Applications for the 2023-24 academic year are now closed.

Franklin students work on highly interdisciplinary projects across our Themes with real-world impact, world-leading research supervisors, access to industrial collaborations and top universities from across the UK and beyond-state-of-the-art technologies.

Early during their time at the Franklin, students will receive a catalogue of potential ideas for their PhD projects, from which they are asked to shortlist their preferred options and to research and compose short proposals outlining how they would take the research forward. The ideas in the project catalogue are very much starting points, as students are expected and encouraged to take an active role in co-developing their assigned idea into an interdisciplinary research project, informed by their time spent rotating around the Franklin’s various scientific themes during their first weeks on programme. Initially, students will have the opportunity to explore their research idea via the mini 12-week project that takes place from January. Following evaluation of this mini project in the Spring, students will have the opportunity to either develop it into a full PhD project, incorporating recommended revisions, or to explore an alternative project idea over the summer. In pursuing their research, students will work with a supervisory team comprising academics that are both internal and external to the Franklin, including a primary internal supervisor and a primary external supervisor.  

International students will be registered with University of Edinburgh throughout their time at the Franklin and so must select a project with a University of Edinburgh academic supervisor.

The Franklin PhD programme is fully funded by UKRI-EPSRC for four years, where successful students will be offered:

• Tax-free stipend of £20,560 each year for four years
• ‘Home’ tuition fees for their entire degree
• All associated project, conference and publication costs
• Free bus travel or free parking
• Free affiliate student societies / club membership to a college from University of Oxford (please note that this does not include access to university accommodation, nor will our students be registered at University of Oxford)

Franklin students will each have a supervisory panel throughout their PhD journey. This includes Franklin academics and university co-supervisors. Each student will also have a personal tutor to meet with informally on a frequent basis. Our Early Careers Lead, who manages the PhD programme, will also be supporting students’ experience and professional development.

There are many potential supervisors available at the Franklin, some of which are pictured below. Supervisors for this cohort’s PhD projects are yet to be confirmed and other potential supervisors can be found on our people’s page.