To start: September/October 2013

We are offering 8 PhD studentships to applicants with a background in neuroscience, psychology, biological science, social science, physical science, mathematics or statistics. The awards are funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) through the Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health (BRC-MH) and Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia (BRU-D) at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London (KCL).

The BRC-MH and BRU-D are pioneering multidisciplinary translational research and experimental medicine in the areas of mental health and neuroscience. They bring together researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals from two internationally recognised organisations. SLaM is the UK’s largest NHS mental health service provider with a long history of involvement in translational research.

Projects

A range of PhD projects are offered with opportunities for applicants from a wide range of disciplines. For project opportunities see http://projects.brc.iop.kcl.ac.uk (please note, final choice or project and project details are agreed between student and supervisors after an offer has been accepted).

Awards and eligibility

We are offering up to 8 awards suitable for students from a wide range of background including neuroscience, psychology, biological science, social science, physical science, mathematics or statistics.  Funding is available for 4 years although students will be expected to submit their PhD thesis within 3 years. The extra year may be taken first to complete a relevant MSc from amongst those offered at the IOP, or may be taken at the end to complete aspects of the work, write papers and prepare funding applications.

The award covers academic fees (Home/EU rate); a stipend (£16,000 per year) and contributions towards research costs, training and conference attendance. Overseas students and others not meeting UK Home Office residency criteria may apply but would be required to cover the balance of fees over the Home/EU rate. English language competence criteria apply.

Entry requirements

You should have (or be expected to obtain) a 2:1 or 1st class honours degree in a subject relevant to the proposed project. If you already possess (or expect to obtain) a research-based MSc degree, a merit or distinction level is expected.

Further information

Follow the links below for more detail:

• About the NIHR Biomedical Research Unit for Mental Health and Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia
• About the IOP
• Studying at the IOP
• MSc Courses at the IOP
• Research degrees at the IOP
• Postgraduate study at King’s College London
• KCL Graduate School
• KCL Researcher Development Programme

How to apply

Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the admissions portal https://myapplication.kcl.ac.uk/, by 9am (GMT), 12 December 2012. This must include the following:  

- Academic References – all admissions applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on his/her referees to submit references directly to the College after he/she has submitted his/her admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that their chosen referees are made aware of the funding deadline.

- Academic Transcripts – where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application.

- Covering letter describing (i) why they are applying for a studentship, (ii) their area(s) of interest, (iii) up to three projects from those offered, clearly ranked in order of preference; (iv) any other information relevant to the application.

Applicants should select one of the 13 Departmental MPhil/PhD Research Programmes listed on the online application form.  For the purpose of the application process they should identify the department of the first supervisor of the their first choice project. This is for administrative purposes only. For successful applicants, their actual department will be decided once projects have been agreed and need not be in the department indicated in he application. Applicants must use the reference “BRCIOP13” in question 5 on the 'Funding' section of the admissions application. Without this reference your application may not be considered.  References must be received by the deadline for the applicant to be eligible.
 
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.