Doctoral Training Partnerships

The Envision Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) brings together a powerful group of UK researchers with industry and non-governmental organisations’ partners to provide a new generation of environmental scientists with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to take on the challenges of a changing world. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Members

• Lancaster University 
• University of Nottingham
• Bangor University
• the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
• British Geological Survey
• Rothamsted Research

Applications are now open for 2023. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 11th January 2023.

Available projects from Bangor University

1. Anthropogenic change and disease susceptibility in poison frogs: identifying links with diet, skin alkaloids, and the microbiome

2. Assessing Amazon forest vulnerability and resilience to dry periods across soil moisture and microenvironmental gradients

3. Establishing the relative importance of a rainforest microcosm in oil palm plantations

4. Freshwater storage at the “roof of the world” under climate change

5. How do coral energy strategies influence their survival?

6. The genomic and adaptive consequences of extreme, human-mediated population decline

7. What’s for dinner? Oceanographic drivers of Manx shearwater chick provisioning and growth

Check out the available projects here

Apply here

Bangor University are delighted to offer fully funded Wales Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) (ESRC DTP) studentships starting in October 2025 in the following pathway subject areas.

• Bilingualism/Linguistics
• Psychology
• Sport and Exercise Science
• Criminology and Law
• Sociology/Science and Technology Studies
• Data Science, Health and Wellbeing
• Education
• Social Work, Social Care, and Social Policy
• Economics
• Management and Business
• Environmental Planning

Entry Criteria:    

To receive WGSSS studentship funding, you must have qualifications or experience equivalent to an UK honours degree at a first or upper second-class level, or a masters. Students with non-traditional academic backgrounds are also welcome to apply.   

Duration of study:   

The duration of study varies from 3.5 to 4.5 years full time (or part time equivalent).     

The duration study is dependent on prior research experience and training needs of the student which will be assessed by completing a Development Needs Analysis. We welcome applications for both full and part-time study.   

Research in practice placement:   
All WGSSS funded students are required to complete a funded Research in Practice placement of 3-months in total (or part-time equivalent). All students will have the opportunity to complete a placement in academia, policy, business or civil society organisations.    

International Eligibility:   

WGSSS studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.     

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:  

WGSSS is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all. We welcome applications from all members of the global community irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.    

Assessment:   

Short-listed applicants will be invited to interview. As part of the interview process, applicants will be asked to give a short presentation and answer a series of panel questions 

How to apply:   

Applications should be received no later than 11/12/24 including all required documents. Due to the volume of applications received, incomplete applications will not be considered.    

All applications should be submitted using the following links (please use the correct email address for the pathway being submitted to:

• Bilingualism/Linguistics – bilingwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Psychology – psychwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Sport and Exercise Science –      spexwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Criminology and Law – crimwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Sociology/Science and Technology Studies – socwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Data Science, Health and Wellbeing -dshwbwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Education eduwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Social Work, Social Care, and Social Policy – socialworkwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Economics econwgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Management and Business businesswgsss@bangor.ac.uk
• Environmental Planning envirowgsss@bangor.ac.uk

Please include the following documents with your application:   

• WGSSS Application Form 

• Academic CV (two pages maximum) 

• 2 academic or professional references (candidates must approach referees themselves and include references with their application. The reference must detail the applicant’s research strengths). 

• Degree certificates and Transcripts (including translations if applicable)   

• If relevant, proof of English Language Competency (see institutional requirements for entry)  

Funding:   

The studentship funded by the ESRC covers tuition fees, an annual tax-free living stipend of in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £19,237) and includes access to a Research Training Support Grant.    

If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship.    

The ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) is a consortium of leading universities, established to train top-level social scientists across Wales.

• Cardiff
• Bangor
• Aberystwyth
• Cardiff Met
• Gloucestershire
• Swansea (pathways in Bilingualism, Economics, Management & Business, Psychology, Sport & Exercise Science)

Applications are now closed for 2022. Full information regarding Postdoc Fellowships and eligibility is available on the Wales DTP website.

Check  Wales DTP website

Funded by NERC and BBSRC, the STARS Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) is an exciting consortium of 8 organizations, comprising 4 universities and 4 research institutes from around England, Scotland, and Wales who are collaborating to offer training to PhD students in soil and have access to internationally renowned soil scientists and research facilities as well as benefiting from the support of fellow students from across the country.;

• Lancaster
• Bangor
• Nottingham
• Cranfield
• CEH
• James Hutton Inst
• Rothamsted
• CEH
• BGS

Explore STARS Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) website

The Nuclear Energy Futures CDT is a EPSRC funded centre for postgraduate training, bringing together PhD students from Bangor University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and The Open University.

The Nuclear Energy Futures CDT combines innovative research and teaching, guidance from academic and industry experts and a supportive environment to help you make a better energy future.

The AIMLAC Centre for Doctoral Training provides 4-year, fully funded PhD opportunities across the broad areas of particle physics and astronomy, biological and health, and mathematical and computer sciences.

The CDT is built upon longstanding research and training collaborations between the universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Bristol, Cardiff, and Swansea. In addition, Supercomputing Wales and the University Computing Academies provide bespoke support via Research Software Engineers and access to HPC facilities in a coordinated fashion. 

Please visit  CDT website for more details about the centre and how to apply.

A limited number of positions is available for international students, including fees and bursaries.

Training

The programme consists of a substantial training component in the first year, including cohort-based training in AI and computational methods, to establish a common base. Engagement with our external partners is embedded throughout and includes a short-term placement in Year 2 and a further 6-month placement across Years 2/3. Transferable skills training is delivered via residential meetings, at our annual CDT conference, and in cooperation with the Alan Turing Institute. More details can be found on the Training and Events pages.

Research

Our doctoral training programme is constructed around three research themes:

• T1: data from large science facilities (particle physics, astronomy, cosmology)
• T2: biological, health and clinical sciences (medical imaging, electronic health records, bioinformatics)
• T3: novel mathematical, physical, and computer science approaches (data, hardware, software, algorithms)

While the themes are diverse as academic disciplines, in our CDT they are linked through the use of AI, machine learning and advanced computing methods. Therefore, a crucial role is played by knowledge exchange across themes via cohort training, joint supervision, peer-to-peer interaction and student mentoring. Research project are embedded within one of the themes, with supervisory support across themes, to develop new synergies. More details can be found on the Research page.

Fully funded PhD positions

Fully funded PhD positions are available for students with a strong interest and aptitude in computational science and in one of our research themes. Positions are funded for 4 years, including the placements with the external partners. Considerable funding is available for training, workshop and conference support, as well as for a laptop and other computational resources. The CDT will recruit 5 cohorts, with a minimum of 11 PhD students per cohort. The first, second, third and fourth cohorts have started in October 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. For details on how to apply, see the Applications page.

The MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership began in June 2019 following funding awarded by the MRC-NIHR Methodology Research Programme. The Partnership is led by Professor Paula Williamson, previously chair of the MRC HTMR Network.

The TMRP brings together a number of networks, institutions and partners working in trials and trials methodology research.

The TMRP partner networks who will join the five Hubs within the MRC HTMR Network include: 

• The Global Health Network (TGHN)
• Health Research Board – Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN)
• Health Data Research UK
• UKCRC Registered CTU Network
• UK Trial Managers’ Network (UK TMN)

In addition, groups from 25 universities are collaborating to offer doctoral training in trials methodology research. Together these studentships will form the new MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership PhD student cohort.

Eight working groups will specialise in specific areas relevant to trial methodology.  

The TMRP offers an opportunity to build on the achievements of the MRC HTMR Network while exploring new collaborations and avenues to make continued progress in advancing trial methodology, developing capacity and further reducing research waste.

Bangor PhD Opportunities

Are you ready to take the next step in your academic journey? Are you curious to apply your skills and knowledge in a health-related discipline? The MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership offers an exciting opportunity to undertake a fully funded PhD focused on improving the way clinical trials are designed and conducted.

The programme offers projects aligned with various areas including statistics, data analytics and informatics, computer science, health economics, qualitative methods, mixed-methods, clinical medicine, and psychology. This is a great opportunity for students from a range of subject areas to apply their skills a trials methodology setting.

There are three potential PhD projects available at Bangor University, including:

• Value of funding research that is substantially comparable to a previously failed randomised controlled trial in terms of the question being addressed (PHOENIX).

Lead supervisor: Dr Will Hardy w.hardy@bangor.ac.uk

• How should the environmental impact of medicines be considered in the context of trial outcomes?

Lead supervisor: Dr Catrin Plumpton c.o.plumpton@bangor.ac.uk

• Developing linked pharmacometric-pharmacoeconomic analyses to inform clinical trial design.

Lead supervisor: Professor Dyfrig Hughes d.a.hughes@bangor.ac.uk

Please contact the lead supervisors if you are interested in any of these projects

Hear from one of our current PhD students, Non Davies, who began her PhD journey at Bangor University in October 2022:

“I began my Master of Science by Research degree at Bangor University’s Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), where I was immersed in the world of research.” 

Speaking of her experience, she said,

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue my studies at Bangor. The support I have received from my supervisors, colleagues at CHEME, as well as Bangor University’s Doctoral School during both my master’s, and the transition to PhD, has been second to none. The opportunities through the MRC-DTP are also invaluable, and there’s a great sense of community, with regular meet-ups with the other students”.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956124.

**(Applications for 2021 are now closed)

Hywel Dda University Health Board provides healthcare services to a total population of 380,000 throughout Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Two Funded PhD Studentships in Public Health Economics at CHEME Bangor University