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The decisive factor for our CDT’s success is the quality of the students we recruit and admit to our programme.
Recruitment and Admissions
Key goals of our recruitment strategy are research excellence, fit to programme and diversity. We will bring in outstanding students from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, to foster an inclusive, student-focused research environment and lay the foundation for the creation of a cohesive cohort of students from the onset of the recruitment stage.
August-September: Call to supervisors for projects (with/without external partners) with selection of five per theme by the Project Selection Committee made up of the Theme leads (see Management and Governance section, below, and Fig. 4). Selected projects will be made available to prospective students on the CDT website. Experts for (student) Selection Panels will be identified and appointed to panels to reflect diversity in scientific discipline and personal background (ethnicity, gender, etc). UCL Fair Recruitment Specialist Scheme members will join panels to help monitor the fairness of the recruitment process.
October-December: We will advertise the programme extensively each year (e.g., in FindaPhD.com, Nature careers, via social media, through students’ societies as well as through industry relevant associations, such as BIA and The British In Vitro Diagnostic Association) and will encourage our programme partners and students to help us attract the best applicants. Underrepresented groups will be specifically reached out to and encouraged to apply (e.g., through the BAME society at UCL). Adverts will clearly state the programme’s objectives, essential and desirable eligibility criteria, UCL support schemes (e.g., for part-time, caring responsibilities, financial hardship), the available support (e.g., monthly online and in-person workshops, open days) during the selection process, and selection timeline. Centrally collected online application forms will be used to eliminate unconscious biases caused by style diversity in uploaded documents and (optional) EDI monitoring. The application process will be reviewed on a yearly basis by the EDI committee (comprising CDT staff and student members, and chaired by the EDI and pastoral care lead) and amended as necessary.
December-January: Candidates will be shortlisted by the Selection Panels based on eligibility and application quality. Anonymisation of the application forms will help reduce unconscious bias. During shortlisting candidates will be scored independently (‘blind’) by at least three panel members based on: academic record, motivation letter, research experience, and references. An emphasis will be put on evidence of independence, maturity and initiative, and ability to overcome setbacks (to align with the essential and desirable eligibility criteria above). Students will be assessed regardless of background (e.g., industrial or academic).
February-March: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and each interviewed by two Selections Panels on two separate days to limit chances of decisions being taken on individual good/bad performances. Questions will be structured to ensure fairness among participants and will include a mix of problem-solving, critical thinking, fit to the programme and motivation questions. As for the application stage, support to prepare for interview will be available and clearly communicated to the shortlisted candidates. Diversity in scientific discipline and personal background (ethnicity, gender, unconventional career paths, etc) will be considered alongside excellence in the decision-making process to ensure a balanced cohort in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and UCL's positive action guidelines in recruitment.
Post recruitment: We will collect data on the number of programme applicants each year, their gender, country of origin, ethnicity, university, qualifications (BSc, MSci, BSc and MSci/MRes) and degree class. This will help us identify if our initiatives to improve diversity within the programme intake are working and, if necessary, to take further action (e.g. ring-fencing) to increase diversity and broaden participations in coordination with the EDI committee.