The University of Exeter has a number of fully funded EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) doctoral studentships for 2023/24 entry.  

Students will be given sector-leading training and development with outstanding facilities and resources. The EPSRC studentships will be offered across the whole of EPSRC’s remit, with projects at the interface of disciplines and collaborations with users where appropriate. Studentships will be awarded to outstanding applicants, the distribution will be overseen by the University’s EPSRC Strategy Group in partnership with the Doctoral College.

The University of Exeter stimulates, supports and sustains a vibrant research and intellectual environment, across and between disciplines for postgraduate and early career researchers.  We have invested over £350 million in Science and Engineering since 2008 and we are one of the fastest growing and fastest rising research intensive universities in the UK.  We were ranked 23 out of 134 universities in the national Research Excellence Framework (REF) and 99% of our research is rated as being of international quality, with 89% internationally excellent and 47% world-leading in for REF 2021 - Research Excellence Framework.  For more information about our research results and case studies please visit the following link https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/ref2021/

Supervisors

The supervisory team will be made up of at least two University of Exeter academic staff, the location for studying your PhD will depend on where the lead supervisor is based either in Devon or Cornwall

Information on how to find a suitable supervisor can be found via the following link https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/money/phdfunding/epsrc-dtp-studentships/

Studentship Information

For successful eligible applicants, the studentship comprises:

• An index-linked stipend for up to 3.5 years full-time (currently £17,668 per annum for 2022/23 entry), pro-rata for part-time students. 
• Payment of University tuition fees (Home)
• Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £5,000 over 3.5 years, or pro-rata for part-time students

Funding Eligibility

UKRI has recently updated their policy for funded studentships which starts from the 2022/2023 academic year.
IMPORTANT: Please refer to the UKRI EPSRC residency criteria web page alongside the information provided below.

Home students

Fully-funded studentships are available for Home students.  To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirement) or,
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

International students

If you do not meet the above criteria, you will be classed as an International student.  A limited number (up to 30%) of UKRI fully-funded studentships are available through the EPSRC DTP.   Applications can be submitted via the How to Apply section below.

Those not meeting the nationality and residency requirements to be treated as a ‘home’ student may apply for a limited number of full studentships for international students.  Although international students are usually charged a higher tuition fee rate than ‘home’ students, those international students offered an EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership full studentship starting in September 2023 will only be charged the ‘home’ tuition fee rate (which will be covered by the studentship).

International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.

The conditions for eligibility for home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or the Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Participating Departments

Becoming a part of Exeter’s postgraduate research (PGR) community means you will have access to leading research facilities and industry connections. You’ll play a pivotal role in the University’s Science Strategy and have an instrumental part in research projects that have a significant impact on both your chosen field of study and wider society.

We combine leading academic staff with state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure to provide the perfect environment for research excellence and innovation. Our progressive research culture is underpinned by our continued investment, helping to create an energetic and vibrant academic community for our students and staff.

To find out more about the departments participating in the EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership please click on one of the following departmental links below. 

• Archaeology and History
• Biosciences
• Classics, Ancient Histoyr, Religion and Theology
• Clinical and Biomedical Sciences
• Computer Science
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Ecology and Conservation
• Engineering
• Geography
• Health and Care Professions
• Health and Community Sciences
• Law School
• Management
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Physics and Astronomy
• Psychology
• Public Health and Sport Sciences
• Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology

Applicants are invited to submit their research proposals to one of the EPSRC research themes within an appropriate department from the list above.  You must contact a prospective supervisor to discuss your research proposal before submitting your application. 

Please see 'Finding a prospective academic supervisor' for further information. 

To apply for funding, please see the 'How to Apply' section below for full details.
 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity

The University of Exeter is committed to promoting and supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion within our working environments and is at the heart of all our activities.  With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries, we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. 

We actively encourage applicants with varied experiences and backgrounds and from all sections of the community regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or disability status.  We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our postgraduate research student community.  Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workspaces.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology.  Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have a Masters degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements and provide proof of proficiency. Click here for more information and a list of acceptable alternative tests.

How to apply

To apply for EPSRC funding, you must click on the appropriate departmental application links provided below (Submitting an Application).

You will need to upload the following documents to the studentship application form. Please note our preferred format is PDF, each file named with your surname and the name of the document, eg. “Smith – CV.pdf”, “Smith – Cover Letter.pdf”, “Smith – Transcript.pdf”:

• CV
• Research proposal.  You must attach a completed research proposal form of up to 1,000 words including the name(s) of potential supervisors and the research theme  under which your proposal should be considered.
• Letter of application outlining your academic interests, and prior research experience.
• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained. This should be an interim transcript if you are still studying.
• Two references (see Reference information section below)
• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your current proficiency in English.  For further details on the University’s English language requirements please see https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/apply/english/

Reference information

It is your responsibility to ensure that your referees email their references to pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk, by no later than 27th February 2023.  Please note that applications with missing documentation will not progress to shortlisting.

References should be in the form of a letter. Referees must email their references to us from their institutional email accounts. We cannot accept references from a personal/private email account, unless it is a scanned document on institutional headed paper and signed by the referee.

All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided.

The closing date for applications is midnight (GMT) on 27th February 2023.  Interviews are likely to be held online between 3-14 March 2023.

Submitting an Application

To ensure your application reaches the correct panel, please apply via the appropriate department links below.

Click here to apply for a Department of Archaeology and History EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Biosciences EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Computer Science EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Ecology and Conservation EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Engineering EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Geography EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Health and Care Professions EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Health and Community Sciences EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Law School EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Management EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Mathematics and Statistics EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Physics and Astronomy EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Psychology EPSRC DTP Studentships

Click here to apply for a Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences EPSRC DTP Studentship

Click here to apply for a Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology EPSRC DTP Studentship

Contact Information

If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk.

If you have questions about submitting a research proposal please contact an appropriate supervisor whose research interests match your own via the 'Finding your Academic Supervisor' section on the main website.

Data Sharing

During the application process, the University may need to make certain disclosures of your personal data to third parties to be able to administer your application, carry out interviews and select candidates.  These are not limited to but may include disclosures to:

• the selection panel and/or management board or the equivalent of the relevant programme, which is likely to include staff from one or more other HEIs;
• administrative staff at one or more other HEIs participating in the relevant programme.

Such disclosures will always be kept to the minimum amount of personal data required for the specific purpose. Your sensitive personal data (relating to disability and race/ethnicity) will not be disclosed without your explicit consent.

Summary