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Child Health Research PhD Studentships Call for Projects

Call for PhD Project Outlines 2025-26

Applications are invited for Project Outlines for the Child Health Research (CHR) PhD Studentships starting 1st October 2025.

You are invited to submit a 3-year PhD project outline for inclusion in the annual project portfolio for the CHR scheme.

Four PhD studentships will be made available in 2025-26 academic year, including three projects related to genes or genetics and one unrestricted project. Funds are not restricted by department. For all projects, student selections will be based on excellence.

Eligible GOS ICH supervisors are asked to submit project outlines by 31st July 2024. There will be a preliminary review of projects by a central review panel in August/Sept and approved projects included in the portfolio for advertising from October. NB Inclusion of your project outline in the portfolio will not guarantee you a student.

The student recruitment process:

  • Potential students will be required to contact supervisors on projects they are interested in to discuss the group's research and supervisory arrangements before applying. Please take notes of your meeting/s with prospective students.
  • If your student is shortlisted for interview, you may provide students with a supporting statement (<300 words) explaining their interactions with your group and any role they had in developing the project. Supporting statements may be used to differentiate between students with identical rankings during shortlisting.
  • Shortlisted students will be interviewed and selected by a central GOS ICH committee, chaired by the Institute Director in February 2025.
  • If a student is offered a studentship:
    • Student submits UCL Graduate application
    • Supervisor works with the student on a full PhD project proposal (which will be submitted for internal peer review, and approval by the Student’s Thesis Committee to ensure that selected projects are appropriate and up to date).
    • Supervisor submits required GOS ICH registration paperwork prior to a formal UCL offer being made.
    • UCL offers expected to be confirmed by end of May 2025.

Project outlines should be submitted by the student's intended supervisor, supported, if necessary, by other senior members of staff.

Key eligibility criteria for project submission

To facilitate more GOS ICH PhD supervision (at primary or secondary level, as appropriate) for non-Professorial staff:

  • All projects must have a mid-career researcher who is based at GOS ICH appointed to the supervisory team (i.e., Grade 7 or 8 researcher). 
  • Supervisors may submit up to 2 project outlines for inclusion in the portfolio but can only supervise one student.
  • Supervisors who already have a current CHR PhD student will not be eligible to supervise a new CHR student at the same time. If your current CHR student will be in their third year from October 2024, you may submit a project for 25-26.
  • Supervisors must not exceed the UCL maximum number of research students permitted under their supervision. (See 3.4 of the Research Degree Regulations).

APPLICATIONS FROM ELIGIBLE GOS ICH STAFF ONLY. Please read the full Terms and Conditions (UCL Login required) carefully before submitting the project outline.

Applications should be submitted by completing this MS Form (UCL Login required) by 5pm on Wednesday 31st July 2024. A previously submitted project may be re-submitted.

Please note that as the portfolio development occurs in Sept, late project submissions are not accepted. 

GOSICH Unfunded Project Portfolio
If you only wish to submit a project to be included in the ICH Unfunded Project Portfolio for self-funded/externally sponsored students, please complete the MS Form where you can indicate this is your intention. 

If you have any queries, please contact (ich.researchdegrees@ucl.ac.uk).