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PhD opportunities: University College London

Compare 22 doctoral research opportunities connected with University College London, including project summaries, funding and application deadlines.

Applied Mathematics

Mathematics PhD – System dynamics modelling of services for children with complex health needs

University College London

About the Project A fully-funded PhD is available from February 2027 to work with Professors Sonya Crowe , Christina Pagel and Nici Zimmermann on an Operational Research / System Dynamics project as part of the NIHR/EPSRC-funded SPROCKET Hub (Systems and Process Redesign and Optimisation at Childhood Key Events and Transitions).

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
25 October 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Computational Chemistry

Computational Design of Next Generation Electronic Materials

University College London

About the Project Supervisor: Prof Furio Cora and Prof Ben Slater Application deadline: 30th October 2026 Interview date: [To be confirmed] Start date: 1 Dec 2026 UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start on 1 Dec 2026. The student will carry out their doctoral research at UCL.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
30 October 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Inorganic Chemistry

Developing Advanced Materials and High-Throughput Automation

University College London

About the Project Supervisor: Prof Jawwad A. Darr Start Date: 1 st February 2027 Application deadline: 30 th October 2026 Duration: 3 years £23,805 per annum for the academic year 2026/2027. The studentship value will be reviewed annually in line with inflation. UCL Chemistry is offering a fully funded three-year industrial PhD studentship in collaboration with Carbolite.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
30 October 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Chemical Engineering

PhD Studentship: Multi-Length-Scale characterisation of Critical Materials for optimised extraction and recycling

University College London

About the Project Vacancy information The Department of Chemical Engineering at University College London (UCL) is one of the leading departments in the UK, with an international reputation for research excellence and impact. Research in the department spans molecular-scale phenomena through to device and process systems engineering, with a strong focus on addressing global challenges in health, sustainability, and advanced technologies.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
1 November 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Communications Engineering

4-year fully funded PhD scholarship in Quantum Optimisation Techniques for Telecommunication Networks

University College London

About the Project Duration of study : Full time - 4 years fixed term Starting date : Available from October 2025 Application deadline : No closing date, the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Primary Supervisor : Dr Alfonso Ruocco, Associate Professor in Optical Communications & Networks Motivation: Modern telecommunication networks are becoming increasingly complex, dynamic, and data-intensive.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Artificial Intelligence

Adapting knowledge in machine learning models

University College London

About the Project This project will develop machine learning algorithms to cheaply and efficiently adapt knowledge in machine learning / AI models. This includes scenarios such as: sequentially updating models with new data without forgetting previous knowledge (continual learning); training a model on data split over many locations such as across hospitals (federated learning); and removing undesired data or concepts from a model (unlearning).

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Optical Physics

Attosecond Photoelectron Imaging with Quantum Light

University College London

About the Project Professor Carla Faria invites applications for a fully funded 3.5-year PhD position at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London. The project lies at the intersection of attosecond physics and quantum technologies, with a focus on exploring how nonclassical light can control and probe ultrafast electron dynamics.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Artificial Intelligence

Building Sustainable Intelligence: Generative AI at scale

University College London

About the Project This project aims to pioneer advancements in the efficiency and scalability of Generative AI Models, focusing on achieving low computational costs at scale without compromising performance. As Generative models become increasingly vital to a wide range of applications, from generating images to generating videos and audio, their computational demand and the time required for training and inference have escalated.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Ceramics

Crystal growth and neutron scattering of functional materials

University College London

About the Project PhD Opportunity: Crystal growth and neutron scattering of functional materials (UCL Crystal Growth Laboratory @ Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus) Modern technologies increasingly rely on “functional materials” whose performance is set by how electrons, ions, and heat move through a crystal lattice.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
See advert

Biochemistry

Developing novel medicines targeted at the human gut microbiome

University College London

About the Project Cutting-edge research is highlighting how important the human microbiome is for health. As fundamental science characterizing the complex functions and processes of microbes emerges, many opportunities for microbiome-targeted therapeutics are being presented. Numerous diseases could be prevented and treated through targeted delivery of small molecules, biologics, or probiotics to the human microbiome.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Artificial Intelligence

Fully Funded PhD Studentship in Foundational AI

University College London

About the Project Department: Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London Primary supervisor: Dr Sattar Vakili Study mode: Full-time Duration: 4 years Starting date: Available from 1st February 2027 Application deadline: No closing date, the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Project description Applications are invited for a funded PhD studentship in foundational artificial intelligence at University College London.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Artificial Intelligence

Generative AI for Formal Verification

University College London

About the Project This project tests the limitations of generative AI (genAI) in formal verification. LLMS is increasing its capability in solving hard problems in science and the real world. For instance, LLMs are proven to be as competitive as human algorithms in predicting logical validity, satisfiability and program termination in formal verification.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Aerospace Engineering

Investigating the Impact of Hydrogen Flame Impingement on Jet Engine Combustor Materials

University College London

About the Project Aviation is one of the most carbon-intensive forms of transport and realising hydrogen-powered jet engines is seen as the most viable solution to completely decarbonise long-haul aircraft. Using hydrogen as aviation fuel does not produce CO2 from combustion, with water vapour and small (controlled) NOx traces being the main by-products.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Artificial Intelligence

Multimodal Learning and Control for Dexterous Robotic Manipulation

University College London

About the Project The start date: no later than fall 2026 We are offering a PhD position that provides a unique opportunity to develop deep expertise in robotics, machine learning, and control. The project combines rigorous theoretical research with practical, application-driven, and experimental work within a dynamic, international research environment.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Artificial Intelligence

Pioneering Active EMI Filters With AI For Sustainable Automotive Systems

University College London

About the Project UCL Department / Faculty Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering / Engineering Sciences Location of position Bloomsbury, London Duration of Studentship 4 Years Eligibility Open to UK home students Studentship description Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship covering UK home fees and stipend in Year 1, rising with inflation.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Analytical Chemistry

Synthesis of high heating doped magnetic nanoparticles and unravelling of their heating effect on cancer biology for effective treatment

University College London

About the Project Cancer has a major impact on society. Around 392,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK (2020-2021) ( https://www.macmillan.org.uk/ ). Magnetic nanoparticles have been widely investigated for their great potential as mediators of heat for localised hyperthermia therapy. Nanocarriers have also attracted increasing attention due to the possibility of delivering drugs at specific locations, therefore limiting systematic effects.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Biochemistry

Understanding and exploiting the sex-specific effects of pharmaceutical excipients

University College London

About the Project Emerging research is increasingly showing that pharmaceutical excipients, traditionally considered to be “inactive” ingredients within medicines, can have important biological effects, influencing how drugs are absorbed in the body. Interestingly, these effects can differ between males and females, as shown through over two decades of research within our group.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Human Computer Interaction

Understanding human-like technology

University College London

About the Project The exact replication of human performance, appearance, and behaviour through artificial systems has long inspired writers, psychologists, and scientists. From the ancient myth of Pygmalion’s statue to the work of Heider and Simmel on perceived animacy, and through Alan Turing’s famous postulates and test, countless thinkers have questioned the possibility and implications of human-like artificial systems.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Data Science

Using machine learning to develop novel drug delivery systems

University College London

About the Project Machine learning has revolutionised numerous fields from self-driving technologies to aeronautics and drug discovery, yet its impact remains under-explored in the domain of drug formulation development - an area marked by extensive resource and labour investment. This project aims to harness machine learning to create sophisticated models that can fast-track and fine-tune the development of ground-breaking drug delivery systems.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Artificial Intelligence

Verifiable Robot Planning: Safeguarding Foundation Models via Formal Methods Feedback

University College London

About the Project Foundation Models (FMs), such as large language and vision models, are revolutionising robot planning by offering unprecedented flexibility for general-purpose reasoning. However, these models inherently lack formal guarantees, creating a significant risk of generating plans that are unsafe, non-compliant with operational and regulatory constraints.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Artificial Intelligence

Virtual Reality-based Decision Support System For Change Detection in Forest Environment Using Mobile & Drone-based Digital Twin

University College London

About the Project Ref: 2531ad1496 UCL Department / Division Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering Location of position Bloomsbury, London Duration of Studentship 4 Years Stipend Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship covering international fees, with a £23,466 per annum tax free stipend in Year 1, rising with inflation. Vacancy Information Note: the studentship covers EU/international fees. Why is this research important?

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)