Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Scholarships for 2026

EPSRC Science and Engineering studentships (2026)

As part of its EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award, the University of Sussex invites applications for Doctoral scholarships within and across the disciplines of Materials Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics and Computing. Whether you are keen to work with an industry partner, or tackle a more theoretical challenge, we will be offering in our EPSRC brochure, a wide range of research projects and research themes for an autumn 2026 start.

What you get

As an EPSRC student you will join a vibrant doctoral community and will benefit from:

  • 3.5 years of funding with a a tax free living allowance at the standard Research Council rate – currently £20,780 in 2025-6 – and international or UK PhD fees
  • An option of 3 months of additional funding to cover a placement outside academia
  • Funding for training and research expenses, such as conference trips and experimental costs
  • Supervision by world-leading researchers
  • Our Entrepreneurship Summer School and Responsible Research and Innovation workshops tailored to the needs of engineering and physical sciences researchers.
  • Our Researcher Development workshops and access to taught modules relevant to your project.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Our brochure of EPSRC research projects and research areas will be available at the bottom of this advert from early November.  Our listed supervisors will be happy to discuss their research areas with you and advise you on developing a project proposal.

Eligibility

Applicants should have/expect to have at least a 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject and meet our English language requirements. International and UK applicants are both eligible to apply but in line with EPSRC regulations, international awards will be limited.

Sussex recognises the value of diversity in research communities and is committed to addressing patterns of under-representation. We recognise that a range of factors, both structural and individual, influence and impede pathways into postgraduate research in different ways.  If you wish, you may write a short, optional statement offering any further contextual information affecting your pathway to postgraduate research not included elsewhere that you think is relevant to your application.

Number of scholarships available

Around 10 for 2025-6

Deadline

6 January 2026 23:45

How to apply

  1. Have a look at our brochure of supervisors who are keen to host EPSRC postgraduate researchers.  Some supervisors have listed general areas in which they supervise and other have given details of a more precise project.
  2. Contact any of the supervisors you would like to work with, to find out more about their research and what they are looking for in a PhD application.
  3. Read our guidance on PhD applications and apply for a PhD place at Sussex using the online PhD application system.
  4. Apply for the PhD course linked to the department of your chosen supervisor (e.g. Informatics, Physics, Engineering, Chemistry).  List your preferred supervisor and enter “EPSRC DLA 2026” in the “sources of funding” box.
  5. Complete the EPSRC application form ( available soon in FILES section at the bottom of this page)  and upload it to your PhD application in the “Research Proposal “category. You may also upload an optional Contextual Information form (below)  if you wish to tell us more about any barriers you have faced. If the forms do not download with a Chrome browser, please use Edge or Firefox.
  6. Upload as attachments along with your EPSRC application form, your CV. degree certificates and transcripts and English language qualifications if applicable before submitting the PhD application online.

Sponsors

These scholarships are funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Contact us

For questions regarding your chosen research project, please contact the project supervisor listed on the brochure.

If you have questions relating to the online application process, please contact the relevant research co-ordinator:

Timetable

6th January 2026  (23:59): Deadline for applications
Late January 2026: Interviews 
From mid February 2026: Awards confirmed

Availability

At level(s):
PG (research)

Application deadline:
6 January 2026 23:45 (GMT)

Countries

The award is available to people from these specific countries: