The selection process will take place over two rounds. In the first round, potential project supervisors interview candidates (November 2023) who will be shortlisted to take forward to the second round. In the second round, shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the CTR Board of Managers and Directors (early January 2024) to award funding to selected candidate(s). Appointments may be made in partnership with one or more Cambridge colleges.
| Application opens | 12 Oct 2023 |
| Application closes | 16 Nov 2023 |
|
First round interviews: Zoom interview(s) with potential PhD supervisors |
Nov/Dec 2023 |
| Candidate shortlisting announced | Dec 2023 |
| Deadline to submit English test results | 4 Jan 2024 |
|
Second round interviews: Zoom interview with CTR Board of Managers and Directors |
Early Jan 2024 |
| Funding decision | Jan/Feb 2024 |
How to find a supervisor
We strongly encourage all applicants to make initial informal inquiries to Project Supervisors regarding projects available for the 2023/24 application cycle (projects will be listed 12 October 2023).
If you have any queries regarding the selection process, please refer to the procedure list below or email ctrphd@pdn.cam.ac.uk.
Please keep in mind that Principal Investigators (PIs) can only accept a CTR-funded PhD student once every four years, so they might not be advertising projects this year. However, all CTR supervisors would welcome your interest in research in their lab, whether funded by the CTR or alternative PhD funding sources: Please reach out to supervisors directly to enquire about funding opportunities and current projects in their lab.
Application procedure
Once you have identified a potential supervisor(s) and project(s), you should make a formal application by submitting the following application materials to ctrphd@pdn.cam.ac.uk by 16 November 2023:
1. A completed application form with the following information:
- List of 3 possible PhD supervisors ranked in order of preference.
- Personal statement (up to 500 words) outlining your motivation for pursuing PhD research at the CTR, choice of one or more PhD supervisors from the "Current Projects on offer" section
- List of any relevant research experience, lab-based courses, or other relevant activities.
- The names and contact details of two academic or research project references.
Please direct your references to complete a reference request and submit the completed form to our online portal by 16 November 2023: https://www.trophoblast.cam.ac.uk/academic-reference-submission-portal
2. Curriculum-vitae (up to four pages). Please do not include a headshot with your CV.
3. Transcript of your undergraduate results
4. Evidence of competence in English (if required – you can check using the University tool). If possible, please submit test results with your application. Otherwise, please inform us of the status of your English test using this form and submit test results by 4 January 2024.
Please note that CTR Studentship applications are made to existing projects, and do not require the student to write a project proposal.