Join us
PhD Study
We offer projects across a very wide range of experimental soft matter physics, some of which are closely related to projects in theory and simulation. The best way to find out what may interest you is to browse these pages, follow links to individual staff home pages and then contact relevant staff members by email.
Click here for current PhD opportunities
Enquiries
- General - Secretary of the Graduate School. Contact page.
- Particular areas of science - see lists of staff via the pages that outline our Research Themes.
Funding
UK nationals are eligible for full funding by research council studentships of which we have several each year. EU nationals who have spent three continuous years in the UK prior to commencing PhD work (this includes years spent studying for a degree) are likewise eligible; other EU nationals can have their fees only paid by this route and will need to support their living costs by other means. SUPA offers annual prize studentships (deadline in January for October entry) open to all nationalities; these cover all costs. Beyond this, the School has limited resources for its own funding of graduate students. All these studentships are typically for three years, although up to four years may exceptionally be available. For certain projects involving industrial collaboration, an additional ‘top-up’ allowance may be paid.
Postdoctoral work
From time to time we advertise postdoctoral research positions. You should keep an eye on the university’s job web site under School of Physics. Some of these will be for specific projects; in other cases, we can offer significant flexibility on the choice of work (including changing direction during your stay in Edinburgh).
A significant number of our postdoctoral researchers are funded by personal fellowships (typically from 3 to 5 years). If you want to propose a project with us, here are links to some for some of the UK funding agencies offering personal research fellowships (with typical deadlines – do check!):
- EPSRC Postdoctoral and Career Acceleration Fellowships [typical deadline: October]
- BBSRC David Phillips Fellowships
- Leverhulme Trust (Research Fellowships and Early Career Fellowships) [typical deadline: March]
- Royal Society (University Research and Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowships) [typical deadline: autumn]
- Royal Society of Edinburgh (Scottish Executive Research Fellowships) [typical deadline: early spring]
- The European Union offers many opportunities, particularly under the Marie Curie Actions programme. Note in particular the following schemes: UK national holding a Marie Curie award elsewhere in the EU returning to the UK; UK nationals who have worked 5 or more years outside the EU returning to the UK; Other EU nationals seeking to work in the UK.
If you are thinking of applying for one of these fellowships to come to work with us, do contact and/or visit us at the earliest opportunity: how well your proposal fits with on-going work and expertise here will partly determine your chances of success. In any case, in these days of ‘full economic costing’, working out all the financial details takes time!