Scholarship overview
Degree level
Postgraduate doctoral
Value
Fully funded PhD studentship with stipend and industry top-up, plus research expenses, travel, and BBC secondment.
Number of awards
1
Academic year
2026/2027
Tuition fee status
Home, Overseas
Mode of study
Full time
Available to
Prospective students
Application deadline
04/01/2026
Additional information
Available to applicants in the following departments
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Eligibility criteria
Position Summary
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship, to be undertaken at Imperial College London (Communications and Signal Processing Research Group, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering). This studentship is funded by an EPSRC IDLA award and industrial partner BBC R&D.
BBC R&D is the R&D department of The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. As part of the project, the student will work closely with staff at BBC and benefit from mentoring and supervision of their staff.
The project will be supervised by Prof. Bruno Clerckx (Professor of Wireless Communications and Signal Processing, Imperial College London) and Dr David Vargas (Lead Research Engineer at the BBC R&D).
Summary of Project
This project will explore different multi-antenna processing approaches to increase mobile broadband capacity in rural areas. These include network deployment architectures (e.g. co-located vs. distributed/cell-free MIMO), transmitter architectures (e.g., beyond uniform antenna arrays), and signal processing (digital vs. analogue vs. hybrid processing).
Participants will develop proficiency in communication theory, wireless communications, signal processing for communications, and microwave systems. They will gain a deep understanding of communications systems, with opportunities for collaboration with industry partners to ensure the research aligns with practical needs.
This project offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on the telecommunications industry by working at the forefront of communications and signal processing. It provides access to advanced resources, a leading research group, industry collaborations, and a pathway to developing highly sought-after skills in the rapidly evolving landscape of Telecom engineering solutions.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must hold a first-class Master’s degree (or equivalent MSc) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Suitable backgrounds include, but are not limited to, wireless communications, communication theory, signal processing, and microwave systems. Candidates should be highly motivated with a strong interest in interdisciplinary research and must meet Imperial College London’s postgraduate entry requirements.
Please note: This scholarship is not available to continuing students.
Course specific information
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Research Program and Communications and Signal Processing Research Group
Application process
This PhD studentship is jointly funded by the EPSRC and BBC. The post is open to home and overseas applicants, but only home fees will be covered by the funding. Overseas applicants will be expected to cover the difference between the UKRI indicative rate and Overseas fees (Who pays home fees in England). It includes a UKRI London rate stipend ( approximately £22,780 per year (tax-free) for 2025/26) plus £5000 per year (tax-free) top-up from industry for four years, support of research expenses, travel to collaborators, conferences and a secondment at BBC. The student should ideally be able to start on the first day of the 2026/27 academic year (26 September 2026).
Please click HERE to apply.
Select Electrical and Electronic Engineering Research Program and Communications and Signal Processing Research Group, then indicate Prof. Bruno Clerckx as a potential supervisor when making the application.
Your application should include:
- A covering letter
- Research statement
- CV
Full guidance on the application process is available HERE.
For queries regarding the application process, please contact eee.pgadmissions@imperial.ac.uk.
Additional information
Imperial College London is the UK’s only university focussed entirely on science, engineering, medicine and business and we are consistently rated in the top 10 universities in the world.
Contact
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at eee.pgadmissions@imperial.ac.uk.