PhD research opportunities

We partner with academic institutions to offer a range of PhD opportunities across our research themes.

All PhD students who are associated with the museum also have a university supervisor. As we do not award degrees, you will be registered at this university for your doctoral degree.

Most of our PhD studentships are offered within our UKRI PhD partnerships: either Doctoral Landscape Awards (DLAs, previously called DTPs) or Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs, previously called CDTs).

We also offer PhD studentships funded annually by STFC, as well as other one-off funded studentships.

We advertise all projects with supervisors at the Museum when they are open for application.

Our PhD programme partners

The Natural History Museum is a partner in the following PhD Programmes.

UKRI DLAs

ACCE+: Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment (NERC)

• University of Sheffield
• University of York
• University of Liverpool

CENTA: the Central England NERC Training Alliance (NERC)

• University of Birmingham
• Cranfield University
• University of Leicester
• Loughborough University
• The Open University
• University of Warwick

CROCUS: Climate system and biodiversity science for Challenges, Risks, and Opportunities – Collaborating in Understanding and Solutions (NERC)

• University of Reading
• Swansea University

CREATES: Cambridge Research Experience and Advanced Training for Environmental Scientists (NERC)

• University of Cambridge

FoodBioSystems (BBSRC)

• University of Reading
• Cranfield University
• University of Surrey
• Queen’s University Belfast
• Aberystwyth University
• Brunel University of London

GW4+: Great Western Four+ (NERC)

• University of Bristol
• University of Bath
• Cardiff University
• University of Exeter

IGNITE (NERC)

• University of Southampton

ILESLA: Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Sciences Landscape Award (BBSCR/NERC)

• University of Oxford
• Oxford Brookes University
• The Open University

LIDo: London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme (BBSRC)

• University College London
• Birkbeck, University of London
• King's College London
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• University of Greenwich
• Queen Mary University of London
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• Royal Veterinary College

TREES: Training, Research & Equity in Environmental Sciences (NERC)

• Brunel University of London
• Birkbeck, University of London
• King's College London,
• Queen Mary University of London
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• University College London
• University of Portsmouth

YES-DTN: York Environmental Sciences Doctoral Training Network

• University of York
• University of Leeds

AHRC DTP TECHNĒ (the ‘craft’ of research in the arts and humanities)

• Royal Holloway, University of London
• Brunel University, London
• Kingston University
• Loughborough University, London
• University of Brighton
• University of Roehampton
• University of the Arts London
• University of Surrey
• University of Westminster

UKRI CDTs/DFAs

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualisation (DIVERSE CDT)

• University of Warwick
• City St George's, University of London

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Mathematics for our Future Climate

• Imperial College London
• University of Reading
• University of Southampton

NERC AI INTERVENE

• University of Reading
• University College London

UK Food Systems

• University of Greenwich, Natural Resources Institute
• Brunel University, London
• City St George's University, Centre for Food Policy at the University of London
• Aberystwyth University
• Royal Veterinary College
• University College London
• University of Sussex
• NIAB-EMR
• Rothamsted Research