Frequently Asked Questions

For the ten Department of Aeronautics PhD Studentships in the 2025-26 admissions round, you need to apply using the following process:

• Stage 1: Submit your 2-page curriculum vitae (CV), transcripts and a 300-word statement explaining your motivation for applying to this PhD Studentship to: Supervisor Review Form. Our Supervisors will perform a comprehensive review to long-list candidates. Deadline: 8 January 2026
• Stage 2: Supervisors will email further instructions and an application link to long-listed candidates, inviting them to make a formal application to the PhD Studentship.

For these ten Department of Aeronautics PhD Studentships in the 2025-26 admissions round, you must submit your documents for stage 1 - the initial Supervisor review - by the 8 January 2026.

For the ten Department of Aeronautics PhD Studentships in the 2025-26 admissions round, applications are only open until 8 January 2026 and the PhD Studentships can be started between 1 August 2026 and 1 July 2027. If you want to apply for a PhD Studentship in the following year, do check this information regularly as new projects will be launched each November.

Yes, for the ten Department of Aeronautics PhD Studentships in the 2025-26 admissions round, you will complete  a Supervisor Review Form where you will be able to select all the PhD Studentships that you wish to submit your documents for review.

For the ten Department of Aeronautics PhD Studentships, each project will list their minimum entry requirements on the relevant PhD Studentship webpage. You can find guidance on the equivalent international entry requirements on our Admissions webpage. If you meet these minimum requirements but you are still uncertain if you are qualified to apply for the PhD Studentship, we recommend you submit your documents in the Supervisor Review Form listed in the application process.

You can find out more on our minimum English language requirements on our Admissions webpages. You can apply without meeting these requirements but if we make you an offer to study with us, this will be conditional on meeting the minimum English language requirements by a set deadline.

You can read more on our exemptions for English language requirements on our Admissions webpages.

Yes, for the ten Department of Aeronautics PhD Studentships, if you are invited to submit a formal application to the PhD Studentship,  the Supervisor will review your complete application and will shortlist candidates to interview.

If you are invited to interview and you need any reasonable adjustments, please contact the relevant supervisor with details for further advice.

Find out more about our Disability Advisory Service and the support available to you during the admissions process and during your studies at Imperial. 

If you are having difficulties with the Supervisor Review Form, please contact Jennie Long, Recruitment, Admissions and Outreach Manager: j.long@imperial.ac.uk

If you have been invited by the supervisor to make a formal application to the PhD Studentship, you will be send the link to the application portal. If you are having technical difficulties with the application portal, please use this enquiry form to contact the Technical team

You will need to submit:

• 2-page curriculum vitae (CV),
• transcripts
• 300-word statement explaining your motivation for applying to the relevant PhD Studentship

Documents are submitted to our Supervisor Review Form and you can select to submit your documents to more than one PhD Studentship using this form.

Our Supervisors will perform a comprehensive review to long-list candidates. In the Application stage 2, Supervisors will email further instructions and an application link to long-listed candidates, inviting them to make a formal application to the PhD Studentship.

No, the PhD Studentship will be for the specific research project outlined in the project description. If you are long-listed to Application Stage 2 and invited to submit a formal application, you will need to submit a personal statement.

Yes, if you are invited to submit a formal application after the Supervisor review, you will need to include a personal statement. 

All eligible PhD applicants are considered according to the same scholarship allocation criteria, which are:

•  Academic qualifications/excellence.
• Motivation and enthusiasm to do research and the PhD: Explaining the reasons why you want to do research and this PhD; why the topic is important to you.
• Research experience: Any projects, placements, internships done, showing the skills relevant for the PhD and research.
• Research output: Such as publications, conference talks or scientific papers.
• Honours and awards: List any prizes, special mention, awards, scholarships, grants, honours.

For the formal application in Stage 2 of the application process, your personal statement should not be longer than two pages.

Your CV should summarise your educational qualifications and awards and indicate any relevant research experience, internships or relevant work experience. Please also include a list of relevant publications with web links if available. Please ensure that the CV is no longer than 2 pages.

After the Stage 1 Supervisor review, if you are invited to make a formal application for the PhD studentship, you will need to provide the contact details of two referees – we will then contact them directly to request the references. One must be an academic reference, the second referee may be another academic referee, or where appropriate/relevant, a professional referee. Find out more about the importance of references on our admissions webpages.

Please note that references sent from personal email account are not acceptable. 

Do read all the project information on the relevant PHD Studentship webpage and these Frequently Asked Questions before contacting us as this may answer your question.

If you have a question about a particular project, you will find a Supervisor contact for each PhD Studentship on the relevant PhD Studentship webpage for further questions.

For queries regarding the application process, email Lisa Kelly, PhD Administrator: l.kelly@imperial.ac.uk

If you are having difficulties with the Supervisor Review form, please contact Jennie Long, Recruitment, Admissions and Outreach Manager: j.long@imperial.ac.uk

If you have been invited by the supervisor to make a formal application to the PhD Studentship, you will be send the link to the application portal. If you are having technical difficulties with the application portal, please use this enquiry form to contact the Technical team