Doctoral Training Programmes

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are members of NWCDTP. There are 13 NWCDTP pathways funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to which candidates can apply for studentships.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBRSC) North West Doctoral Programme (NWDP) in Bioscience is a unique and highly regarded training programme for future bioscience leaders. It provides world-class interdisciplinary research opportunities for motivated and inquisitive postgraduate researchers.

The programme aims to prepare future bioscientists with the skills, knowledge, networks and experience needed to address critical challenges in 21st-century bioscience and begin successful research careers.

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences are a member of BBSRC. This DTP is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool, Newcastle University and Durham University. It provides an opportunity for the next generation of young researchers to address outstanding scientific questions in the biosciences and offers around 16 fully-funded research opportunities each year.

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are members of NWSSDTP. There are 20 NWSSDTP pathways funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to which candidates can apply.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Energy Transfer Technologies Skills and Training Hub aims to train the next generation of leaders in energy transfer technologies relevant for defence and other related applications. The hub recruits cohorts of fully funded PhD students each year.

The Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital and Automated Materials Chemistry offers multiple research opportunities for students from backgrounds spanning the physical and computer sciences. Students will develop core expertise in robotic, digital, chemical and physical thinking, which they will apply in their domain-specific research in materials design, discovery and processing.

Working in collaboration with STFC Hartree, IBM Research, The Alan Turing Institute, and 20+ project partners, the centre trains 60 PhD students who possess the expertise to meet the world's pressing need for highly-trained data scientists.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Maritime Energy Solutions (N0MES) involves regional, national and international partners. PhD projects focus on a wide range of net zero maritime challenges, including maritime-based renewable energy, offshore to onshore energy distribution and environmental impacts of renewable energy generation.

Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Power

The Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Power provides training from world-leading experts in a range of fusion-relevant disciplines including: materials science, plasma physics, nuclear physics, laser physics and instrumentation.  The Centre is a partnerhip between five of the UK's top universities and research centres.

The Doctoral Training Centre in Biofilms Innovation, Technology and Engineering (BITE) will train PhD researchers at the interface of physical and life sciences to understand the behaviour of biofilms, which are central to the global challenges of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), health, food security, clean water and energy.

The Discovery Medicine North (DiMeN) partnership is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC). It utilises the combined expertise of four world-leading institutions to train the next generation of researchers to tackle the major health problems facing the population.

This Doctoral Training Partnership presents a unique opportunity to undertake training and research in major areas where clinical trials need to be improved to help increase the health of society. Projects encompass a variety of subject areas including statistics, mathematics, health economics, epidemiology, psychology, social science, computer science, informatics and health services research.

The Arthritis Research UK Centre for Integrated research into Musculoskeletal Ageing is a collaboration between the Universities of Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC). CIMA hosts a series of unique programmes, offering students multidisciplinary training in the processes and effects of ageing in the whole musculoskeletal system.

ACCE’s academic partners are University of Liverpool, University of Sheffield, University of York, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Natural History Museum. The programme provides doctoral training opportunities in the biological components of the natural environment and related disciplines. 

The Liverpool Centre for Doctoral Training for Innovation in Data Intensive Science (LIV.INNO) is an inclusive hub for training diverse cohorts of excellent students in data intensive science. The focus of the centre will be on addressing the data challenges presented by research in astronomy, nuclear, theoretical, particle and accelerator physics.

One of five centres in the UK offering the Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD programme, a flagship scheme supporting the most promising medically qualified clinicians wanting to undertake rigorous research training. The programme aims to address the serious health problems faced by developing countries, offering a broad scope of issues ranging from biomedical through to health policy sciences.