Durham University is using £40 million in EPSRC funding to train approximately 40 PhD students across physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, and mathematics, with studentships starting in October 2020 and October 2021. The project addresses a national shortage of skilled researchers capable of driving the UK’s innovation needs over the coming decades. Without a steady pipeline of trained, independent scientists, the country risks falling behind in developing new technologies, from energy systems to digital infrastructure. If successful, these students will go on to work in academia, industry, or government, strengthening the UK’s research base. Their work could eventually improve systems that quietly underpin daily life—such as more efficient manufacturing processes, faster computing, or better medical diagnostics—though the immediate focus is on training, not specific applications. The funding also prioritises applications from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who remain underrepresented in academic science. This is a fundamental investment in people, not a single discovery. Past investments of this kind have produced researchers who later developed breakthroughs in materials science, quantum computing, and clean energy.
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Durham University will use its 2020/2021 EPSRC DTP funding award to fund PhD studentships in subject areas where there is an overlap between EPSRC's research themes and Durham's research strengths. Studentships will be available within the departments of Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematical Sciences. Potential applicants and external partners are invited to discover the depth and breadth of research within these departments, via links available on the central Faculty of Science website at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/science.faculty/ Durham's strategic plan for 2017-2027 aims to help meet the national demand for trained, independent and motivated researchers, who are capable of meeting the UK's innovation needs in coming decades. We see the delivery and management of the DTP award as an essential part of achieving this goal. A total of approximately 40 studentships will be available through the scheme, to start in October 2020 and October 2021. Details of advertisements and how students can apply will be available via the Faculty of Science webpages, at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/science.faculty/postgraduatefunding/ These pages also contain resources for staff members seeking to develop projects, including contact details. We work closely with industrial partners and other external stakeholders across all our departments, and welcome involvement from existing and new partners in developing project proposals with the potential to deliver world-class research outcomes. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are underrepresented in academia.
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