How to apply

The CDT is funded by the EPSRC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates. These have been set by UKRI as £20,780 per annum at 2025/26 rates and will increase in line with the EPSRC guidelines for the subsequent years (subject to progress).

The advertised CDT scholarships are available to Home (UK) Students only.

Research Council funding for postgraduate research has residence requirements. We have reached our quota for international student applications for 2026 entry and so advertised CDT scholarships are only available to Home (UK) Students. To be considered a Home student, and therefore eligible for a full award, a student must have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship (with some further constraint regarding residence for education). For full eligibility information, please refer to the EPSRC website.

The CDT is committed to generating a diverse and inclusive training programme and is looking to attract applicants from all backgrounds. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for home fee status candidates who identify as Black or Black mixed or Asian or Asian mixed if they meet the programme entry requirements. This positive action is to support recruitment of these under-represented ethnic groups to our programme and is an opt in process.

Find out more

Applications are now open for September 2026 entry and will be considered on a rolling basis, and we therefore strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to interview as applications are received and offers may be made before all applications are reviewed and if a scholarship is filled any future scheduled interviews may need to be cancelled. The scholarships will remain open until all places are filled.

We warmly welcome applications from all eligible candidates, and we particularly encourage applications from women, mature students, disabled applicants, and marginalised Black and Asian students with home‑fee status, who remain under‑represented in our cohorts.

If you need additional time to prepare your application due to disability, caring responsibilities, health‑related needs, or other circumstances linked to protected characteristics, you may submit a short Expression of Interest Form (EOI) to register your intention to apply. You will have 7 days from the date you submit your EOI to complete and submit your full application. This ensures you are not disadvantaged in our rolling process. An EOI does not provide priority over completed applications, and places may still be filled at any time.

Applications are made directly to the University where the PhD project is based using a link provided in the ‘How to apply’ section of that project description. This will take you to the correct University online application portal where you will make your application.

As part of the recruitment process, we ask that you submit a short film of you delivering a presentation, of up to 5 minutes in length, on “How do your experiences and qualities provide a background to contribute to research and innovation for the project you have applied for”. 

You will will be assessed on the content of your presentation, not your film editing skills, but please be mindful of filming in an appropriate, quiet location. Please film the presentation in whatever way you feel most comfortable with. For example, it could be a slide presentation with voice over, or you may wish to present simply talking to the camera.  Please use the tools and technology that are accessible to you and that you feel comfortable with e.g. your mobile phone, or the built-in ‘Record Slide Show’ on Keynote (macOS, iOS, iPadOS) or Powerpoint etc.

We also ask that you complete a Supplementary Application Form. This includes space for you to provide a link where the shortlisting panel may view your file. You will submit your completed form, along with your CV and transcripts. Full ‘How to apply’ information is given on each project page. 

If you have any queries about the CDT please email auracdt@hull.ac.uk.

Interview panels will comprise the project supervisory team members from the host university where the project is based, plus a representative of the CDT.  Where the project involves external supervisors from university partners or industry sponsors then representatives from these partners may form part of the interview panel and your application documents will be shared with them (with the guaranteed interview scheme section of the supplementary application form removed).

If you are successful, you will progress to a second interview. This will be with key academics from the CDT from across our four partner institutions (Durham University, University of Hull, Loughborough University, University of Sheffield) and your application documents will be shared with them (with the guaranteed interview scheme section removed from the supplementary application form).