President’s Doctoral Scholar Awards

In line with the M2035 priorities and drive for interdisciplinary and cross-faculty research that tackle major societal challenges, we have revitalised the Presidential Doctoral Scholarship (PDS) programme.

The new PDS programme will draw together research strength and ambition from across our three faculties to create an interdisciplinary cohort of PhD students and projects set against unifying research themes. The programme will be overseen by a university wide panel of postgraduate research leads and chaired by Professor Melissa Westwood, Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation. This panel will set the research theme for each cohort and ensure the very best projects are put forward for recruitment of exceptional PhD students. For the 2026-27 PDS intake, the thematic call is seeking projects focused on addressing:

Environmental challenges to human health, society, and productivity

Within this overarching theme, we welcome projects that investigate the way changes to the natural environment (broadly defined) interacts with and influences human health, socio-economic, socio-cultural and political wellbeing. We are particularly interested in projects that cross traditional discipline boundaries and engage with this challenge in an exciting and original way.

This call for projects will be managed locally by each Faculty Doctoral Academy (faculty contact listed below).  All projects must have a supervisory team involving academics from at least two faculties and demonstrate meaningful interdisciplinary research and PGR training environment. Demonstrating strong fit to theme, research excellence across the supervisory team, and a commitment to excellence in supervisory practice will be expected and will serve as criteria for project selection. We welcome involvement of commercial and other non-HEI partners to enhance the research and provide additional perspective to the PGR training and development. The added value should be justified within the application document

For entry in September 2026, there will be 8 fully-funded PDS PhD scholarships for candidates as summarised in the table below:

Eligibility criteria

Nominated candidates must meet the below academic criteria:

• First class Bachelor's (Honours) degree (or overseas equivalent); and
• Candidates must meet the standard programme/course Master's requirements

Funding

The studentships will be 4-year duration (or equivalent for part-time), come with £20K research, training, and skills development grant (RTSG), and UKRI level stipend.  The programme is open to UK home and overseas candidates, with an overseas fee scholarship available to the top international candidates.

Application process

Please complete the project application form and project proposal form, and return this to the Doctoral Academy Admissions Team (hums.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk). Do not convert the completed document to PDF. The deadline for submission is 23rd January 2026.

Project proposal evaluation and approval process

All projects must have a supervisory team involving academics from at least two faculties and demonstrate meaningful interdisciplinary research and PGR training environment. 

All submitted projects will be assessed by a cross-faculty panel, with top-rated projects progressing to advert. As with our other major funded schemes, supervisory teams will then nominate their top candidate for interview. We will aim to advertise ~2 times the number of studentships available (e.g. for HUMS this would be ~16 projects for 8 PhD studentships).

Candidate nomination, interviews and offers

Following the approval of projects by the cross-faculty panel, the Doctoral Academy Admissions Team will advertise the successful projects. After the application deadlines, the Doctoral Academy Admissions team will share all eligible applications with supervisors.

Supervisors are required to complete a nomination form to recommend their top candidate for consideration in a formal cross-faculty panel interview. Studentship offers will be extended after all interviews are conducted and in collaboration with the faculty panel. 

Allocation process

To support the President's Doctoral Scholar Awards, a step-by-step guide outlining the allocation process and the management approach that will be utilised is presented below. This guide is designed to ensure clarity and transparency in how scholarships are awarded, detailing each phase of the process to promote understanding among all involved parties.

Submissions and assessment of project proposals

1. Completed project proposal forms should be submitted to the Doctoral Academy Admissions Team. Supervisors will receive an acknowledgement confirming receipt of their submission.
2. The Doctoral Academy Admissions Team will review all submissions to ensure completeness. 
3. All project proposals will be compiled and sent for simultaneous review, focusing on the following:

• • Department and School Oversight: The Department/Division Coordinators and School PGR Directors will verify the eligibility of the supervisory team.
  • Cross-Faculty Panel Assessment: The Cross-Faculty Panel will evaluate other critical criteria, including ensuring alignment with strategic themes and priority areas.

 Advertising of shortlisted projects

1. Shortlisted projects will be showcased on the Faculty website, FindAPhD, and social media platforms to maximise visibility and attract top candidates.
2. Interested candidates will be encouraged to reach out to the supervisory team before submitting their application. Supervisors should respond promptly to enquiries and motivate qualified candidates to apply. The admissions team is available to assist with the review of qualifications and eligibility, if necessary, at this stage.
3. After the application deadline, all submissions will be processed. Supervisory teams will receive the applications for their project, as well as a summary list of the candidates who have applied. Further details on how this information will be shared will be provided in due course.
4. Candidates who do not meet eligibility criteria will be informed of their application status at this stage.

Review and selection of nominated candidate(s)

1. The supervisory team will review applications and conduct informal interviews to identify a suitable candidate. They will collectively confirm the candidate for nomination.
2. Main supervisors must complete and submit a nomination form for their chosen candidate to the Doctoral Academy Admissions Team. Supervisors will receive an acknowledgement of receipt.

Formal interview of candidates

1. The formal interviews will be conducted by a cross-faculty panel.
2. The faculty panel will review and approve the final list of offers, including the identification of reserve candidates. Those not selected will be informed of their interview outcome status by the Doctoral Academy Admissions Team.

Issuing of formal offer and funding

1. The Doctoral Academy Admissions Team will extend formal offers to the selected candidates following the standard process.
2. Since approval of supervisory teams was acquired at the outset, no further approval is necessary at this stage.
3. A formal funding letter will be issued alongside the academic offer for the PhD programme.
4. Offer holders will be provided with a deadline to formally accept their offer and funding.

Timeline