please be sure to check the eligibility criteria on the SUSTAIN website.

The SUSTAIN CDT is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Please see Student Eligibility here

PhD projects available: