Grand Challenge PhD Scholarships

The Faculty of Health and Life sciences has six new interdisciplinary Research Clusters each focused on addressing significant societal grand challenges.  We are harnessing the potential of new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, to accelerate our research and ensure its benefits are made available to all corners of society.  

We have been very fortunate to receive a growing number of philanthropic donations to support PhD scholarships in our Grand Challenge areas. This year we are able to offer ONE PhD scholarship in each of the following areas:  

  • Prostate Cancer Research  
  • Cardiovascular Research 
  • Infectious Diseases or Antimicrobial Resistance research related to Child Health 

The University of Bristol is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we welcome and encourage applications from anyone with an interest in health and life science research. We're keen to recruit enthusiastic applicants from a wide range of training backgrounds who are interested in a career in these fields. We're keen to support applicants from minority and under-represented backgrounds (based on protected characteristics) and those who have experienced other challenges or disadvantages. 

What we offer  

  • A 4-year PhD studentship with a range of research training opportunities, including short courses in research, statistical, computational and transferable skills open to UK students only. 
  • A tax-free stipend equivalent to UKRI rates (this applies to the stipend only, at the "outside London" level)
  • £10,000/year research costs
  • Waiver of tuition fees 

Search PhD projects 

How to apply 

Once you have identified your preferred project/s on the Find a funded PhD project webpage (using "Grand Challenge Scholarship" in the keyword search filter), you can submit an application using our online application system. 

We encourage you to contact supervisors of the projects you are interested in to ensure that you are happy with your selection. 

Project choices and how many projects can I apply to? 

You can apply for a maximum of 2 different projects across the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. 

You'll need to submit a separate application for each project you wish to apply to. If more than one project is based in the same school, you need to select a different entry date for each application. We will change the date to September 2027 should you be successful 

Online PhD Application Workshop 

We will host an online PhD Application Workshop open to all interested applicants on 23rd November 2026 at 2pm London time.  This workshop will be held via teams and you can join here 

Detailed application guidance 

Curriculum vitae (CV, résumé) 

Provide a 2-page CV listing (where relevant) your: 

  • Education
  • Employment
  • Publications
  • Wider contributions to science or research
  • Citizenship and leadership experience 

Maximum of 2 pages A4, 11pt Arial font for main text. 

Research statement 

In the research section please enter the project title of the scholarship you are applying for along with the main supervisor’s name. You can upload a blank document instead of the research statement, which is not needed for this application. 

Project choices 

State your chosen project title clearly on your application. Copy and paste the title from the FindaPhD add, without changing any of the words. 

Personal statement 

Please provide a personal statement that describes your: 

  • Training and experience to date
  • Motivation for doing a PhD
  • Motivation for applying to the University of Bristol, and why you think we should select you. 

This should be maximum one A4 page, 11pt Arial font.