Materials Science and Metallurgy
Up to 40 students are admitted to PhD studies in Materials Science each academic year. The majority begin in October, but a small number are admitted in January and April.
Each student is assigned a principal supervisor from among the academic staff working in their area(s) of research. Students are initially registered for a ‘Probationary PhD’. During their first year they must pass assessment tests for two of the in-depth courses offered by the Department. In their first year they must also prepare a poster on their research, or the general area of research interest, and give a research presentation towards the end of their second year of study. Students are also expected to attend seminars given by members of the University and experts from outside, and external conferences.
Students should have achieved at least an upper second honours degree prior to admission and a Masters level qualification (or overseas equivalent). The Department will take into consideration academic results, content of references, and prior relevant research or work experience when deciding whether or not to offer a place. Applicants should identify potential supervisors, and provide a short project description, in the application form, so that their papers can be considered by appropriate members of academic staff. Candidates will be interviewed by telephone or Zoom. It is important to note that limitations on space and equipments and research facilities available mean that we cannot always make an offer, even to a well-qualified applicant.
Prospective applicants are welcome to make contact with academic staff to discuss the research opportunities available. Proposed research project titles and summaries may also be advertised on the websites of each research group, which can be consulted prior to making contact with academic staff. Our research activities are summarised on our website.
It is strongly recommended that prospective applicants for all kinds of funding should contact potential supervisors within the Department, prior to submitting an application, to determine the availability of the member of staff concerned and to discuss the projects that may be available.
Our research interests are described within our Research webpages. Candidates should identify prospective supervisors in the application form, but at this stage it is not necessary to provide a fully worked up research proposal unless a research proposal is required for a particular funding scheme as part of the application criteria; a few sentences summarising a candidate’s research interests is usually sufficient.
Making contact with a prospective supervisor(s) is extremely important so that the nature of the research projects available can be discussed, along with any funding that may already have been secured.
When you contact prospective supervisors you may wish to include:
The Department receives many speculative enquiries about admission to PhD studies and it is wise for candidates to bear in mind the application deadlines for each course and the competitive funding schemes offered by the University, Cambridge and Gates Trusts and associated organisations.
Students who wish to be considered as candidates for the competitive funding available from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Trust, Gates Trust and related organisations should note the funding deadline of 1 December 2022 for admission in the 2022-23 academic year.
Applications are made through the application portal. The process is described within the University of Cambridge’s Postgraduate Study website.
All applications are formally considered only once a full application has been received through the applicant portal. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview on the basis of the information that has been included in the application.
Academic excellence and research potential are the main criteria on which a conditional offer of admission is made. We consider all the evidence provided in a full application, including academic transcripts, references, research potential and the availability of a suitable research supervisor and project. As part of these considerations, we also take into account contextual factors which can include circumstances that have adversely affected a student’s ability to devote themselves fully to their studies, or a background of educational or social capital disadvantage. We strongly encourage people from groups which are currently underrepresented in STEM research to apply for our PhD programme and associated funding streams. More information on widening participation efforts for postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge is available on the postgraduate study widening participation webpages.
A summary of the postgraduate application process is available online.
Students who apply before the deadline of 1 December 2022 and also indicate that they wish to be considered for the competitive funding offered by the University, Gates and Cambridge Trusts will be automatically be considered as candidates for the schemes for which they are eligible. Applicants are ranked by the Department according to a set of systematic criteria which have been drawn up to assess prospective students on the basis of their academic merit, strength of referees’ support, and research potential. You should therefore make sure that you include as much relevant information and evidence as possible to maximise your chances of being awarded funding. Details include:
In addition, we will take into account ‘contextual factors’ such as personal circumstances that have adversely affected a student’s studies and/or background of educational or social capital disadvantage or other factors related to academic performance so you should include relevant details if you believe that they apply to your application for postgraduate study.
A wide range of funding opportunities are offered through the Cambridge Trust, Gates Cambridge Trust, Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme, Colleges, UK charities and overseas governments. Eligibility criteria for these opportunities can be specific to the course of study, and can depend on candidate nationality and other factors. Candidates are encouraged to use the student funding search tool to determine their eligibility. Some of these scholarships require a separation application direct to the funder in addition of the University of Cambridge application. Candidates should carefully review the eligibility criteria, funding level offered and application process. Some funding sources also offer partial scholarships, which can be used in conjunction with other awards and self-fund routes.
Students holding conditional offers of admission who have applied by the funding deadline for those of 1 December 2022 are automatically considered as candidates for those awards for which they are eligible.
The majority of our Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) studentships are provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). In general, these meet the cost of the University Composition Fee (home rate) and a personal maintenance stipend at the minimum EPSRC rate.
Funding is available for both full-time and part-time study. These awards are administered within the Departmet of Materials Science and are awarded on the basis of individual student academic excellence and potential for the course/project, contextual factors are considered during applicant assessment. People from groups that are currently under-represented in STEM research are encouraged to indicate that they would like to be considered for an EPSRC studentship.
On occasion, a DTP studentship can benefit from a contribution of funding from industry, when it becomes an ‘Industrial CASE conversion’ and typically this provides an enhanced stipend, additional funding for laboratory expenses and unique training opportunities at the contributing organisation’s premises.
An ‘EPSRC Industrial CASE’ award is similar, but the studentship is allocated to the industrial company concerned, with the studentship being administered through the Department, with all the additional benefits described above.
The majority of EPSRC DTP funding is available to students who are liable to pay ‘home rate’ fees. However, an International Fee Bursary scheme is in operation for up to 30% of the total EPSRC studentships available. Overseas candidates must apply by the deadline of 1 December 2022 to be considered as a candidate for an International Fee Bursary. For more information, visit the EPSRC DTP pages.
We award our DTP studentships between February and July each year.
Some of the projects available each year have funding that has already been secured. This includes projects funded from European Research Council grants, Goldsmiths’ company studentships and strategically allocated EPSRC funding such as the Industrial CASE award studentships mentioned above. Candidates for these awards are NOT included in the annual competition (deadline 1 December 2022) and may be advertised at any time in the academic year. It is, however, recommended that students of all backgrounds who are interested in pursuing PhD studies in Materials Science make an application before the funding deadline so that they can register their interest for any late funding opportunities in their area(s) of research interest, that become available in the Department.
Funding for PhD studentships are usually advertised on the Department of Materials Science website, University of Cambridge Jobs pages, University of Cambridge student funding search, and jobs.ac.uk.
Some students are in a position to self-fund their post-graduate study (fees and maintenance). Applicants considering this route should consult the University’s fees and maintenance calculator. Students must be aware that if, after they receive an offer, they provide a financial guarantee on which their admission to three years of study is confirmed, they will not be considered eligible for funding from any of the central funding schemes described above.
Funding for research expenses including conference attendance can come from multiple sources, including EPSRC DTP or Industrial CASE awards, or funds available from their prospective supervisor. Students may also be eligible to apply for specific travel funding to attend conferences and pump prime funding to access specific experimental facilities. All students in Materials Science are guaranteed up to £5,000 in research funding expenses over the course of their PhD, although there are restrictions on expenditure eligibility. Students should discuss research expenses with their prospective supervisors, especially in the case of experimental projects.
There are several EPSRC funded Centres for Doctoral (CDT) training offering PhD projects which can be undertaken within the Department following successful completion of the first year of the programme. The initial application must be made to the Department that supports the CDT concerned, and not to Materials Science. Candidates for these programmes do not need to specify a prospective project supervisor or research theme at the time of application and the first year of the programme will usually offer candidates a broad range of experience in different research settings before a project is agreed upon between the candidate, prospective supervisors and programme directors. Applicants who would like undertake a PhD project within the Department of Materials Science might consider an application to the following programmes:
Further information on these Centres for Doctoral Training and on how to make an application is at http://www.epsrc.group.cam.ac.uk/CDT training.