Bicentenary PhD Studentships
Your future starts here
Discover more about our Bicentenary PhD Studentships.
At Manchester you can follow in the footsteps of brilliant researchers, at the place where the atom was split, graphene was discovered, and AI was born.
To celebrate 200 years of innovation and our commitment to supporting life-changing breakthroughs in research, we are proud to announce the Faculty of Science and Engineering Bicentenary PhD Studentships for postgraduate researchers.
About the studentship
Commencing in September 2026, the studentship will provide more than 45 fully funded PhD scholarships for projects across major research themes within the Faculty:
- Digital and AI
- Environment and climate change
- Health inequalities
- Creative industries
You will:
- Receive a fully funded studentship covering tuition fees and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (2025 / 26: £20,780 per year) for four years.
- Make life-changing breakthroughs in the research area you're passionate about, supported by an expert supervisory team who will ensure there are no limits to what you achieve.
- Become part of our Doctoral Academy and join a diverse community, where everyone is welcome and where people who think differently enjoy calling home.
- At a world-leading research institute with strong industry links you'll gain the experience, reputation and profile to accelerate your development.
Available projects
Search for a project
Please use the Find a PhD search below to find projects which are eligible for this funding.
What you need to do
In order to be considered for this scholarship, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Have submitted an application by the deadline for a PhD starting in September 2026.
- Hold (or expect to achieve) a First Class or 2:1 UK honours degree (or international equivalent).
- Ideally hold a master’s-level qualification at merit or distinction (or international equivalent).
- Be able to demonstrate potential for academic research. This may include contributions to publications/articles, promoting their research to a wider audience, and prizes for research or project work.
- We will only consider candidates who hold a formal offer for a place on one of our PhD programmes.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and are at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact. We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.
We also support applications from those returning from a career break or other roles. We consider offering flexible study arrangements (including part-time: 50%, 60% or 80%, depending on the project/funder).
All appointments are made on merit.
- Choose your research project using the filter above.
- Contact the supervisor of the project or projects that are of interest to you. You will be able to do this using the link in the advert. Discuss with them if you would be a good fit for their project based on your academic background and experience.
- Complete an application form before the application deadline (see key dates below). To be considered for a Bicentenary project, use this link to complete a formal application form though our online portal.
When applying, you’ll need to specify the full name of this project, the name of your proposed supervisor/s, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You also need to provide a Personal Statement describing the motivation to apply to the project and your CV. - We will be in touch regarding the progress of your application and the project supervisor may contact you to invite you to an informal interview.
Each Department will be invited to nominate candidates to Faculty – if nominated you will then be invited to an interview.
- Application closing date: 31 January 2026
- Faculty Panel Interviews: week commencing 23 March 2026
Have any questions? Get in touch.
Queries regarding the application process can be sent to the Doctoral Academy Admissions Office.
Email: FSE.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 161 529 3049
Join our newsletter
Sign-up to our newsletter and receive updates about scholarships and funding opportunities, along with further tips on applying for postgraduate research in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
- Find out about the latest featured and live projects.
- Be the first to hear about newly launched funding opportunities and events.
- Listen to advice and tips from current postgraduate researchers and our support teams.
- And much more...