How to Apply and Funding

Applications should be submitted through our online system: Apply Here

Timeline

Apart from specific calls with different deadlines, applications open in November for a September start the following year. A shortlist of candidates will be selected and invited for interview after which offers of studentships will be made. For 2025 entry the following dates apply:

• 31 January 2025: Deadline for applications
• February 2025: Interview days
• End of September 2025: Enrollment
• Approx 1st October 2025: Training starts

We also welcome late applications April - September in case additional studentships may become available, and for students with their own funding, however, all applicants are encouraged to apply early.

Application Procedure

Applicants should use the online application system here selecting the option "Semester 1 start" in the "Apply Online" box. Full details on the online application procedure, with a list of the documents required in order to apply, can be found here. You will be asked to enter your information and will have the opportunity to upload supporting material including:

• Curriculum Vitae and cover letter
• Degree transcripts
• Proof of English proficiency (overseas students only)

For "Research Group" please enter "Experimental Particle Physics". You do not need to submit a detailed research proposal, or to name a specific supervisor, however if you have a strong wish to participate in a particular project, or to work with a particular supervisor please indicate this on the application form. If the studentship you are applying for has a defined experiment and/or research project, please indicate so on the form. Selected candidates will be invited for interview and an opportunity to meet the group and view our facilities.

Deadline for applications: 31 January 2025. We normally interview selected students shortly after the deadline, and make offers before the end of March. 

Dates of interviews:   Feb 2025 TBD

General information about postgraduate study at Queen Mary can be found here. For more details or questions on the application procedure please contact our Research Officer, Robert Miles. We occasionally have funding for late applications - please enquire. 

Funding Opportunities

Students are primarily funded by studentships from the https://stfc.ukri.org/funding/studentships/. In addition to these Queen Mary London might also offer a small number of college studentships to international or UK applicants. The funding profile of our available PhD places is usually not finalised until January.

STFC DTP and DISCnet Studentships are available to UK and international students who satisfy the eligibility criteria. A full studentship will cover the payment of tuition fees as well as tax free maintenance costs (£21,237 per year for 2024/25). The latest tuition fees can be found here. Briefly, the eligibility criteria for a full STFC award are:

• An upper second or first class honours degree or a masters degree.
• To qualify for fully-funded home fees, satisfy one of:
  • be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

Applicants are advised to check the detailed criteria from the STFC website. Exceptional international students may be eligible for these studentships: this will require a special case to be made after application, and we will discuss this at the time of interview where relevant.  Deadline for applying is 31st January 2025.

Other studentships. In due course there will be specific information on potential applications for the following studentships. 

• Bell Burnell Studentships
  The IOP's Bell Burnell Fund aims to increase diversity in physics. Students from any underrepresented group in physics are eligible to apply, these include:  women, students of Black-Caribbean,  Black-African and other minority ethnic (BAME) heritage, students with disabilities, or who require additional funding to support inclusive learning, LGBT+ students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may struggle to find the levels of funding needed to complete their studies. The school can only put forward two applications so candidates will need to be preselected in advance of the call deadline. For anyone wishing to apply through this route, please send your CV and personal statement to Dr Linda Cremonesi (l.cremonesi@qmul.ac.uk) by 5pm on 6th January 2025. The shortlisting will commence shortly after, and a short interview may be necessary to secure your place. You will then be paired with an academic who will help you with the submission to IOP by 5pm on Monday 20 January 2025.
• College Studentships
  Several scholarship schemes exist with differing eligibility criteria and closing dates. Please check this page and contact us for further details. The value of College studentships normally matches the value (both tuition fees and maintenance costs) of STFC studentships. Studentships with international eligibility are extremely competitive and are offered to candidates with a high standard of demonstrated research (for example, authored publications). Deadline for applying is 31st January 2025.

• S&E Doctoral Research Studentships for Underrepresented Groups 2025/26:  The Queen Mary Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Doctoral College is inviting applications for Doctoral Research Studentships from UK candidates from underrepresented groups in research in the UK.

  Up to 6 PhD studentships will be awarded on the basis of the excellence of the applicant. Awards are tenable for up to 3.5 years, and cover tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at the UKRI London rate (£21,237 p.a. full-time - 2024/5 rates).

  You must be a UK permanent resident from an underrepresented group in research and eligible to pay home student fees. Further details can be found here: S&E Doctoral Research Studentships for Underrepresented Groups 2025/26 [PDF 374KB]. Expected start date: 01 September 2025. Deadline for applying is 31st January 2025.

• CSC Studentships The PPRC group has CSC studentship positions that will fund Chinese students who satisfy eligible criteria.  More details on the scheme can be found on the following College page.  Applicants considering a CSC studentship are encouraged to contact us early, and formally apply for a position. Please check the School's page and contact us for further details. Deadline for applying is 31st January 2025.

External studentships and funding. The following sometimes have calls that may be relevant. If you have funding or are working toward it, please contact  for more info:

• Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (HEC): HEC connects gifted students and faculty with the best research universities in the world through its much sought-after international scholarship program.
• Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Candidates from any of the Islamic Development Bank’s 57 member countries will be eligible to apply for these prestigious QMUL-IDB scholarships, which will provide full overseas tuition fees and allowances to meet living costs, health insurance, and airfares, as well as a dedicated research allowance, for up to four years. 

• Other Funding bodies There is a number of funding bodies who fund studies abroad (For links see here). An example is from the British Council. We do not administer these studentships but if you have secured funding please let us know in your application.
• Private Funding Applications are welcome from students wishing to fund themselves, or those who have already secured their own funding. Details of the current tuition fees are available here and estimates of living costs in London can be found here. Please provide full details of your funding on the application form.

Contact

Questions to PPRC recruitment academic lead: email Dr Linda Cremonesi

For more general enquiries please contact Mr Robert Miles  or in writing at the following address:

Postgraduate Admissions
School of Physics and Astronomy
Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS