Explore study opportunities from STEM Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences.
Current Opportunities and How to Apply
CENTA-XX-27J
Department: School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystems Sciences (EEES)
Location: Milton Keynes
Study mode: Full-time or Part-time
Advert reference: CENTA-XX-27J
Closing date:23:59, 6 January 2027
The School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystems Sciences is inviting applications for PhD studentships funded by the Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA) Doctoral Landscape Award. CENTA is a consortium of research-intensive Universities and research institutes that are working together to provide excellence in doctoral research training in Earth and Environmental Sciences. We are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through the UKRI’s Collective Talent Funding.
The available projects for the October 2027 intake are:
CENTA studentships provide funding for 3 years and 6 months (7 years for part-time students) during which all course fees are covered. Funded students will also receive an annual stipend of at least £21,805 per annum (pro rata for part-time students) and will be provided with a research training and support grant of £8,000.
Eligibility
Applicants must hold an upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject area. Degrees from outside the UK will be assessed according to the UK ENIC framework.
The Open University accepts applications from both home and international students
All projects are available for full-time and part-time study. Part-time students must not take on more than 0.5FTE additional employment.
How to apply
Applications close at 23:59 on 6 January 2027 with interviews taking place late January through mid-February. To apply you must complete the online application form, as part of which you will be asked to upload:
A CV/resume outlining your most relevant qualifications, professional experience, and any prior research experience
Copies of your degree certificates and transcripts (including translations if not in English)
For applicants who are not British/Irish, proof of English language competency
When completing the OU application form, please ensure that you cite the internal advert reference number(s) e.g. CENTA-01-27J. Applicants may apply to more than one project.
Generative AI: You declare any artificial intelligence used to prepare your application. A section is provided in the CENTA studentship form.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to the academic lead for their project prior to application. For procedural or administrative queries, please contact Graduate-School@open.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1908 653806 (Mon-Fri 09:00 – 16:30)
STEM fee waiver project
This year we have funding for one student-designed fee-waiver project. There is no stipend associated with this project.
Applicants must discuss their project with an EEES academic lead who agrees to supervise before applying.
Funding provided:
Fees waived by the faculty for 3 years, 3 months (pro-rata).
£1,100 Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) per year (pro-rata) for 3 years, 3 months.
Eligibility:
UK students only
upper second-class honours or masters level degree in a relevant subject area.
Funding is available for full-time and part-time study. Part-time students must not take on more than 0.5FTE additional employment.
BBSRC-NERC funded ‘Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award’ (ILESLA) PhD studentship opportunities
The Open University has partnered with University of Oxford (lead university), Oxford Brookes University, The Pirbright Institute, Diamond Light Source, and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source to launch the BBSRC–NERC funded Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award (ILESLA). This ambitious doctoral training programme will prepare a new generation of creative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial researchers who are equipped to meet the complex, cross-disciplinary challenges the world faces.
The primary aim of ILESLA is to cultivate researchers capable of developing innovative solutions to challenges in and at the intersection of biological and environmental sciences, focusing on five interconnected themes:
Climate and Earth; Advancing understanding of climate and earth systems.
Biodiversity and Sustainability; Sustainable approaches to support food, feed and energy security, manufacturing and biodiversity.
Animal and Human Health; Innovative approaches to understand and support animal and human health.
Rules of Life; Frontier science addressing fundamental questions about biological organisms and ecosystems.
Transformative Technologies; Development of tools and technologies underpinning biological and environmental research.
You can view a full list of research topics within each theme here.
This exciting award is expected to fund at least ten new PhD students at The Open University, across five intakes (2025 – 2029) and to fund students registered at the University of Oxford or Oxford Brookes University who will be co-supervised by researchers at The Open University. Recruitment will be annual.
Entry requirements
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a relevant academic subject (e.g. biochemistry, biology, chemistry, geology, geography, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science).
International applicants will need to demonstrate that they are sufficiently proficient in English to support successful study at research degree standard before any offer of registration can be made. To find out if you need to prove your English language abilities with an English proficiency test, please see further information here and on the government student visa website here.
Please note that if you are required to take a test, higher level English language is required for this opportunity. This equates to:
Minimum overall IELTS academic score 7.5, with no less than 7.0 in each component.
Further information on eligibility including what other tests can be accepted can be found here.
How to apply to The Open University
If you wish to be supervised by Open University academics, or to conduct your research at The Open University, you should apply via the University of Oxford, following the procedure outlined below.
Firstly, please read the general ILESLA admission procedures located on the University of Oxford’s website before applying:
The application deadline for October 2027 entry is 6th January 2027 12:00 midday UK time.
All applicants to the ILESLA programme must apply via the Oxford Application Portal and will be assessed through the same admissions process, but will subsequently be offered a place at one or more of the partner universities.
Application Fee Waivers
University of Oxford charges a fee to apply via their admissions portal. For applicants applying to the Open University only, you will be eligible for a fee waiver.
The application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.
Choosing a research theme – Please identify the research theme (Rules of Life, Animal and Human Health, Biodiversity and Sustainability, Climate and Earth and Transformative Technology) which best aligns with your research interests. If your interests span multiple themes please number them in order of priority eg ‘1. Rules of Life, 2. Biodiversity and Sustainability’. If you are interested in undertaking a project with a partner in the Open Innovation Industrial Consortium, please also add ‘Open Innovation Industrial Consortium’.
Proposing a supervisor – In the ‘proposed supervisor’ field please enter the name of the Open University supervisor(s) you wish to work with. It is not required that you select a supervisor prior to applying although it is good practise to contact one or more supervisors in advance to discuss possible project topics. If you do not yet know which supervisors you wish to work with, simply enter ‘The Open University’. We encourage you to approach supervisors from across the university who conduct research within the stated themes. Please consult the LHCS research webpages , The EEES Research webpages, STEM Research Webpages, FASS Research Degree Webpages, WELS Research Degree Webpages, FBL Research Webpages and The Open University Research site for suitable supervisors. If you have further questions, please contact us via ILESLA@open.ac.uk . Please note that sometimes, despite our best efforts, it might not be possible for you to work with the specified supervisor(s).
Providing three referees – Academic references are preferred, but one professional reference can be accepted if you have relevant work experience.
Uploading your academic transcript – You will need to upload your academic transcript for your entry qualification. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
Statement of Purpose (maximum 1000 words) – Please provide your statement of purpose in English, describing how your background and research interests relate to the course. Information on what to include in your statement and the headings to use can be found on the Oxford Application Portal.
Optional Contextual Information Statement for Doctoral Training Centre Applications 2026 Entry form – We recognise that socio-economic data may not fully capture an individual student’s personal circumstances, so if any of the criteria listed in this form apply, we encourage you to submit a statement providing additional detail on your personal circumstances using this contextual statement form.
Language qualification certificates – Please provide evidence of your English language proficiency If required for you and if available at application stage. Please see information above as to whether this applies to you, and which tests we accept. We recommend academic IELTS but do accept others. If you have not yet undertaken the test, please still do apply and you can send these to us later. We do recommend obtaining these as soon as possible, to avoid delaying the progression of your application. We cannot provide an offer without it (if you require it).
International research student applicants should also see the further information and guidance here. All appointed students will need to adhere to The Open University Research Degree Regulations for the duration of their study.
Please note that applications will be coordinated centrally by the ILESLA lead university, the University of Oxford. This will mean that applications will need to be shared outside of The Open University during the shortlisting and interview stage.
If you are successful in your application to the Open University, we will request further documentation as part of our admissions process.
Funding Information
ILESLA is co-funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and The Open University. Awarded applicants chosen for funded studentships will receive a monthly stipend equating to approximately £23,805 per annum for four years and will also have their tuition fees funded for the four-year funding duration. Where part-time study is chosen, students will study at 50% full-time equivalent (18.5 hours per week), receive £11,903 stipend per year over eight years and have their part-time fees funded for up to eight years. UKRI training grant terms and conditions will apply. A budget will be provided for project costs during the PhD.
