Fully funded PhD studentships at the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistical Applied Mathematics (SAMBa)

Flexibility to shape your research direction | Training and skills development for industrial and academic careers | Enhanced stipend from year 2 | Diverse and supportive community | Think Tanks with industry partners | Research areas include: Applied Maths, Machine Learning, Probability, Math Bio, Statistics, Numerical Analysis.

Why apply to do your PhD with SAMBa?

With SAMBa, you will join a well-established doctoral training programme with strong links to industry. You will be part of an inclusive research environment and will be supported by a diverse and friendly community of students and staff. We offer PhDs in a broad range of research areas and give you the opportunity to shape your own research direction.

SAMBa will provide you with training and skills to prepare you for an academic or industrial career, where you will be confident collaborating with individuals from different backgrounds, and communicating effectively with both experts and nonexperts. Approximately half of SAMBa’s graduates go on to careers in industry and half to careers in academia (with some moving between the two).

We are passionate about maintaining a diverse cohort of PhD candidates in SAMBa and believe a variety of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds is an essential component in delivering a more inclusive, supportive, and creative environment for all. Find out more about us.

Training programme

As a SAMBa student, you will receive training and carry out research across statistics, mathematical modelling (deterministic and probabilistic) and numerical methods. The initial phase of SAMBa consists of courses, projects and symposia tailored to the individual student, together with Integrative Think Tanks (ITTs). ITTs are intensive, week-long events where students work in collaboration with academics and industrialists to synthesise relevant mathematical formulations for solving industrial and cross-disciplinary problems. Find out more about the SAMBa training programme.

PhD research project

We offer the flexibility for you to pursue a PhD project co-designed with one of SAMBa's partners, or a project formulated with an academic supervisor. Whether you choose your project before joining SAMBa or not, a series of courses and opportunities during the first 9 months of the programme will enable you to explore ideas and scope your future research in collaboration with academic staff and partner organisations. You will work intensively on PhD research after the initial training phase. Browse current and previous student research projects.

Available partner projects:

Research areas and applications

SAMBa currently has a vibrant cohort of 85 students carrying out research in areas including:

• mathematical machine learning
• fluid mechanics
• stochastic processes on graphs and networks
• dynamical systems
• numerical optimisation algorithms
• scientific computing
• mathematical biology
• Monte Carlo methods
• inverse problems
• spatio-temporal statistical modelling
• asymptotic analysis
• mathematical and statistical physics

Topics range from problems which are industrially motivated, to more abstract problems. Application and industrial areas include:

• healthcare
• epidemiology
• biology
• environment and natural hazards
• energy and transportation
• materials imaging and spectroscopy.

Funding

We offer fully-funded studentships starting in September each year, for Home and International students. Applications for entry in September 2027 will open in October 2026.

Our four-year scholarships cover university fees, payment of a tax-free stipend, all SAMBa activities, a budget to support your research development, office space and computing facilities. The stipend is paid at the UKRI Doctoral Stipend rate in the first year (£21,805 for 2026/7). After successful completion of the first year, students receive the standard UKRI rate plus an additional annual payment (the UKRI rate plus £2,000 in 2026/7).

Research environment

The department of Mathematical Sciences at Bath provides an excellent research environment (98% of research outputs ranked as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in REF2021), and the SAMBa cohort offers invaluable peer support.

How to apply

To apply to SAMBa, follow the process through our Doctoral College. Applications for entry in September 2027 will open in October 2026. Early application is encouraged as we have a limited number of places available.

Your application will be reviewed, and selected candidates will be invited to an interview, after which a final admission decision is made.

Successful applicants will hold, or will be expecting, a first or high upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in mathematics, or in a subject with substantial mathematical content.

More details are available on our website.

Find out more about our Integrative Think Tanks