PhD/MPhil History of Science, Technology and Medicine

Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health postgraduate research events page to find out about upcoming open days and events.

• Browse our project listings and funded programmes to discover a project you’re passionate about and check you meet eligibility criteria.
• Understand how your project is funded and, if it’s listed as self-funded, consider our funding opportunities for self-funded projects or other funding opportunities .
• Speak to the listed supervisor about your suitability for their project or programme before you apply.
• Visit our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more and ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission.

Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health postgraduate research page to find out more.

Before you start your application, you should:

• Discover more about the research area you’re interested in.
• Identify the programme or find the specific research project you'd like to apply for.
• Contact the listed project supervisor and speak to them about your suitability for the project.
• Understand how your project is funded and, if you are applying for a self-funded project, consider how you plan on funding your project and discuss this with the listed supervisor.

If you already have your own funding:

• Find a specific self-funded project and contact the project supervisor to talk to them about your suitability for the project; OR
• Determine your own research project and title, find a potential supervisor in this research area and contact them to discuss potentially supervising your research.

Supporting documents

You'll also need to make sure you have the following documents before you start your application:

• Personal statement
• Certificates and transcripts
• CV
• Confirmation of funding (if you are self-funded)
• English language ability
• Names and details of two referees to support your application

Visit our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more about the information required for each of these supporting documents.

Any missing information may delay the processing of your application.

Application deadlines

The deadline for applying for postgraduate research in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health depends on when you intend to start your research and how your project is funded.

If you are applying for one of our funded programmes, please refer to the deadlines detailed on the relevant page .

If you’re applying for a project that isn’t part of one of these programmes, our final application deadlines are:

• January 2026 entry: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
• April 2026 entry: Thursday, 15 January 2026
• September 2026 entry: Tuesday, 15 June 2026

The Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) is one of the largest groups in Britain dedicated not only to studying the history of science, technology and medicine but also science communication and medical humanities. The Centre is a focus for HSTM in the University, and helps draw together the work of staff in other discipline areas who work on similar and related themes. We have wide expertise and are home to a critical mass of researchers able to supervise many different types of project.

PhD or MPhil research in CHSTM allows students to develop expert status through detailed study of a clearly-defined case study in the history of science, technology or medicine, or science communication, whilst gaining broad professional skills in research, analysis and presentation. PhD students play an important role in the intellectual and social life of the Centre and contribute extensively to seminars, reading groups and conferences.

CHSTM research students enjoy some of the best study facilities of any comparable unit in the UK. Where possible we provide a dedicated desk with PC and storage space in our Centre for all full-time research students. Students have full access to a specialist library located within CHSTM, and are within five minutes' walk of the main University Library with its impressive special collections holdings. The Manchester area with its libraries, archives and museums is exceptionally rich in resources for the historical study of scientific, medical, technological and industrial change.

Find out more about the Centre for History of Science, Technology and Medicine

If you are interested in pursuing a PhD or MPhil research project at CHSTM, we recommend making informal contact with a member of staff whose research interests are closest to yours.

Find out more about the research interests of CHSTM academic staff

Recent publications by CHSTM academic staff

Some relevant PhD projects may be listed on the Faculty's research projects web page.

Training and development

All of our postgraduate researchers attend the Doctoral Academy Training Programme delivered by the Researcher Development team . The programme provides key transferable skills and equips our postgraduate researchers with the tools to progress beyond their research degree into influential positions within academia, industry and consultancy. The emphasis is on enhancing skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals, whether they relate to effective communication, disseminating research findings and project management skills.

Visit our PhD life page to discover life as a postgraduate researcher at Manchester or read our postgraduate research student blog .

Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate. Find out more on the  Careers  page.