University of Cambridge, United Kingdom invites online Application for number of Funded PhD Opportunities in various Departments. We are providing a list of Fully Funded Doctoral Research Positions available at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Eligible candidate may Apply as soon as possible.
(01) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: MPhil Studentship: Computational Modelling for Wearable Diagnostics (Fixed Term)
A 1 year MPhil studentship is now available for Easter Term, April 2026 in Dr Gita Khalili Moghaddam’s group.
The project will be simulation-based, with a strong emphasis on using COMSOL Multiphysics or similar tools and will be closely aligned with experimental teams to ensure outputs are directly applicable to future device fabrication.
The student will join the Digital Health Technologies Group within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, benefiting from close collaboration with experts in precision diagnostics.
Applicants should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a good 2.1 degree in Computational Modelling, (Bio)Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related discipline. Experience with COMSOL or similar finite element modelling tools is desirable.
Closing date : 14 January 2026
(02) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT MRes+PhD in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero
We have funding for a number of 1+3 MRes/PHD studentships, in collaboration with industry, as part of our EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT), under the four following themes:
- Current and disruptive technologies
- Circularity and whole life approach
- Al-driven digitalisation and data
- Risk-based systems thinking and connectivity
Closing date : 15 April 2026
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(03) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with AtkinsRealis: Enabling a natural capital approach to infrastructure transitions
This is a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the Cambridge EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT). The FIBE3 CDT aims to lead a transformation to net zero infrastructure through industry partner co-creation and co-delivery of an inspirational doctoral training programme for cohorts of emerging talents from diverse academic and social backgrounds. We will transform their potential by equipping them with the understanding, skills and qualities to collaboratively engineer the infrastructure that will unlock net zero through conducting world-class, cutting-edge and user-need focused cohort-based training and research to lead the design and implementation of the infrastructure net zero agenda in the UK. Further details can be found at https://www.net-zero-fibe-cdt.eng.cam.ac.uk/
Closing date : 15 April 2026
(04) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with Buro Happold and Ramboll: Prediction of future technical performance of lower carbon concretes
This is a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the Cambridge EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT). Further details can be found at https://www.net-zero-fibe-cdt.eng.cam.ac.uk/
The project is funded in collaboration with Ramboll and Buro Happold who work across diverse projects with key clients focused on sustainable design and low carbon materials. Ramboll is a global engineering, architecture and consultancy company and Buro Happold is an international, integrated consultancy of engineers, designers and advisors. Both organisations are well-placed to help accelerate usage of lower carbon concretes.
Cement production is responsible for 5-7% of global CO2 emissions which reflects our dependence on large volumes of concrete used in societal infrastructure. A rapid transition to lower carbon concrete is an imperative. By the 2030s there will be a much wider range of concrete technologies with much improved performance, a less prescriptive approach to codified concrete design, and more flexible but robust performance requirements. To support this transition, and provide confidence in performance, we must move away from semi-empirical Ordinary Portland Cement based performance measures to more fundamental measures that better capture/represent different binder and concrete formulations with lower carbon intensities.
Closing date : 15 April 2026
(05) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with CamDragon: Data-Intensive AI Thermodynamic Models for Next-Generation Building Decarbonisation
Project objectives -Construct AI algorithms employing advanced thermodynamic and machine learning models to forecast and visualize heat flow and occupant comfort metrics. – Identify key drivers of energy inefficiency, including occupant behaviour patterns and physical heat loss hotspots. – Formulate and validate AI-driven control strategies that optimise comfort and carbon reduction. – Assess heat pump readiness and propose targeted interventions to facilitate low-carbon retrofits. – Produce guidelines for scalable, data-rich design and operation frameworks within diverse building contexts.
Closing date : 15 April 2026
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(06) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with Ramboll: Green bridges for ecological connectivity
This is a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the Cambridge EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT). Further details can be found at https://www.net-zero-fibe-cdt.eng.cam.ac.uk/
Major roads and railways often create barriers that isolate wildlife populations, disrupt movement between habitats, and reduce biodiversity. Green bridges (landscaped crossings designed to reconnect fragmented ecosystems) offer a promising solution, but their construction can be carbon-intensive and costly. This PhD project, funded in collaboration with Ramboll, a global consultancy recognised for its leadership in sustainable infrastructure and environmental design, looks at how we can design and locate green bridges so they deliver maximum ecological benefit with minimal environmental cost.
The student may explore two interconnected research themes. The first focuses on how structural and material choices influence the carbon footprint and ecological performance of green bridges. The second investigates where green bridges should be placed to provide the greatest connectivity gains, considering species movement, landscape configuration, and transport corridor constraints. Methods may include ecological assessment, structural analysis, carbon modelling, and satellite monitoring / spatial planning tools.
The project will generate evidence-based guidance to support more effective green bridge design and implementation. Outcomes may include identifying opportunities for lighter, lower-carbon structures, criteria for ecological effectiveness, and insights into retrofitting options across existing transport networks. This PhD offers the chance to contribute directly to more sustainable, biodiversity-enhancing infrastructure.
Closing date : 15 April 2026
(07) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with Tracey Concrete: Low-carbon cements for precast concrete in aggressive ground
This is a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the Cambridge EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT). Further details can be found at https://www.net-zero-fibe-cdt.eng.cam.ac.uk/
The project is funded in collaboration with Tracey Concrete, a market leader in precast concrete manufacturing employing innovative production processes and are actively exploring the incorporation of new materials, technologies and designs in their operations to achieve zero-carbon construction elements.
The construction industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint while ensuring long-term performance of infrastructure, particularly in environments that accelerate material degradation. This PhD aims to develop and advance the use of low-carbon cements in precast concrete in aggressive ground for a range of buried structures. Precast concrete involves various types of concrete and offers a controlled environment for material innovation and quality assurance, making it an ideal platform for deploying alternative binders and next-generation low carbon cements.
The research will focus on characterising and evaluating the mechanical performance, durability, and sustainability of both commercially available and novel cements in concrete embedded in a range of aggressive ground conditions. These are contexts in which durability standards are critically important.
Closing date : 15 April 2026
(08) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: EPSRC FIBE3 CDT PhD studentship with Ward & Burke: Development of AI tools for meta-analysis of hydraulic models for preventing combined storm overflows
This is a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the Cambridge EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIBE3 CDT). Further details can be found at https://www.net-zero-fibe-cdt.eng.cam.ac.uk/.
The project is funded in collaboration with Ward & Burke, a leading engineering firm specialising in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure within Ireland and the UK.
Currently, there are no global scale views or quantitative performance metrics for hydraulic models to design sewage network upgrades. In order to reduce combined sewer overflows, tools are needed to optimise the interventions and compare different sites and models.
Presently, the outputs of each model are dependent on the modellers and assumptions they make, the model setup, and the “fudge factors” used. We do not yet have clarity about how these dependencies interact, especially as a third party, making it impossible to make informed decisions. This leads to scheme designs based on the model outputs without fully comprehending the quality of these outputs, whether they have been optimised sufficiently, or whether other options may be available.
This project will seek to develop methods to rank models and guide interventions based on whether further optimisation of the solution is worthwhile. The developed tools will not rely on computationally expensive modelling, but will use meta-analysis techniques to consider the scale/cost of the intervention, “quality” of the modelling, sensitivity of the model to further optimisation, etc.
Closing date :15 April 2026
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(09) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: MPhil Studentships: Toxicities associated with nucleic acid-dependent therapies (NADTs)
Four MPhil studentship awards covering fees and maintenance for Home students are available, these are funded by the Large Grant Contributions Fund at the University of Cambridge to support the Prosperity Partnership award from the Medical Research Council.
These MPhil studentships will undertake research projects that align with understanding the toxicities associated with nucleic acid-dependent therapies (NADTs) such as ASOs, siRNAs, and CRISPR-Cas9. These research projects will focus on mechanistic understanding of these toxicities, development of human-relevant testing systems and predictive modelling.
Students interested in these studentships should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a good 2.1 degree and a broad interest in undertaking a career in toxicology.
Closing date : 30 January 2026
(10) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: MPhil: Search for causes of acquired megaesophagus
The Project:Is Myasthenia Gravis the Hidden Cause of Acquired Megaoesophagus in Dogs? Acquired idiopathic megaesophagus is a serious and poorly understood condition in dogs. The esophagus becomes enlarged and loses its ability to move food into the stomach, causing regurgitation and a high risk of life-threatening aspiration pneumonia. While some cases are linked to autoimmune disorders such as myasthenia gravis, most remain unexplained, and there is currently no reliable cure. The student will analyze muscle tissue from dogs with and without megaesophagus, identify immunological and molecular markers in serum and tissue that could serve as new treatment targets, and contribute to developing diagnostic assays for clinical use. This work combines comparative neuromuscular research with translational potential for both veterinary and human medicine.
Closing date : 30 January 2026
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(11) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD (Fixed Term)
Brazing offers the prospect of revitalising high temperature structural components in the gas turbine engines used for civil aviation, thereby extending service life and reducing cost. For the reliable deployment of this technology, the microstructural and property changes that occur as a result of the process must be fully understood. This is particularly important for the highest performance alloys used in large civil engines, which encounter demanding service conditions.
This PhD project will seek to carry out the fundamental metallurgical research required to understand how elemental redistribution takes place between the constituents of repair brazes in superalloys. This will involve detailed characterisation using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical testing. Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling will also be performed to build a predictive capability of how interdiffusion proceeds during processing and the nature of the phases that are formed. The insights obtained will be used to optimise braze alloy chemistry and processing as well as better understand the impact on braze repair on the adherence of protective surface coatings. The PhD will be conducted in close collaboration with Rolls-Royce plc.
Closing date : 15 January 2026
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(12) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD – CFETs based on atomically thin semiconductors
Modern electronics face challenges in scaling down semiconductor technology, especially as devices approach sub-1-nm technologies. Atomically thin body (ATB) semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenide offer a promising solution owing to their ultra-thin channels that enable precise control over electrical current flow. This project plans to develop ultra-scaled complementary field effect transistors (CFETs) using ATB semiconductors. Key activities include creating low-resistance electrical contacts, optimising semiconductor/dielectric interfaces for efficient switching, synthesis of wafer scale ATB semiconductors, and tuning threshold voltages for both n- and p-type transistors. By employing industry-compatible processes, this project aims to pave the way for high-performance, low-power electronics, establishing CFETs as fundamental for next-generation semiconductor technologies.
Closing date : 23 January 2026
(13) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD studentship in Neonatal Monitoring and Data Analytics
Neonatal intensive care (NICU) presents unique challenges in monitoring vital signs while supporting developmental and psychological needs of preterm infants and their families. Current wired monitoring systems create physical and emotional barriers, limiting parental contact and increasing stress. Evidence shows that improving physical contact through wireless monitoring can enhance breastfeeding rates, reduce hospital stay, and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. The collaboration between the Department of Paediatrics and Engineering has been exploring novel continuous monitoring systems to support a more holistic approach to care. This has included non-contact monitoring specifically designed for use in the unique setting of NICU and uses an RGB-D (red-green-blue-depth) camera to monitor the infant. The cameras contain a visible light sensor (RGB), and a depth sensor (D). The successful applicant will join the team exploring data science and AI for neonatal care. Areas of work will include:
- Development of algorithms for real-time signal processing and anomaly detection,
- Applying big data analytics and deep learning to NICU datasets for predictive modelling of clinical outcomes,
- Investigating integration of multimodal data streams to support decision-making and improve patient care.
Closing date : 14 January 2026
(14) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD Studentship in Theory and Practice of High Dynamic Range Imaging (Fixed Term)
Dive into the future of visual technology with a studentship at the forefront of modern imaging science, where high dynamic range (HDR) imaging is redefining the way smartphone cameras and displays capture the world. Despite HDR becoming the new standard, many classic image-processing algorithms and generative models remain limited to the world of standard dynamic range (SDR). This project seeks to bridge that divide, unifying methods and technologies designed for both SDR and HDR content-spanning still images and video alike. You’ll explore the exciting frontiers of HDR multispectral imaging and imaging with non-standard primaries, pushing the boundaries of colour accuracy and personalising colour reproduction for all, including those with colour vision deficiencies. The work doesn’t stop there: you’ll also investigate advanced tone-mapping and inverse-tone-mapping techniques to translate seamlessly between HDR and SDR worlds, ensuring consistent colour and contrast perception across luminance levels. Building on cutting-edge psychophysical models, this research promises to reshape how we see, capture, and reproduce the visual world.
Closing date : 1 February 2026
(15) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD Studentship/Marie Sklodowska-Curie ESR: Tuning ADC Payload Release with Active Learning
We invite applications for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher (MSC-ESR) Fellowship to work with Professor Goncalo Bernardes on the control of ADC payload release.
Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are a rapidly expanding class of targeted therapeutics. Much effort in the field has been devoted to the identification of novel payloads and to engineering monoclonal antibodies. Yet one critical component (the linker) remains comparatively under-explored. Linkers govern the controlled release of potent payloads inside specific cellular environments, and improving linker design is essential for next-generation ADCs.
This project aims to develop a systematic strategy for tuning payload release rates by modulating the structure of para-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl (PABA) linker units. By altering substituents around the PABA core, we will investigate how electronic and steric effects influence payload pKa and, ultimately, release kinetics under biologically relevant triggers. The successful candidate will work at the interface of organic synthesis, chemical biology, and machine learning to guide linker design and optimise ADC performance against acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Closing date : 18 January 2026
(16) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD Studentship: Imaging-Based AI Screening for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Falls have been reported to precede a diagnosis of NPH in 80-90% of cases. Given that a significant proportion of patients presenting with a fall undergo cranial imaging, and a number of imaging hallmarks have been shown to be of diagnostic value in NPH, the project will seek to implement an automated segmentation approach for evaluating CT head imaging performed after a fall for features of hydrocephalus. CT-based volumetric segmentation and falls-based screening have been separately reported in the context of hydrocephalus but not previously combined to enable automated flagging of at-risk individuals for further diagnostic evaluation.
This project is funded through the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury (HRC) Fellowship Programme, which has been designed to support the research needs across its 5 themes: prevention & education, acute care & monitoring, restoration & rehabilitation, diagnostics and life-course. Central to the programme are the 7 core academic projects, across 4 academic partners. The HRC rolling educational programme will be delivered through a mixture of tutorials, workshops, web-based training resources, networking events and peer-led activities.
Closing date : 14 January 2026
(17) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD Studentship: Variable and Noisy Gene Expression in the Arabidopsis Shoot Meristem
The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is the tiny stem cell niche at the tip of each plant shoot that generates all above-ground organs, stems, leaves and flowers. Its proper function underpins many traits central to crop productivity. Yet even within this tightly organised tissue, gene expression is surprisingly variable from cell to cell. This noise in key developmental regulators may be critical for balancing robustness and flexibility in plant development, but we still do not understand where this variability comes from or how it is controlled.
This project will use state-of-the-art single-cell and spatial transcriptomic approaches to dissect the origins and consequences of gene expression variability in the Arabidopsis SAM. Building on recent single-nucleus RNA-seq work revealing transcriptional heterogeneity in this tissue, you will ask how much of this variability is driven by:
- Cell cycle stage
- Hormonal signalling (e.g. auxin, cytokinin)
- Positional identity within the SAM, captured using spatial transcriptomics and high-resolution imaging
Closing date : 15 February 2026
(18) Funded PhD Opportunities
Summary/title: PhD The influence of Si in alpha+beta titanium alloys (Fixed Term)
This project will examine the role that Si additions have on the microstructural development and mechanical performance of solute lean alpha + beta titanium alloys. The research will be predominately practical and will include the production of systematic series of model alloys through arc melting, hot rolling and heat treatments. Microstructural characterisation will be performed through electron microscopy (both scanning and transmission) and X-ray diffraction, supported by differential scanning calorimetry. Quasi-static mechanical performance will be assessed through small scale tensile testing, including advanced in situ testing in Cambridge and at national synchrotron facilities. Complimentary high strain rate testing will be conducted with our industrial partners, with an aim to develop a mechanistic understanding of how compositional changes influence alloy performance and guide the industrial development of new, high performance titanium alloys.
Closing date : 23 January 2026
About The University of Cambridge, United Kingdom – Official Website
The University of Cambridge is a collegiate research university in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s fourth-oldest surviving university. The university grew out of an association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople. The two English ancient universities share many common features and are often jointly referred to as Oxbridge.
Cambridge is formed from a variety of institutions which include 31 semi-autonomous constituent colleges and over 150 academic departments, faculties and other institutions organised into six schools. All the colleges are self-governing institutions within the university, each controlling its own membership and with its own internal structure and activities. All students are members of a college. Cambridge does not have a main campus, and its colleges and central facilities are scattered throughout the city. Undergraduate teaching at Cambridge is organised around weekly small-group supervisions in the colleges – a feature unique to the Oxbridge system. These are complemented by classes, lectures, seminars, laboratory work and occasionally further supervisions provided by the central university faculties and departments. Postgraduate teaching is provided predominantly centrally.
Cambridge University Press, a department of the university, is the oldest university press in the world and currently the second largest university press in the world. Cambridge Assessment, also a department of the university, is one of the world’s leading examining bodies and provides assessment to over eight million learners globally every year. The university also operates eight cultural and scientific museums, including the Fitzwilliam Museum, as well as a botanic garden. Cambridge’s libraries, of which there are 116, hold a total of around 16 million books, around nine million of which are in Cambridge University Library, a legal deposit library. The university is home to, but independent of, the Cambridge Union – the world’s oldest debating society. The university is closely linked to the development of the high-tech business cluster known as ‘Silicon Fen’. It is the central member of Cambridge University Health Partners, an academic health science centre based around the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
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