EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award Overview

The EPSRC DLA provides funding for PhD studentships, internships and postdoctoral opportunities.

Across the board there is a responsibility to ensure that our EPSRC DLA cohorts are as diverse as possible (see Fair Access and Participation below), attracting the very best international talent as well as taking active steps to ensure that our UK cohort is drawn from the entire talent pool available, particularly including those from backgrounds that we have identified as under-represented.


Overall, students undertake doctoral research projects across a comprehensive range of Engineering and Physical Science research areas, with adaptive bespoke training that takes account of varying prior pathways, in an inclusive and supportive environment, mainly across the School of the Physical Sciences and the School of Technology.

DLA research projects are discovery-led projects in innovative areas aligned with key established EPSRC strategic themes, including energy and decarbonisation, healthcare technologies, information and communication technologies, manufacturing the future, artificial intelligence and robotics, digital security and resilience, quantum technologies and advanced materials, as well as engineering, physical and mathematical sciences. 

Students are embedded in groups that produce world-leading research outputs and have excellent track records of mentoring young scientists. To further deliver impact, the DLA places particular emphasis on creating links with industrial partners with previous collaborations with Rolls-Royce, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Lonza, Johnson Matthey, Novo Nordisk and Hitachi, among others.

PhD Studentships are:

a. usually awarded in the Departments of: Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Materials Science & Metallurgy, Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Pure Mathematics & Mathematical Sciences and Physics. Occasionally, studentships may also be funded in other Departments where the research portfolios overlap with the EPSRC themes and which have successfully obtained EPSRC funding in recent years.

b. fully funded (fees and maintenance) for UK students, and up to 30% are used to fund international students to the same level, with University fee bursaries covering the difference between the home and international fee.  All studentships are bound by the Terms and Conditions of the grant. 

Fair Access and Widening Participation

The University is actively addressing identified under-representation of particular groups within postgraduate study. This includes Black British, British Bangladeshi, and British Pakistani, as well as all ethnicities from low-income backgrounds.

Mature students, those with caring responsibilities, first-generation students (parents or immediate care-givers did not go to university) and students who have experienced being incare, are also identified as currently being under-represented.

Students from all of these under-represented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Flexibilities of the EPSRC DLA funding allow us to also support:

Postdoctoral Pathways - to retain and recruit the best EPSRC funded students, fellowships of up to two years in duration are available. Applications open in the Spring of every year.

Vacation Internships - available during the summer, internships offer the opportunity for internal undergraduates to gain first hand experience of research over an 8-10 week period. Potential applicants should contact their postgraduate office for further details.

Widening Participation Internship Programme - residential internships available during the summer and offer an 8 week project for candidates that meet WP criteria.