phd in medicine oxford

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• Study with us
• DPhil in Medical Sciences
• Cross-talk between adipose tissue and the cardiovascular system in humans: Using Artificial Intelligence to design precision Imaging diagnostics and discover novel therapeutic targets
• Functional coronary artery disease genetics - defining the function of new causal atherosclerosis genes
• Human fat distribution and metabolic disease
• Inflammatory infiltration induces cancer-associated fibroblast differentiation
• Imaging in Preventive Cardiology Research
• Adverse myocardial remodelling in cardiac fibrosis and atrial fibrillation
• Why does turbulent blood flow cause cardiovascular disease?
• Watkins Group – Various projects relating to inherited heart muscle disease
• Iron and Immunity
• De Novo Mutations and Human Disease
• Understanding the principles of gene expression in health and disease.
• Inflammation in p53 mutant myeloproliferative neoplasms
• Developing improved models of normal and malignant blood cell development
• New Immune Therapies For Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) And Myeloid Blood Cancers.
• Building the skull – normal and abnormal development
• Single Cell Biology of Hematopoietic Stem- and Progenitor Cells in Blood Cancer and Ageing
• Genomics and Genome Editing
• Therapeutic opportunities emerging from studies of immune checkpoints
• Design of advanced haematopoietic stem cell and T cell therapies
• Non-invasive cardiac metabolism assessment using ultra-high field (7T) MR Spectroscopy
• Understanding how glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) receptors contribute to metabolism in complex tissues
• Elucidating the role of disease modifying gene variants in inherited cardiomyopathies using induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes and CRISPR/Cas-9
• Hyde Group - Airway Gene Therapy - Engineering Lentiviral Vectors for Lung Cell-Specific Targeting
• Characterising spatial tissue niches in human immune system development and disease using computational biology, machine learning and multi-omics approaches
• Applications of multi-omics and AI to decode T cell recognition code in time and space
• Kini Group - A network approach to identifying novel genes causing neurodevelopmental disorders- The SATB pathway
• Generating extracellular vesicles for therapeutic Immunomodulation and building tools to determine their diagnostic potential.
• Development and Application of Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Study of the Diseased Heart
• Homologous recombination in genome maintenance and cancer prevention
• Impact of endogenous DNA damage and repair in early haematopoiesis
• Non-invasive tests for the prediction of clinical outcomes in people with metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease
• Development and combination of advanced neuroimaging to understand functional changes in Multiple Sclerosis
• How do protein making factories prevent cardiovascular disease?
• Development of genetic therapies for cardiomyopathy: creating an evidence base for ethical and clinical implementation.
• Advanced early detection of lytic bone disease using multi-modal computational analysis of bone marrow biopsies and skeletal imaging
• Occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) in people who donate blood: virology, immunology and liver health (OPAL)
• Characterising Human Intestinal Development and Dysregulation in Childhood Diseases
• Single Cell Biology, Molecular Mechanisms And Genetics of Transformation of Clonal Haemopoiesis to Myeloid Blood Cancer (MDS and AML)
• Leeson Group - Developing new echocardiography diagnostics with AI
• AI deep generative models for contrast enhancement of MRI: Towards needle-free and more informative MRI examination of the heart
• Frequently Asked Questions
• The RDM Scholars Programme
• WIMM Prize Studentships
• Other Medical Sciences Programmes
• DPhil funding for clinicians
• Graduate Studies Committee
• Associate Professor - Universiti Putra Malaysia
• Freelance Copy Editor
• Wellcome Trust Research Fellow - Kennedy Institute, University of Oxford
• Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow - Stanford University
• Senior Scientist - Immunocore
• Postdoctoral Fellow - Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
• Assistant Head Teacher - West London Free School
• Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine - Queen Mary University London, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
• University Research Lecturer & British Heart Foundation Research Fellow - Cardiovascular Medicine, RDM, University of Oxford
• Senior Policy Manager - Research Councils UK (RCUK)
• Skills and Training

Our DPhil research programme trains the next generation of leading scientists.

Our DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy) degree in Medical Sciences covers the whole span of the department’s research. In keeping with our focus on translational research, we welcome applications from both basic scientists and clinicians.

You will be admitted directly onto a research project with a specific Principal Investigator, who will act as your supervisor, and will be one of RDM's world-leading scientists. Students are asked to nominate up to three supervisors from the list of research opportunities . You will be expected to play an active role in shaping your project over the course of the DPhil. Our students are a valuable part of the department and we encourage them to be involved with the scientific and social life of the department at all levels.

Most students also have one or more formal co-supervisors, who can provide additional scientific advice on their specialist areas and who will offer another viewpoint on the student’s project. Together, they form the specialised team that will advise you on your academic progress. If you don’t have a formal co-supervisor, you will have a nominated secondary supervisor who you can always ask for advice, but who will not be actively involved with your project on a day-to-day basis.

As well as your supervisor, you will have the support of a local Director of Graduate Studies, the RDM Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Studies Manager. All activity relating to graduate students within the department is overseen by the Graduate Studies Committee.

In addition, the department has graduate student representatives; two of which sit on the Graduate Studies Committee. They act as the point of contact for the students and ensure that any concerns amongst students can be heard by the department and acted upon.

More information about the Radcliffe Department of Medicine can be found on the About Us , Working at RDM  and the Graduate Studies pages.  

Key Dates for October 2024 Entry

The Radcliffe Department of Medicine has fully-funded 4-year PhD (DPhil) studentships, to start in October 2024. These are open to outstanding students of any nationality who wish to pursue a career in experimental and/or computational biology in a range of areas including cardiovascular sciences, diabetes and endocrinology, immunology, haematology, and developmental biology.

You can find full details on the application process in the  University’s application guide .

How to apply

To apply for a place on the DPhil in Medical Sciences you will need to submit an application using the online application form .

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DPhil (PhD) in Oncology

• Course Structure
• The molecular basis of transcription-coupled DNA repair
• Deciphering key steps in the metastatic process of breast cancer by focusing on the role of MAFF
• Understanding the role of innate immunity in treatment-induced normal tissue injury
• Interaction between DNA Polymerase theta inhibition and cGAS/STING activation
• The paradox of AMER1 driver mutations in colorectal cancer
• Mapping the LARP1/1B interactome in cancer
• MRC iCASE Project Teledyne e2v -Technological advancements in radiotherapy leading to dose deliver via FLASH
• Developing a novel cancer vaccine for low mutation burden tumours derived from the non-coding genome
• Clinically-motivated and physics-informed deep learning for contouring tumours using multimodal cancer imaging
• Investigating the immunomodulatory effects of drug combinations with PSMA targeted radiopharmaceuticals
• How to Apply
• Fees & Funding

KEY DATES FOR 2024/25 ENTRY

Applications for 2024/25 entry are now closed.

Applications for entry in 2025/26 will open in September 2024.

If you have any questions that are not answered on our webpages please contact us:

Call on 0 1865 617410

Or Email us  here

The Department of Oncology offers science graduates and clinical research fellows the opportunity to undertake doctoral research leading to a DPhil in Oncology.

The DPhil in Oncology is a 3 to 4 year full time programme, built around a specific research project. You will be admitted directly to a particular research area within a research group or laboratory led by a Principal Investigator, who will be formally appointed as your DPhil supervisor. A range of research projects are offered each year in subject areas covering the entire spectrum of oncology. Please review the list of DPhil projects available for entry in the 2024/25 academic year. 

You will have the opportunity to attend departmental seminars, as well as academic and professional skills training sessions developed specifically for postgraduate research students. The majority of your training will be hands on, either one-to-one or in small groups, in a laboratory environment as you learn the skills you need to address your specific research question.  At the end of your studies you will be assessed via submission of a written thesis of up to 50,000 words and a  viva voce  (oral examination) with two examiners.

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Study at NDM

Start your research career in the medical sciences at the Nuffield Department of Medicine . We offer a range of doctoral and taught Masters’ programmes, where you can learn from world-leading academics aiming to understand and respond to the health challenges of today and tomorrow.

If you have any questions about our programmes, the application process or what it's like to study at NDM, please contact Graduate Enquiries .

The Nuffield Department of Medicine is just as renowned for its work in basic sciences as more clinical or applied work. Much of its research is in understanding the most basic principles of biology and disease pathogenesis. A DPhil degree, which is the University of Oxford's equivalent of a PhD, is a full-time or part-time programme of study and research, based in Oxford or overseas, in one of a wide range of clinical disciplines and research topics.

This is a full-time one-year multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programme examining major challenges to the health of populations in resource-limited contexts. The course embraces the breadth and complexity of global health challenges facing resource-limited settings, and equips candidates with the tools and awareness to contribute to innovative solutions.

There is great potential for mathematical and economic modelling to help guide policy for national health systems and international policymaking. This is a full-time one-year taught programme that provides interdisciplinary content on modelling, health evidence to inform the modelling, and policy processes to inform decisions.

The application and integration of genomics in medicine will radically change the classification and understanding of disease and the design of clinical trials and vaccinology, as well as enabling faster and more accurate diagnosis, individualised therapies and drug discovery. This is a full-time, one-year multidisciplinary programme training students in the application and integration of genomics in medicine.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Global Health Research is a part-time taught programme, delivered entirely online over four terms (14 months). The course is designed for those involved in the funding, design, delivery or regulation of research in global health.

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Research Themes

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Getting to know you: IDRM DPhil students showcase their projects to researchers across the institute

In the spotlight: EDI speaker Richard Etienne

Career milestones: a leap from student to Doctor of Philosophy

Featured member of the month.

Meet Liliana (Lili) Som, a DPhil student in Nicola Smart's group. Lili studied Medical Biosciences at Imperial College London before joining the Smart lab to study the underlying relationship between changes in arterial smooth muscle cells and heart disease. 

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Doctoral: DPhil in HSM

Dphil in history of science and medicine.

The DPhil is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination. The thesis will be based on extensive original research and engagement with current scholarship. DPhil students are expected to submit their thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission. 

All research students in the Oxford History Faculty benefit from the advice of a specialist supervisor or supervisors, and all are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of expertise available within the Faculty and the University more widely.  

As a DPhil student, you will have many opportunities to present your work and to share ideas through the Faculty’s wide and varied range of research seminars. You are also encouraged to gain valuable experience by establishing and convening your own networks and workshops. DPhil students in the History Faculty may also gain experience in teaching and lecturing through the Introduction to Teaching scheme.

• DPhil in the History of Science and Medicine

Doctoral Funding

Alongside Arts and Humanities Research Council scholarships, applicants who submit by the January deadline will also be considered for Oxford Clarendon Scholarships , and applicants are also eligible to apply for Ertegun Scholarships in the Humanities .  Applicants may need to provide further details to be eligible for a number of specific scholarships for research degrees in History .  Wellcome Studentships are also available to applicants in the area of medical humanities.

Graduate admissions

We offer a unique experience to our graduate students, including the opportunity to work with leading academics and with world-class libraries, laboratories, museums and collections. This website is designed for those applying in 2023-24 for postgraduate study.

It's not too late to apply for entry in 2024-25

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Read advice from graduate students and staff before you apply

Read our guide to graduate courses accepting applications in 2023-24 for entry in 2024-25.

• Complete courses A-Z listing
• Departments offering graduate courses
• Part-time and online study

Fees and funding

Information on fees, living costs, scholarships and loans and advice on finding other funding.

• Oxford funding
• External funding
• Fees, funding and scholarship search

Applying to Oxford

Our detailed information will guide you through the graduate admissions process.

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• Graduate Entry Medicine: About the Course

Graduate Entry Medicine: Fees and Funding

Some aspects of the current funding scheme are subject to change, and the safest way to gain access to the most up-to-date information about fees is to check the University’s web site. Some general points may help you to understand the basic structure:

• for “home” students, the Oxford course costs about the same as most other UK graduate-entry medical courses;
• students with “home” status (defined in the graduate prospectus and University web site) pay lower fees than do overseas students; in addition, “home” students will (at the time of writing) usually have part of their fees for the final three years of the course paid for them by the Department of Health (through the NHS), and may also be eligible for student loans and NHS bursaries for these final three years: again, the University's web site will give full details of the loans and bursaries available.

The University's site is the definitive resource for questions about fees .

In addition to the fees, remember that you will have to find the cost of living (food, accommodation, etc.) for the four years of the course. The University currently suggests that you allow a budget of about £13,000 per year for living expenses ; many people feel that this is a very conservative figure. When budgeting for the course, you should also take into account the expenses you may incur in travelling to hospitals for residential attachments: the medical school has no funds to reimburse these expenses. (Transport to the one-day clinical teaching sessions in the first year is provided by the Medical School without charge.)

Please note that the fees are not fixed for the duration of the course and are likely to rise broadly in line with UK retail price inflation.

Internal funding opportunities

Bursaries, scholarships, hardship funding :

Oxford bursary . Bursary amount depends on annual household income (see link above for amount of funding based on household income). You will be contacted by the bursary team in mid-September if you are eligible.

Baber studentships & Dr Jacqueline White funds: hardship fund for Graduate Entry Medical Students. The primary criterion for the award of a bursary is financial need and priority will be given to students where this is demonstrated. However, decisions will also take into account relevant academic record. Once you start the GEM course, you will be contacted about applying for this award.

Oxford hardship fund . Students must have already started the course and demonstrate financial difficulties during the course.

• Students with Home fee status can be considered for a grant of up to £2,500.
• Students with Overseas/EU/Islands fee status can be considered for a grant of up to £6,000

College specific funding: Colleges offer different scholarships to their students and some have scholarships specifically for medical students. Many colleges also offer hardship funds as well as funds towards ancillary costs (such as for medical equipment and books).

• Green-Templeton
• Harris-Manchester
• St Catherine’s
• Somerville :

External funding opportunities

Bursaries :

NHS bursary . You can apply for an NHS bursary to support you in the 2-4th year of the GEM course. Depending on your eligibility, you can receive substantial support with both tuition and living expenses.

Scholarships :

Black Heart Foundation Scholarships . Awards are made on the basis of alignment with the aims of the Foundation and financial need.

Sir Richard Stapley Foundation . Awards are competitive and made on the basis of academic merit and financial need. Grants are normally from £500 to £1,300 in value. They are intended to cover the shortfall incurred by educational and subsistence expenses upon payment of tuition fees.

Foulkes foundation . The Foundation provides Fellowships to outstanding postdoctoral scientists in the form of financial support, giving exceptional scientists a unique opportunity to study medicine and become the research leaders of the future. Notable eligibility criteria: must have completed a PhD at the time of application

The Hilda Martindale Trust makes a very limited number of awards to British women who are training or studying for a career in a profession where women are under-represented. The maximum award is £3,000. Notable eligibility criteria: must be a female British national

Leathersellers' Student Grants . The Leathersellers’ Student Grants programme aims to support disadvantaged undergraduate students whose circumstances may prevent them achieving their goals otherwise. The maximum grant that may be awarded is £5,000 per year for up to four years, which will be reassessed annually. Notable eligibility criteria: must be a British citizen or non-British citizen with at least 5 years right to remain in the UK.

Rotary Club Scholarships . Offer-holders and current students can apply to their local club for support; please see the weblink for a search engine to find your local club.

Sidney Perry Foundation . Foundation provides supplemental grants to students, maximum grant being £1,000.

Royal Medical Benevolent Fund . The RMBF offers grants to assist with essential living expenses while studying. The amount of each grant is set according to an individual’s needs. The RMBF does not provide financial support towards tuition fees.

NHS hardship grant . A hardship grant is available for medical and dental students. You may be able to claim between £100 and £3,000, depending on your current financial circumstances.

Student Loans:

Student Finance England : Most GEM students are on a SFE loan. You can see if you are eligible and how much you could get.

The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund has some useful information about you can budget each year of the graduate entry course and how much support you can receive from SFE and NHS bursaries each year.

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