Apply Now to a PhD or EngD Project
Our projects offer 4-years funding of a tax-free stipend at the UKRI PGR rate - currently £20,780 in the 2025-26 academic year, UKRI home tuition fees, and a research budget for conferences, placement and project expenses. All projects are co-developed with an industrial partner, who will closely oversee the project and provide regular industrial supervision. If the project is eligible for a London weighting stipend supplement, this will be confirmed in the project description.
Our standard requirements to apply for an advertised project are;
Graduates with a 2.1 undergraduate degree from any STEM disciplines with an aptitude for practical engineering.
Non-native UK language applicants will be required to provide an IELTS certificate in English at the level required by the host university, and ATAS clearance.
Projects are also avdvertised at FindaPhD.com and jobs.ac.uk, as well as below.
Applications must be submitted to the project host universitiy via their PGR Application system, We do not accept speculative applications or CVs via email.
Projects that are open to applications from non UK residents are clearly stated. Please do not apply for a project that is only open to UK residents if you do not meet the criteria, as your application will be rejected.
How to Apply
Take a look at our resources to help you prepare your application at our How to Apply page.
Use the link in the advert to go to the relevant university PGR application system. You’ll need to specify the full name of the project, the named supervisor, that you are applying for CDT funding, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two academic referees. Your application will not be processed without all of the required documents submitted at the time of application, and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered. You should upload the following supporting documents:
Final Transcript and certificates of all awarded university level qualifications
Interim Transcript of any university level qualifications in progress
CV
Contact details for two referees (please make sure that the contact email you provide is an official university/work email address as we may need to verify the reference)
Supporting statement: A one page statement outlining your motivation to pursue postgraduate research, the area(s) of fusion engineering research you’re interested in, why you want to undertake postgraduate research in the CDT, any relevant research or work experience, and relevant skills you’ve developed.
English Language certificate (if applicable).
Photo courtesy of the UK Atomic Energy Authority
Projects open to application
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EngD with Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Project Title: Permeation Resistant, Novel Ceramic Materials for the Fusion Fuel Cycle
Supervisor: Professor Philip Edmondson
Open to: home and international tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 4th May 2025
Apply online: here
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PhD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Information methods for understanding and engagement for fusion energy power.
Supervisor: Dr Emma Heywood
Open to: Home tuition fee candidates only
Application Close date: 4th May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Enhancing Fusion Engineering with AR/VR and Digital Twins
Supervisor: Professor Lee Margetts
Open to: Home and international tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 4th May 2025
Apply online: here
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PhD with Rolls Royce
Project Title: PhD in Modifying Surfaces of Non-Metallics to Improve their Longevity or Functionality by Atmospheric Plasma Processing
Supervisor: Dr Kirsty McKay
Open to: UK nationals only
Application Close Date: 15th May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Tritium transport and retention in solid blankets; multiphysics driven impacts and coupling
Supervsior: Professor Lee Margetts
Open to: home and international tuition fee candidates
Applciation Close date: 25th May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: From Defects to Durability: Scaling Fatigue Predictions for Additive and Welded Structures in Fusion Systems
Supervsior: Dr Matthew Roy
Open to: home and international tuition fee candidates
Applciation Close date: 25th May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Adaptive Inverse UQ for Reliable Parameter Estimation in Fusion Engineering Systems
Supervisor: Professor Lee Margetts
Open to: home and international tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 25th May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Multi-Fidelity Simulation Ensembles for Near Real-time Failure Prediction in Digital Twins
Supervisor: Professor Perumal Nithiarasu
Open To: Home and international fee candidates
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project title: A real-time PINN-based computational framework for data integration and digital twinning
Supervisor: Professor Perumal Nithiarasu
Open to: Home and international fee candidates
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project title: Manufacturing and high temperature mechanical evaluation of reduced activation W heavy alloys (RA-WHA)
Supervisor: Dr Sandy Knowles
Open to: UK candidates only
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here
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PhD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Reconfigurable Geometric Robots for Inspection and Assistance in Constrained Fusion Reactor and Pipeline Environments
Supervisor: Dr Seyed Amir Tafrishi
Open to: home tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here
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PhD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Accelerated creep-fatigue qualification through high-throughput testing and data fusion
Supervisor: Professor Bo Chen
Open to: home tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: Manufacturing and structural integrity validation of dissimilar material bonds for tungsten component joining
Supervisor: Dr Sandy Knowles
Open to: home tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here
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EngD with UK Atomic Energy Authority
Project Title: An Open Architecture Framework for Fusion
Supervisor: Dr Michael Henshaw
Open to: home tuition fee candidates
Application Close date: 31st May 2025
Apply online: here