Imperial College London is using EPSRC funding to train the next generation of PhD researchers across engineering, physical sciences, and mathematics—disciplines that underpin everything from drug discovery to energy grids. This matters because the UK’s research base depends on a steady pipeline of highly skilled scientists and engineers. Without sustained investment in doctoral training, the country risks losing its ability to tackle complex challenges in health, climate, and technology. Imperial’s approach combines core disciplinary strength—over 90% of its research is world-leading or internationally excellent—with flexible funding that supports both established fields and emerging areas outside the scope of dedicated training centres. If successful, this programme will produce researchers who move directly into high-impact roles: 90.7% of Imperial’s postgraduate leavers enter work or further study. These graduates will go on to improve systems people rarely think about—manufacturing processes, communications networks, medical diagnostics, and energy infrastructure—by collaborating with industry partners such as AstraZeneca, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens. The training also fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and professional skills, ensuring that PhD holders can lead research in both academic and industrial settings.
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Imperial is a global research-driven university that supports an atmosphere and culture that encourages discovery and innovation without boundaries. Guided by our mission of achieving enduring excellence, in research and education, in science, engineering, medicine and business for the benefit of society; our strategy to contribute to the global challenges ahead is to focus our research around four themes: these are discovery and the natural world; engineering novel solutions; health and well-being; and leading the data revolution. Our tremendous strength in the core disciplines practiced by our academic departments was demonstrated in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework in which over 90% of the research submitted by Imperial was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent. Combined with our emphasis on multidisciplinarity, collaboration and the extensive support and infrastructure provided by our Graduate School, this provides an excellent PhD training environment. In addition to being supported in the acquisition of high-level research skills, our students are provided with a wide diversity of opportunities to exploit our world-class research capabilities to become leaders in their chosen field. Over 75% of our postgraduate students are working in the EPS disciplines which are core to Imperial. The excellence of Imperial's postgraduate training landscape is indicated by the high percentage (90.7%) of postgraduate leavers joining the work or study sectors, according to the 2015-16 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey. Imperial invests its DTP funding in supporting Excellence (see the President's PhD Scholarships Scheme: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/fees-and-funding/scholarships/presidents-phd-scholarships/), supporting Early Career Researchers (through the Doctoral Prizes Fellowship Scheme: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/research-office/funder-information/funding-opportunities/internal-funding-opportunities/) and to support our research-led education (see Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/urop). However, the bulk of our EPSRC resources are used to provide the responsive and flexible support needed for underpinning our core disciplines (particularly theoretical subjects) or for developing emerging areas outside the remit of our Centres for Doctoral Training. Thus, the flexibly allocated DTP student cohort is the lifeblood of our research base - sustaining our future ability to engage successfully in core and cross-disciplinary impactful research. Studentships will be available in all our academic EPS disciplines, see http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ or Request a prospectus. Our EPSRC-funded students collaborate with other Universities locally, nationally and internationally. They also regularly benefit from exposure to expertise, culture and infrastructure within industry and other research users through non-academic collaborations (AstraZeneca, Airbus, BASF, Citrix, Eli Lilly, GSK, National Grid, Rolls Royce, Schlumberger, Siemens and Toshiba included). The Graduate School enriches the postgraduate student experience by delivering a tailored programme of professional skills training which enhances the professional impact and helps to ensure personal ambitions are realised. In partnership with academics, students across the College and the Graduate Students' Union, the Graduate School provides opportunities for students to meet each other at a variety of social and academic events, promoting interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, encouraging collaborations and creating supportive global research communities and peer groups.
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