PhD Studies
We are keen to hear from aspiring PhD candidates with a strong record of academic achievement. If you meet our academic and English language requirements (see below), you are encouraged to contact our director, Dr Panagiotis Angeloudis, to arrange a preliminary discussion.
You might also find it helpful to look at the general admission information provided on the Imperial College webpage.
If you are enquiring regarding any potential PhD opportnities, please make sure that you attach an up-to-date CV that includes your GPA or classification of your earlier degrees.
FAQ - Eligibility
What are my chances of being accepted to your PhD programme?
We use the following three criteria when assessing new applications:
- Academic achievement: Successful applicants will hold a first-class or distinction Master’s degree in an engineering discipline or non-UK equivalent.
- English language skills: Successful applicants should meet our minimum English Language requirements, as outlined below.
- Alignment of research interests: Your research interests must align closely with our research portfolio and current research priorities.
Where can I find information regarding TSL's academic requirements?
You can refer to this page for the minimum admission requirements used at Imperial College London.
We expect successful candidates to have a first-class Masters-level degree (or non-UK equivalent). As such, our requirements may be slightly higher than the grades listed on the above page.
What are the English language requirements for TSL applicants?
All PhD applicants must show that they have a sufficiently good level of written and spoken English to meet the demands of our challenging academic environment.
If English is not your first language, we expect you to have an IELTS certificate with a minimum grade of 7.0 on the writing component or equivalent](https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/requirements/english/).
Please refrain from submitting your application before you have met the above requirement.
Will I be constrained to the topic that I identify in my research proposal during my studies?
The topic proposed at this stage is not binding and will evolve throughout your studies.
FAQ - Process
When should I submit my application?
As we can only admit a limited number of PhD students to our group every year, we encourage potential applicants to submit their applications as early as possible.
Furthermore, if you want to be considered for any internal scholarship, you must check the relevant pages for any additional deadlines that might apply.
How long will it take until I receive a response to my application?
The processing time for submitted PhD applications is approximately three months.
If my application is accepted, when would my studies begin?
Although PhD students can commence their studies at any time, our preference is for a start date in early October, which would coincide with most induction courses and welcome events.
How should I structure my research statement?
Should you decide to proceed with an application, please make sure that you include a personal statement that is 3-4 pages long and follows the structure below:
- A summary of the research topics that excite you.
- A section on your thoughts on how you endeavour to fill existing gaps in knowledge.
- Overview of your academic background, highlighting previous GPAs, awards, and graduation rank.
- Summary of any prior research outputs (i.e. dissertations, research placements).
- Brief literature survey that covers recent developments in your area of interest.
FAQ - Funding
Can you fund my PhD studies?
We will be advertising any TSL-specific PhD studentships on this website, our Departmental PhD opportunities page and relevant mailing lists (i.e. UTSG).
Update October 2022
There are currently no TSL-specific PhD studentship opportunities, but interested applicants are encouraged to apply to one of the College-wide scholarship schemes advertised on this page. A scholarship search engine is also available here.
Please note that these schemes are highly competitive, and we will only nominate applicants who graduated with summa cum laude honours (top 1-3% of their year). Many of our students are also funded through scholarship schemes from their home countries - please let us know if you have identified such a scheme.
Can I apply for the Imperial College President's scholarship scheme?
Yes.
To be eligible for nomination, you should:
- Have a First Class or Distinction Master’s degree from a top university.
- Have ranked near the top of your graduating cohort.
- Have research interests that are highly aligned with the remit of our lab.
If you do not meet the above criteria, it is unlikely that you will be shortlisted for nomination to this programme.
Postdocs and Fellowships
We do not currently have direct funding available for postdocs and research fellows. However, if you would like to propose a collaboration based on an externally-funded post-doctoral scholarship, please get in touch.
Where can I find information on external fellowship funding sources?
Some indicative schemes within the remit of our research are:
UROP and Internships
We welcome applications for summer internships from students currently studying towards an undergraduate engineering, mathematics or computer science degree in the United Kingdom.
For further information, please refer to the homepage of our UROP Programme, and register your interest with Dr Panagiotis Angeloudis by the beginning of the Spring Term.
As an MEng student, can I undertake my final year project at TSL?
Our projects typically require excellent analytical and programming skills (Python, R, C# or similar).
As we only have a few positions available every year, we advise any interested candidates to register their interest before the end of their 3rd year of studies.