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EIT CDT Fundamentals of AI welcome their first cohort of 13 students - October 2025

The EIT CDT in Fundamentals of AI based at the University of Oxford is part of a strategic collaboration between the University and the Ellison Institute of Technology. The programme will provide students with training in both cutting-edge AI research methodologies and the development of business and transferable skills. Students are encouraged to work closely with research teams at both the university and EIT throughout their studies. 

ILESLA welcomes its first cohort to the DTC (the largest ever) October 2025

The world faces unprecedented challenges, from climate change and food security to infectious diseases, biodiversity declines and sustainability. The Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award (ILESLA) will train a new generation of creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial researchers who are equipped to meet these complex, cross-disciplinary challenges.These future leaders will have the knowledge and skills to generate innovative solutions that integrate science across BBSRC and NERC remits, and to conduct curiosity-led research that generates far-reaching insight into biological and environmental systems, and their interactions. 

The Doctoral Landscape Training Network Launch - December 2025

The DLTN is another new initiative coming out of the ILESLA programme. This aims to bring together Landscape Awards, CDTs and DTPs across the country in order to share highly specialised training that is cost-effective to deliver for a very small number of students. This website provides details of training on offer and how to access it. The network is in the early stages and we are keen for it to grow so that the shared training offering can become a resource for PhD students across the UK.

Grants and Student Manager Role at the DTC - 28th November 2025 Closing date

This new post has been created in response to the ongoing success in funding applications for programmes based within the DTC. As a valued member of our team and working closely with the Centre Manager, the Centre Director, Academic Programme Directors and Programme Managers, the post holder will be responsible for managing several large UKRI grants totalling around £60 million, plus the industrial and partner funding associated with the programmes, with support from other team members.

The Grants and Studentship Manager will provide expertise into future funding opportunities identified by the Senior Leadership Team, producing financial models as required and providing guidance on financial structures, processes and regulations.

This role will be aligned with the MPLS Division Finance Cluster, who will provide day to day management. As an active member of the Finance Cluster there will be opportunities to share knowledge with like-minded professionals and gain experience across a wide range of finance functions.

Please see here or more info.

RePower Initiative - Summer 2025

During the summer, the DTC launched the new RePOWER initiative aimed at bringing people back into higher study who have been out of academia for 3 years or more. With the support of the Open University and Oxford Brookes, we welcomed a group to Oxford and offered sessions which introduced graduate study and professional doctorates, what is involved in applying, how finances might work, childcare and maternity/paternity leave, disability, neurodivergence and wellbeing and included the opportunity to network with current students, many of whom have also followed this path. The day was brought to a close with a dinner at Linacre college. We now plan to extend this programme in the future.

Check out April Burt's article in The Conversation - 17th March 2022

NERC DTP student, April Burt, discusses in her article, How we discovered that sea turtles in Seychelles have recovered from the brink (theconversation.com), that "it’s not always easy to assess whether animal conservation measures have worked. But we’ve discovered that green turtles of Seychelles – once almost hunted to extinction – are now thriving again. And it’s all because of crucial protection that was given to the species around 50 years ago." 

YES21 - David Augustin, winner of Biotechnology YES Competition - 1st February 2022

Big congratulations to David Augustin, SABS, and his team for winning the YES21 Competition for young entrepreneurs! The competition was to convince potential investors to invest in their idea and team and for that purpose they pitched their “company” to the investors including presented the idea, the business model, the marketing strategy, the finances and the IP strategy to the investors. 

NERC - 23rd November 2021

The DTP will hold its second Virtual Open Day on Wednesday 1st December from 11am to 2pm.  

Anyone thinking about applying to study with us is welcome to attend, and the event is free of charge.  At the Open Day you will hear from our Academic Director, David Pyle, who will talk a bit about the programme and you will be introduced to the three research streams which characterize the three main areas of research being carried out at Oxford.  You will have the chance to ask questions about the programme.  We have invited a number of supervisors to come and tell you about their research, and projects they have on offer, and you are also welcome to discuss your own project ideas with them prior to applying.  Some of students will also be there to tell you about student life at Oxford, and about the training programme.  You can also ask our Programme Manager, Victoria Forth, any questions you might have about the applications process.  This year we are continuing with the pilot scheme to anonymize applications process with the aim of removing unconscious bias from the application process as part of the drive towards being more inclusive and attracting a more diverse cohort.

You can find out more about this here Environmental Research (NERC Doctoral Training Partnership) | University of Oxford along with everything else you need to know about applying.

If you would like to join us, please register for the event so we can share links and passwords with you.  You can register here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxford-environmental-dtp-virtual-open-day-tickets-207147793627

CiC - 23rd November 2021

Join us for our OPEN DAY on Friday 3rd December, 12 noon - 4 pm (GMT). Join us for lunch and meet members of the CiC team and our current students to learn more about the programme, taught and practical classes, the types of projects that are offered and how to apply. We will also provide brief tours of the buildings and facilities.

We will take you through the documents you need to prepare, and give you hints and tips on what we are expecting to see in applications. We will also explain how we are taking steps to make our admissions process as fair as possible. To register for the open day go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chemistry-in-cells-phd-open-day-tickets-209076703047

SABS - 1st November 2021

SABS is holding an Open Day on Zoom on Wednesday, 24^th November, 2021, from 11:30 am - 1 pm. If you're curious about applying to SABS R³ for entry in the 2022-23 academic year, and would like to hear from current and former SABS students, we encourage you to register by emailing sabs-administrator@dtc.ox.ac.uk. Hope to see you then.