Call for SSCP DTP PhD applicants

Deadline for applications: midday (12pm GMT) 7 January, 2022

We are pleased to announce that the call for PhD applications is now open!  All important details regarding the studentship application process can be located below. As the studentships are funded by UKRI NERC, please read the UKRI Studentships webpage for information, which also includes eligibility details. Should you still have any questions about our studentships, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). For any remaining queries please contact us.

About the Studentship

The SSCP DTP will award 14 fully funded NERC studentships in 2022-23. Applicants can choose from a number of projects which have been proposed by various Imperial academics and researchers from our partner institutions.

Projects

Click here to view a complete list of upcoming projects for 2022

Funding

Our studentships are fully funded for a minimum of 3.5 years. They include:

• Stipend based on RCUK minima (currently £17,609 including London Weighting Allowance for 2021/2022)
• Home Fees
• Research Costs

Before you apply

This year UKRI announced that there will be a limited number of studentships for international students available.  These international studentship awards will be subject to eligibility and the availability of funding, and we expect there to be keen competition for them. UKRI funding will not cover international fees set by universities. It is recommend that if you class as an international student, speak with project's lead supervisor regarding funding options.

Residency requirements will not apply to Irish nationals living in the UK and Ireland (whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement), nor to those EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals benefitting from Citizens’ Rights (under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively).

Imperial College London and the SSCP DTP are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment. Climate-related and environmental issues are inherently linked to inequality, and action to address these issues must be positive for all communities. As such, it is important that our research field is representative of the global society, and the DTP hopes to draw upon the talents of students from all backgrounds. We welcome all eligible applicants to apply to the programme, and we encourage applicants from backgrounds that are under-represented in climate science. We have multiple processes in place to try and remove bias and encourage diversity. Information on some of these can be found under 'How to apply'.

Eligibility

To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the following criteria:

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

 If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classified as an International student (as advised above, this year UKRI announced that there will be a limited number of studentships for international students available).

There is further guidance on UKRI Eligibility Criteria here, in Annex One of the International Eligibility Guidance.

Candidates will also be expected to meet Imperial entry requirements and SSCP DTP requirements.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please complete this pre-application form. Information provided here will not be used during the selection process and is to provide data required by our funder, NERC. However, please ensure you record your Unique ID as this will be needed as the application process progresses. If you are applying solely for projects led by the Natural History Museum, you do not need to complete this pre-application form as you will be asked to complete an equivalent form through their system.

Check out all projects listed and make contact with the supervisors for those that particularly interest you. They can often provide further advice and information about the project. You should also speak to the supervisor if you would like to suggest a slightly different project.

When you are preparing to apply, we suggest that you look at the SSCP DTP scoring criteria and our top tips for applying for a PhD. In your CV, we recommend that you do not include information such as age and gender, and when you ask for references (required later in the process), please ask your referee to not include your name and ensure the language is gender neutral.

Once you have decided which project you would like to apply for, please send CV and covering note (no more than 2 pages), plus your Unique ID, to the named lead supervisor of your project by midday (12pm, GMT) 7 January, 2022. Please note that the College is closed 24 December 2021 – 3 January 2022 inclusive.

If you are unsure how to approach your application before you submit it or if you have general questions on the application process, please contact us for assistance. For specific project queries, please contact the lead supervisor – you can find their email address at the top of the project form.

What happens next?

After the closing deadline, the respective supervisors will review all applications in line with their departmental policies and procedures. Applicants can expect to hear regarding the primary stage at the end of January, and on the final outcome on or shortly after 23 February, 2022. 

2022 Projects

Below we've listed all the project opportunities for 2022, listed by:

1. Imperial College London Departments and
2. Core Partner Institutes

Note: all core partner projects are co-supervised by an Imperial supervisor - these are listed both under the department as well as the core partner and are marked with an asterisk*