Applying for a PhD at Edinburgh University

Possible PhD Topics

PhD in the UK

A PhD in the UK is set for 3 years and requires a Master or equivalent. This system is similar to the German and French one, but slightly different from the US and Canadian one. A PhD in the UK is research-only with no need to take classes. Research proposals and 1st supervisor are required at the time of application. If you wish, you can get extra pay for getting involved in teaching as a teaching assistant. A PhD comes with a salary for 3 years and tuition fees apply, depending on your nationality (see below). You can apply and start a PhD all around the year, though there are stricter deadlines for scholarships (usually between Oct-Feb). The academic year in the UK is dived into 3 trimesters; Oct-Dec (semester 1), Jan-April (semester 2), May-Sept (summer). There is teaching only in semester 1 + 2. I am supervising master and undergraduate students all around the year.

How to apply (for a PhD supervised by me)

There are several options:

• ILCC: You should apply through the School of Informatics and the Institute for Language, Cognition, and Computation (ILCC), which I am part of., Dec 8, again under ILCC.
• Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
• contact me

You can set the starting date as you wish. There are little contrails from my side. However, there are notification deadlines for the tuition funding.

Tuition fees and scholarships

• If you are UK/EU citizen, you are not required to pay any tuition fees.
• If you are not UK/EU citizen, we need to cover your tuition fee through a scholarship. Usually, to apply for a scholarship you need the unconditional offer from the University (which will pay your salary). Hence, once you know if you will be granted a scholarship, you can still decide whether to take the post or not. From what I have seen, this sort of happens in spring. Hence, unless you have your own scholarship for covering your tuition (e.g. from the US or your home country, etc..) you want to put a starting date later than Spring.

PhD Funding Opportunities

There are three types of scholarships. Those who cover your salary,  those who cover your tuition, if you are not an EU/UK citizen, and those covering both (if you are an EU/UK citizen, you don’t pay any tuition, thanks to the Scottish Government). There is a range of options for either and I encourage you to check your own sources. The list below certainly is incomplete.

A search interface is provided here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/search-scholarships

Covering salary only

• ECA PhD Scholarship. 16k / a, first used towards tuition, rest is stipend deadline: ~January

• ECA interdisciplinary PhD Scholarship. 16k / a, first used towards tuition, rest is stipend deadline: ~January

• College postgraduate studentships

Applicants must also apply to Edinburgh Global to cover tuition costs.

• CDT Data Science. Deadlines Dec 7 (all), Jan 25 (EU/UK), March 15 (U 4 years PhD program, including 1 taught year.

Covering salary plus EU/UK tuition

• Principal’s PhD Scholarship. 45 University scholarships UK, EU, overseas, PhD and MRes?, Not eligible for consecutive registration, Outstanding academic merit: UK first class or 2:1 honours degree (~upper 15%) open to oversea students, Students must have already applied at UoE

• Perfect Storm: Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships. Through ECA, School of GeoSciences, School of Social and Political Sciencees 3 years

• MSR European PhD Scholarship. Award goes to MSR staff, then they pick collaborator. deadline: ~early Oct.

Covering salary and oversea tuition

• Principal’s Career Development PhD Scholarships. 45 university-wide, involves some teaching, requires outstanding academic merit, focus on data-science and collaboration.

• Edinburgh Enlightment scholarships. 30 university-wide, full tuition, salary, up to 4 years funding, deadline ~February. https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/postgraduate/uk-eu/university-scholarships/enlightenment

#Awards by geographical region: https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/postgraduate/international/region

• Global Education Scholarship for Russian Students. for Russian students only,

Covering Tuition only

• Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships. 30 university-side, oversea students only (non-EU), covering difference between EU tuition and oversea tuition. Only candidates without PhD, first-class Bachelor and excellent Master degree. Not in conjunction with a fully-funded scholarship.

• Informatics Overseas Research Scholarship. Same as Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships. “Candidates requiring funding for the difference between home and overseas PhD fees should apply for the Edinburgh Global Research Scholarship, and any other applicable scholarship”

• Carnegie PhD Scholarships. tuition fees + maintenance allowance, research and travel allowance. 16 scholarships (across all Scottish universities)

Amendmends (2nd year students)

• IBM Scholarship

• Google European Doctoral Fellowship

• Rabin Ezra Scholarship. ~3k for 1year. deadline: ~December

Others

• Commonwealth Scholarships. Students from commonwealth states only funding depends on country

• Scotland’s Saltire Scholarship, up to 8k for 1 year, deduced from tuition fees deadline: ~March

• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Awards)

• Postgraduate Doctoral Loans (England, Wales, NI), 25k towards tuition and salary

Space for Personal development

Institute for Academic Development

• Courses on: Scientific writing, presentation skills, others
• Vitae > research development
• 3 minute thesis competition (3MT)
• Welcome day (~January)
• VOX communication skills

Points of contact

• me
• PG tutor (for phd students)
• Disability service
• graduate school
• Advice place (Student association)