Aeronautics PhD Studentships admissions round 2026-27

Our international reputation for research makes Imperial an ideal place to pursue a research degree, whether as preparation for a research career in industry or as the start of an academic career. 

In November 2026, we will be opening applications for a number of PhD Studentships in the Department of Aeronautics. Please do visit this page again in November 2026 to find out more about the available opportunities.

We are currently accepting applications for ten PhD Studentships in the Department of Aeronautics. Open to Home, EU and International Students, these PhD Studentships will cover full tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend.  Find out more about each PhD Studentship on the following project webpages:

• List project webpages

Duration

These PhD Studentships can start anytime between 1 August 2027 and 1 July 2028 and will last for 3.5 years.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria will vary depending on the PhD Studentship – you can find out more on the relevant PhD Studentship webpage in the above list.

Deadlines

The application deadline is 23.59 on 4 January 2027 (UK time)

How to apply

Submit your application via our Apply webpages - you will need to upload the following:

• CV
• personal statement
• transcripts
• contact details for two references

When applying, you will need to complete the following fields:

• Search course/Programme: Aeronautics Research (PhD)
• Research Group: Aero
• Entry term: Autumn 2027/8 or Spring 2027/8 

For Research Topic and Research Supervisor, please refer to the relevant project webpage listed above which will contain these details under the How to Apply section.

You can find out more general guidance on how to apply on our Admissions webpages.

Applying to two projects

You can apply for a maximum of two PhD projects in any academic year – this includes PhD projects in other departments at Imperial and the Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Aviation (DPSA) within our Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation.

If you are submitting two applications for different PhD Studentships in the same academic year, you will need to select different entry terms – one application must be for the entry term Autumn 2027/8 and one application must be for the entry term Spring 2027/8. 

References

You will need to provide the contact details of two referees – we will then contact them directly to request the references after you have submitted your application. Find out more about the importance of references and how to check the status of your references on our application references webpage.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your referees respond to any reference requests. To ensure we do not delay the admissions process for our applicants, any incomplete applications without references by 23.59 on 5 February 2027 (UK time) will be rejected. 

Contact

For more information about a specific project, please see the Supervisor contact details on the relevant PhD Studentship project webpage from the above list.

For application queries, contact: Lisa Kelly, PhD Administrator.

Frequently Asked Questions

 You can also find answers to common application questions on our Frequently Asked Questions webpage.