Centres for Doctoral Training

A significant proportion of the UK Research Councils' funding for postgraduate research studentships is now awarded to institutions via Centres for Doctoral Training (also known as DTC or CDT) and Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP).

The University of Manchester continues to be successful in securing funding to support Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT or DTC) and Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP). These are flagship doctoral training programmes that provide cutting-edge doctoral study within a dynamic research culture that encourages innovative, cross-disciplinary collaboration.

There are real benefits from undertaking a doctoral programme through a CDT or DTP:

  • Competitive stipends
  • Opportunities to engage in research collaborations with leading researchers from across the partnership
  • Integral involvement of leading industry, business, government and charity partners in both training and research
  • Innovative and engaging postgraduate research experience from training as part of a cohort

Full list of CDTs

The following Doctoral Training Programmes offer studentships at The University of Manchester:

AHRC

AHR

The NWCDTP brings together the Universities of Manchester, Keele, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan, the Royal Northern College of Music and Salford. The DTP offers postgraduate studentships and training across a wide range of the AHRC’s disciplines.

The CEELBAS CDT pools the resources of four universities (UCL, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester) to promote outstanding postgraduate research and top quality training in the specialist field of Russian, Slavonic and East European languages and culture. 

BBSRC

BBSRC logo

All DTP projects are designed to provide multidisciplinary challenges for students with backgrounds including bioscience, biomedical, mathematical and physical sciences. The focus will be on ‘Interdisciplinary Training’, ‘Enabling New Ways of Working’ and development of ‘Niche Skills’.

EPSRC

EPSRC logo

The following CDTs are currently open for recruitment:

Undertake a fully-funded, four-year EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) PhD in Advanced Biomedical Materials and form part of a strong, internationally leading cohort of interdisciplinary researchers that will help shape the future of biomedical materials research in the UK, and further afield.

Graduates from physical science and engineering disciplines are trained in fundamental metallurgical science and engineering as well as undertaking an industry sponsored, multi-disciplinary cutting-edge doctoral project through our 4 year programme.

The EPSRC CDT in Aerosol Science is being led by the University of Bristol in partnership with six other institutions of which The University of Manchester is one. The CDT is multidisciplinary, bringing together researchers across the physical, environmental and health sciences, and engineering.

The EPSRC CDT in BioDesign Engineering is being led by Imperial College London in partnership with The University of Manchester and University College London. This CDT will integrate data science alongside engineering and biology as the three key pillars of the training platform.

The EPSRC CDT in Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing is being led by Cardiff University in partnership with The University of Manchester and two other institutions. It has been designed to complement the aims of the world’s first Compound Semiconductor Cluster established in the UK.

The FIND EPSRC CDT is being led by the University of Bristol in partnership with five institutions including The University of Manchester. This is a continuation of the previous CDT in Quantitative Non-Destructive Evaluation that ran until 2018.

Established in 2013 with EPSRC funding and now supported by The University of Manchester and industry, Graphene NOWNANO CDT offers PhD training in science and applications of the fast-growing family of 2D materials. Working closely with the National Graphene Institute and Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, the CDT offers a unique environment combining academic research and opportunities for innovation.

Our fully-funded, four-year EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) PhD in Integrated Catalysis (iCAT) will train students in process engineering, chemical catalysis and biological catalysis, connecting these disciplines and helping to transform the way molecules are made.

The GREEN CDT is a consortium of the five universities of Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, which aims to train the next generation of expert nuclear scientists and engineers.

The following CDTs are no longer recruiting:

This CDT primarily focus on addressing the needs of the Oil and Gas, Aerospace and Nuclear Power industries, and will include cross-sector materials challenges.

The mission of the NGN CDT is to develop future research leaders to support the UK's strategic nuclear programmes including nuclear legacy clean-up, new build power stations and, defence and security. 

With support from twelve industrial supporters, students enrolled in the Power Networks CDT will have multiple opportunities to interact with leading companies in the energy sector and to undertake personal development training activities required to support a future career in this sector.

The Fusion CDT provides training from world-leading experts in a range of fusion-relevant disciplines: materials science, plasma physics, nuclear physics, technology, laser physics, and instrumentation. 

The CDT encompasses formal training and PhD research projects that integrate elements of bioengineering, nanotechnology and biomaterials, stem cell biology, extracellular matrix and inflammation, translational gene/cell therapies and tissue engineering. (Funded jointly with MRC.)

ESRC

ESRC logo

The University of Manchester, as part of the NWSSDTP consortium, has received ESRC accreditation and funding for doctoral training from 2017 to 2022. The Partnership will offer up to 60 studentships per year to outstanding candidates wishing to pursue doctoral studies in social sciences.

Soc-B CDT is a one of a kind CDT which offers doctoral training in the new and rapidly expanding field of biosocial science research. It is jointly funded by ESRC and BBSRC and a collaboration between UCL, The University of Manchester and The University of Essex to train students researching into links and interplay between a person’s social environment, behaviours and biology.

The new Data Analytics and Society CDT is a partnership between the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool. It is the only ESRC-funded CDT in New Forms of Data with focus on doctoral training in research involving data created by new technologies, real-time data analysis, data linkage and interoperability of data from different sources research. It will offers at least 10 studentships per year from 2017-18.

MRC

MRC logo

 Through extended 4 year training the MRC DTP equips early-career researchers across a range of disciplines to apply their expertise into unmet healthcare areas of UK and global importance.  

The CDT encompasses formal training and PhD research projects that integrate elements of bioengineering, nanotechnology and biomaterials, stem cell biology, extracellular matrix and inflammation, translational gene/cell therapies and tissue engineering.  (Funded jointly with EPSRC.)

NERC

NERC logo

The NERC DTP is a partnership between the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, together with the National Oceanographic Centre. The aim of the DTP is to expose students to the breadth of research in the environmental sciences, while at the same time developing them as cutting-edge scientists in their chosen field.

Further opportunities