Explore study opportunities from STEM Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences.
Funded places are available through the CENTA/Faculty scheme, and the ILESLA scheme described below. You can also contact us to discuss a ‘candidate-initiated project, and/or apply to ‘self-fund’ your PhD.
BBSRC-NERC funded ‘Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award’ (ILESLA) PhD studentship opportunities
A new doctoral training initiative, the Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award (ILESLA), has been launched to address pressing societal and environmental challenges. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are funding the programme, which will run from 2025 to 2033.
Led by the University of Oxford, the programme brings together an esteemed consortium of academic and research institutions, including The Open University (OU), Oxford Brookes University, The Pirbright Institute, and the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. The initiative aims to foster a new generation of researchers capable of tackling critical challenges at the intersections of biological and environmental sciences.
To learn more, including on how to apply, please click here.
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We welcome applications for CENTA studentships, which are co-funded through the NERC CENTA Doctoral Training Consortium and the OU.
The studentships provide an annual stipend, a research training support grant, and all academic fees are covered. The deadline for applying for a CENTA PhD studentship will be announced on an annual basis (see Current Opportunities and How to Apply).
In the video below, Eleni Wood talks about the benefits of being a CENTA student and how she went about applying.
These PhD opportunities are funded by the STEM Faculty at the OU. The studentships provide an annual stipend, a research training support grant, and all academic fees are covered.
The deadline for applying for a STEM PhD studentship will be announced on an annual basis (see Current Opportunities and How to Apply).
Periodically we have PhD studentships available that are funded through various external sources, such as charities, other DTPs, or project grants. The deadline and eligibility for applying for these PhD studentships vary, so please check the announcements (see Current Opportunities and How to Apply).
For NERC and STEM funded studentships, as well as self-funded PhD projects, we welcome candidate-initiated PhD projects. If you wish to co-design a project with a supervisor here at the OU, then you must contact them well in advance of the application deadline to develop the project together. You can find a potential supervisor through looking at our research pages and contacting the Research Group Lead.
If you need help finding a potential supervisor then please contact the Postgraduate Research Tutor, Kadmiel Maseyk.
You may wish to apply as a self-funded PhD student. If this is the case, the best place to start is by contacting an academic staff member who might become your supervisor to discuss your research ideas. They may be able to advise on applying to funding bodies and putting together a research proposal.
To start looking for an academic supervisor, we suggest that you look at our research pages and contact the relevant Research Group Lead.
In the video below, Kerry Reid talks about how she came to do her PhD at the Open University.
