Frequently Asked Questions

Chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering graduates who wish to learn how to apply their physical sciences skills to biological problems.

Students from biological or medicinal backgrounds are usually not eligible. If in doubt, please contact us.

The entry requirement is a degree in the physical sciences with a minimum 2.1 or above (or equivalent).

Our usual qualification level requirement is a Master's level degree (MChem; MSci; MSc; MRes). However, we can accept exceptional candidates who are applying to us with a Bachelor's level degree in the physical sciences, as we are a 1+3 MRes + PhD training programme.

The 'physical sciences' includes chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering graduates who wish to learn how to apply their physical sciences skills to biological problems. Students from biological or medicinal backgrounds are usually not eligible. If in doubt, please contact us.

Please make your application via My Imperial.

We do not accept applications via e-mail.

Once you have submitted your application on My Imperial please notify us via email icbadmin@imperial.ac.uk of your project choice(s). For further instructions, please see our application flowchart.

Please make your application on My Imperial. We do not accept applications via email.

You will be asked to provide your personal details, details of your higher education and relevant work experience.

You will need to attach:

• a CV
• a personal statement, also sometimes referred to as 'supporting statement' or 'letter of support'
• degree transcript(s)
• English language qualifications (if required)
• Immigration information / visa (if required)

You will need to provide the names of two references. Your references will be contacted separately after your application is submitted, you do not need to attach any reference letters yourself.

Candidates usually talk about what has attracted them to the project, why they are a good fit, drawing upon relevant knowledge and scientific experience, and why they want to study as part of that particular research group.

We usually require applicants to be graduates with a physical sciences background; the remit of the EPSRC CDT in Chemical Biology is to provide a training programme for chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering graduates who wish to learn how to apply their physical sciences skills to biological problems. Please see our Eligibility criteria.

Students who have completed a more biologically focussed degree can be eligible, if content of the degree was at least 50% physical sciences or if they have experience working in a relevant laboratory on top of a more biologically focused degree, or via lab work, internships, industrial placements. 

Should any of our projects hold particular interest, please consider contacting the project supervisors directly to discuss your suitability.

If in doubt, we would advise applying and highlighting relevant knowledge and expertise for the project(s) being applied to in the personal statement.

Chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering graduates.

We do accept students who are studying Natural Sciences if their focus is at least 50% physical sciences or perhaps their laboratory placement or experience is within the physical sciences. Many of our successful applicants have studied Natural Sciences at either Bachelors' or Masters' level.

Yes, we can accept applicants with a BSc in the physical sciences with a 2.1 or better onto our [1+3] MRes + PhD programme.

The entry requirement is a degree in the physical sciences with a minimum 2.1 or above (or equivalent).

Our usual qualification level requirement is a Master's level degree (MChem; MSci; MSc; MRes). However, we can accept exceptional candidates who are applying to us with a Bachelor's level degree in the physical sciences, as we are a 1+3 MRes + PhD training programme.

The only students who can apply direct to the PhD are those who already hold an MRes in Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, or Biological and Physical Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial.

If you have an MSci, MSc, MChem, MEng or similar then you will need to apply to Chemical Biology and Bio-Entrepreneurship [1+3] (MRes 1YFT + PhD 3YFT) via the 'Postgraduate Taught' course type on My Imperial.

We strongly encourage applicants who already hold an MRes qualification to consider applying to our Chemical Biology and Bio-Entrepreneurship [1+3] (MRes 1YFT + PhD 3YFT) programme. We are happy to discuss questions you may have surrounding this.

If you already have an Master's of Research (MRes) from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial and want to apply to the CDT, and have discussed this with us, you can apply directly to the PhD course code. Please see our How to Apply pages.

However, we do require all of our students to undertake the same training as our MRes students as part of the cohort. The only difference will be 'straight-to-PhD' students will be exempt from the examinations and MRes assessments of the classes they have attended and will not receive the MRes qualification at the end of the year.

Yes, we would welcome this! We require all of our students to undertake the same training as our MRes students as part of the cohort.

Please see the individual studentship listings for application deadlines.

Applicants can apply to up to three projects.

There is no requirement to write more than one 'tailored' personal statement for each project being applied to. We have successful candidates who did not write additional statements, and successful candidates who did write additional statements. This is a personal preference only and we do not provide guidance on this.

However, if it is your preference to submit one statement per project, please follow the steps below:

• attach one of the personal statements to your application on My Imperial
• submit your application
• email us to notify us of your application
  • in this email, attached the additional statement(s)
  • clearly indicate which projects you are applying to
  • clearly indicate which statement is for which project application

These statements will be passed to the appropriate supervisory teams who will consider your application for shortlisting.

Please visit Imperial's English Language Requirement pages to check if you are exempt from proving your knowledge of English. Please indicate 'I think I am exempt' on your application. However, if you wish to do so you may provide a copy of your GCSE English qualification.

Please visit Imperial's English Language Requirement pages to check our English language requirements.

Successful applicants to the ICB CDT will receive a full scholarship. When applying to our programme on My Imperial, please select "Scholarship" and include the below details:

• Name of Scholarship: ICB CDT Scholarship
• Scholarship: Imperial
• Award amount: 130,000
• Fees/maintenance/both: Both
• Award status: Unconfirmed
• Percentage: 100

Your application will be received by the CDT Management. This will then be redacted to remove identifying information and protected characteristics. The application will then passed to the project supervisors for the studentship project(s) applied to, who will decide if they wish to shortlist you. Supervisors are passed several applications at once for shortlisting prior to interview and so there may be a lag time between applying and finding out if you have been shortlisted for interview.

Supervisors are passed several applications at once for shortlisting prior to our interview day and so there may be a lag time between applying and finding out if you have been shortlisted for interview. First round interviews are arranged by project supervisor teams after shortlisting.

The ICB CDT Management will receive your application. This will then be redacted to remove identifying information and protected characteristics. Thisd meansd your name, age, gender, personal pronouns, and whether you have a disability will be removed from your whole application, including references. This is done to ensure a fair review process for all applicants. If you have any questions about this, please Contact us.

Your application will then passed to the project supervisors for the studentship project(s) applied to, who will decide if they wish to shortlist you. If you are shortlisted for interview, supervisors will then receive the unredacted version of your application.

Supervisors are passed several applications at once for shortlisting and so there may be a lag time between applying and finding out if you have been shortlisted for interview. 

Irish applicants will be assessed as 'Home' for fee purposes provided they meet the residency requirements.

For more information, please visit Fee status | Study | Imperial College London

For more detailed information: UK Council for International Student Affairs: 'Who pays 'home' fees for HE in England?

EU applicants with settled or pre-settled status prior to 30 June 2021 will be classified as 'Home' for fee purposes.

For more information, please visit Fee status | Study | Imperial College London

For detailed information: Full list of Home fee categories for HE in England

The ICB CDT has a limited number of International student scholarships to award. Successful applicants will be awarded an annual stipend at UKRI rate, Tuition fees in full, consumables funding, and a conference and travel allowance.