About the Future Medicine PhD fellowships

Thanks to a generous gift from a private donor, the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine is offering four fully-funded PhD studentships to UK students, available from September 2026.

The projects being offered for this studentship are fundamentally collaborative, and bring together two researchers with different approaches, to answer questions in a transdisciplinary way.

Students can choose one from fifteen exciting projects that are available – we can accept one application per candidate.

Applications will open on Friday 20 March 2026; the closing date is Tuesday 12 May 2026.

Candidates should have (or who expect to be awarded), at least a good 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in a relevant subject. Exceptionally, candidates who have 2:2 degrees may also be considered.

The fellowships are open to students who are eligible for home fees at Edinburgh - i.e. you must be a UK national, or have settled status, and have. been "ordinarily resident" in the UK for the three years immediately before the start of the fellowship.  

Other international applicants are not eligible for these fellowships.

Students will receive a stipend at UKRI levels (£20780 per annum from 1 October 2025 per annum), plus £30K in travel and research funds across all three years of the fellowship.  

All University fees will be covered.

The Future Medicine PhD fellowship will support a student to work on a collaborative project that brings together a wide range of approaches and techniques to bear on a range of key problems in infection and chronioc disease.

As part of the studentship, the successful applicant will have access to a wide range of training opportunities in both technical and transferable skills.  The University of Edinburgh has a strong commitment to providing a supportive and positive research culture, and students will be encouraged to join peers on cohort-based doctoral training programmes to build professional networks.

Typically candidates will already have a good understanding of the topic they propose to study, and at least some hands-on research experience.

We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and in particular would like to encourage students from British black and other minority ethnic groups to apply.  We are committed to assessing applications  without reference to the name, age, or gender of the candidates.

All candidates for the Future Medicine PhD fellowship must follow the online application process.

Applications must be received by 12 noon on Friday 16 January 2026.

1. Does it matter when I submit my application?
   1. No – as long as you complete your submission (application form and supporting documents) before the deadline – 12 noon on 16 January 2026 – we can accept your application.  But submitting one or two days before the deadline is ideal to allow for any system errors or missing materials.
2. The available projects are interdisciplinary.  Should I discuss this in my application?
   1. Applicants should articulate the question that the project is asking, and why and how an interdisciplinary approach is needed to answer it.
   2. The project should also be feasible. Avoid being too ambitious.
   3. Applicants should discuss the interdisciplinary aspects of the project with the project supervisor.
3. How much technical detail should be included when discussing project?
   1. Applicants should include sufficient technical information to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the project they are applying for.
4. I haven't done a masters – will that be a disadvantage compared to people that have done a masters?
   1. There is no requirement for a master’s degree.  However it would be useful to highlight the research or other relevant experience that you have had.  Training courses are available to cover essential skills required for the PhD project.
5. How will the applications be assessed?
   1. Firstly, all project supervisors will be asked to select the top two students applying for their project.  The shortlisting panel will then select the interview candidates from this pool.  8-10 students will be interviewed.
6. When are the interviews?
   1. Interviews will be held online on 23 February 2026.
7. When will candidates be informed if they have been offered a place?
   1. Candidates should be informed by early March 2026.

Information about postgraduate study at the University of Edinburgh

If you have any questions, please contact Edinburgh Infectious Diseases.