Centres for doctoral training

York Graduate Research School partnerships

Each year we award over £7m of studentships through UK Research and Innovation. We work with DTPS and CDTs, including the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities, the White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership, and the EPSRC CDT in Fusion Energy Science and Technology.

Through membership of one of York’s funded CDTs or DTPs, postgraduate researchers benefit from being part of a wider research community and having a chance to develop a broad range of skills through professional development opportunities. 

Benefits of undertaking a doctoral programme through a CDT or DTP

• Full payment of tuition fees.
• UKRI level stipend for three to four years (dependent on the particular CDT/DTP).
• Access to funding to support research costs, eg fieldwork and conference attendance.
• Networking opportunities and cohort-building activities.
• Programme of professional development and research skills training.
• Gathering experience which can be used in a range of careers both inside and outside of academia.

Who is eligible for CDTs or DTPs?

Each CDT and DTP have different eligibility criteria which are available on their websites.

Some studentships are open to international applicants and York has committed to covering the difference between the home fee rate and the international fee rate for international candidates who receive a studentship from a UKRI-funded DTP or CDT.

Current CDTs and DTPs

These CDTS and DTPs offer postgraduate research studentships at the University of York:

• Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity - understanding the causes and consequences of biodiversity gains and losses, and inform and influence how society responds.
• The Centre for Doctoral Training in Autonomous Robotic Systems for Laboratory Experiements - revolutionising experimental laboratory techniques with autonomous robots.
• The Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Materials for Net Zero - developing sustainable materials that are abundant, non-toxic and recyclable.
• The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (iGGi) - the world's largest PhD research programme focused on games research.
• The EPSRC CDT in Process Industries: Net Zero (PINZ) - a collaboration between the Process Intensification Group at Newcastle University and the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York.
• The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training: Science and Technology of Fusion Energy - a collaboration between the universities of York, Durham, Liverpool, Manchester and Oxford, this CDT is designed to prepare students for an exciting career in fusion energy.
  
• The EPSRC Mobility Doctoral Training Partnership in Leadership and Excellence in Circular, Resource-efficient, Sustainable Manufacturing - sciences research looking at how business can transform their current practices to better (re)utilise resources to sustain our chemicals, materials and energy needs.
• The MRC Discovery Medicine North Doctoral Training Partnership - training researchers to tackle the major health problems facing the population.
  
• The NERC Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment Doctoral Training Partnership - providing doctoral training in the biological components of environmental research in a multidisciplinary environment.
  
• The NERC Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment Towards Sustainable Chemical Use (ECORISC) Centre for Doctoral Training - supporting innovator scientists that can identify, understand and effectively manage the risks of chemicals through the use of state-of-the art science (no longer recruiting new students).
• The NERC Panorama Doctoral Training Partnership - researching the Earth's atmosphere and climate, Earth processes and the living world.
• The White Rose Arts and Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership - an enriched doctoral researcher experience across the arts and humanities.
• The White Rose BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership in Mechanistic Biology - training bio-scientists to innovate to address global challenges, such as the impact of climate change, a healthier old age, sustainable food production, land use and energy production.
  
• The White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership - a regional consortium of seven universities with social science research excellence.
• UKRI AI CDT in Lifelong Safety Assurance of AI-enabled Autonomous Systems (SAINTS) - the UK’s first multidisciplinary PhD programme focused solely on the safety of artificial intelligence.

UK Research Councils

Research Councils are funded by the Government and invest billions in academic research each year. There are seven Research Councils in the UK:

• AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council)
• BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council)
• ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council)
• EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
• MRC (Medical Research Council)
• NERC (Natural Environment Research Council)
• STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council)

Each year, the Research Councils allocate scholarships/studentships to selected universities and departments. The Research Councils don't fund postgraduate students directly.