School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh

If you require any further information please contact the Trust’s administrators at darwin.trust@ed.ac.uk.

Darwin-Trust-Edinburgh

Application Procedure for entry in October 2027 - APPLICATIONS WILL OPEN ON 1st NOVEMBER

To apply you need to:

  1. Consult the School of Biological Sciences website for information on potential supervisors and projects.  You should then contact a member of academic staff whose research interests align with your own to ask if they would consider offering you a place in their lab. Remember to include your CV. 
  2. Complete the online application form  
  3. Contact referees and send them the link to the ‘Reference Request” form.  Ensure they send in references by the closing date.

Details for each section are given below.

Closing date for all applications is Wednesday 6th January 2027, 12 noon (GMT).  Applications submitted late or in the wrong format cannot be accepted.

1. School of Biological Sciences website 

2. Application form

3. Reference Request form

A. All applicants should give the names of two academic referees on their application form.  
Two academic, or equivalent, references are required. One reference should be from your academic tutor.   For the second reference, if you have done a research project, it is advisable to request the reference from the head of the research group. 

And 
B. Contact the referee: It is YOUR responsibility to contact each of your referees to ask them to complete and submit the referee form below before the deadline.
                           

Reference Request Form 

The Referees should submit the completed reference request forms by Wednesday 6th January 2027, 12 noon (GMT)

Selection Procedure and Funding

Darwin Trust Postgraduate Studentships are competitive and are awarded based upon an applicant's academic record, referees' reports, and, if shortlisted, an interview. There is no need to submit an application to the University of Edinburgh or provide evidence of English language proficiency at this point, although this will be required at a later stage. Evidence of the ability to carry out research successfully will be an advantage but this research does not have to be in the same area as your intended PhD project.  Interviews will take place during the week of March 15th  to 19th and selected candidates will be informed of interview details by email.

Eligibility Criteria

Application Checklist

 

Key Dates          

Application deadline:   Wednesday 6th January 2027, 12 noon (GMT)

Interview days:            March 15th to 19th 

Start Date:                   October 2027

If you have any questions about Darwin Trust funding, please email Darwin.Trust@ed.ac.uk

 

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