HDR UK-Turing Wellcome PhD Programme in Health Data Science

HDR UK-Turing Wellcome PhD Programme in Health Data Science is sponsored by Wellcome Trust. Provides in-depth training for future leaders in health data research, a collaboration between HDR UK, the Alan Turing Institute, and UK universities.

HDR UK-Turing Wellcome PhD Programme in Health Data Science - HDR UK What this unique PhD programme offers our students Four-year programme: An initial foundation year allows students to gain real experience and insight into health data research. Research that makes a difference: The three-year doctoral research projects undertaken by our students are designed to make a genuine contribution to advancing health and care.

Hosted by leading universities: Our host universities are among the very best in health data research. Nurturing each student: Our programme aims to identify the particular abilities and interests of each student, and gear their PhD experience to effectively develop them. Leadership Programme: Students benefit from a bespoke expert-led programme to develop the skills they need to understand, collaborate and influence others.

Generous funding: Students have their tuition fees (UK Home rate), college fees (where applicable), research expenses and travel costs paid and receive an enhanced, tax-free stipend with increases every year.

(Y1 outside London: £23,955, Y1 in London: £25,954) Building networks and experience: We actively support students in building networks and contacts in academia, the NHS and industry as well as taking internships and other opportunities to gain real-world experience. This includes a post-PhD bursary to support your next career step.

Team spirit: Strong relationships are built between our entire cohort of students through joint activities that build a genuine team spirit. Personal support: Each student has their own Director of Studies who is an additional point of contact during their time with us. All students are also further supported by the PhD team.

“The PhD programme has enabled me to gain first-hand experience in modern health data science approaches. It’s a truly unrivalled opportunity. ” Steven Wambua We are no longer recruiting for this programme for 2025 and beyond.

The four-year programme is divided in two. There is an initial Foundation Year followed by a three-year research project. The first year combines the best in university-based training with HDR UK-led national activities.

And we support students to produce game-changing research plans and their projects are backed by substantial research funding. 3-5 day immersion events allow students to gain insight into the work of HDR UK, and our academic, clinical and industry partners. Courses may be residential (expenses provided) with up to a week away from their home university or online.

Students undertake an intensive deep dive into an important area of health data science. Immersion topics include risk prediction, oncology, clinical trials, epidemiology and bioinformatics. Past immersion weeks have been hosted by the Universities of Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford and University College London and the European Bioinformatics Institute.

The immersion events encourage students to work together and stimulate new interactions: The Different Facets of Data PhD research projects can be linked to The Institute’s: Students operate as a national cohort and work collaboratively with others, overcoming traditional institutional silos.

Students are registered with a partner university but can draw on academic expertise from across the HDR UK network and are supported to formulate research activities that bring together experts from across the UK. You can contact us at phd@hdruk. ac.

uk or phone (+44 (0)770 847 8846). For details of how we process applicants’ data see PhD Applicant Privacy Notice . Students have access to graduate-level courses and research project rotation in their university to introduce them to different areas of health data science and enable them to develop a bespoke research project under the guidance of our expert university leads.

Regular workshops and short courses introduce students to the work of HDR UK experts across our hubs, themes and priority areas and to external organisations. Past contributors have included NHSX, IQVIA and AstraZeneca. Immersion and workshop events allow students to better understand the wider health and social care landscape and accelerate their potential to become sector leaders.

They also enable students to develop more ambitious PhD research projects by stimulating collaboration with external academics, industry-based organisations, or by using national data infrastructure. Training is provided by academic, industry and NHS experts to promote personal and professional development in leadership capability, cross-sector collaborative skills and inter-disciplinary working.

In particular, HDR UK is committed to working with public and patients to build increased trust in health data research as well as designing solutions focused on improving patient outcomes and experience. Students will develop communication and collaborative skills to help put them at the forefront of this mission.

At the end of the Foundation Year students design a bespoke three-year research project and a multi-disciplinary supervision team based on their training experiences. Research proposals will be rigorously reviewed by expert academics and public-patient representatives to ensure they are of the highest standards in terms of ambition, scientific methodology and impact on patient outcomes.

The research will be carried out at their home university and could be linked to HDR UK research priorities , research hubs or partnerships . During years 2-4 of the programme students benefit from our expert-led Leadership Programme to help develop the skills they need to understand, collaborate and influence others in order to deliver significant advances in health and care.

This includes short immersions plus longer practical real-world projects with businesses and other organisations at the cutting edge of everything from medical devices, to life sciences, to vaccines. Students also learn about leadership theory and attend specially-convened seminars from senior figures in relevant areas of healthcare.

Networks and experience: Students will be actively supported in building networks and contacts in academia, the NHS and industry as well as taking internships and other opportunities to gain real-world experience. Team working: Students operate as a national cohort, building strong relationships through joint activities and overcoming traditional institutional silos.

Workshops: Regular workshops and short courses introduce the work of HDR UK experts and to Immersion events: These allow students to better understand the wider health and social care landscape and accelerate students’ potential to become a sector leader. They also enable them to develop an ambitious PhD research project.

Researcher development: Training is provided by academic, industry and NHS experts to promote personal and professional development in cross-sector collaborative skills, communication and inter-disciplinary working.

“Our Leadership Programme will give PhD students the chance to develop the practical skills they need to bring people together to use health data science to deliver much-needed innovations and advances in health and care,” Professor Peter Bannister Programme partners include NHS Digital, AstraZeneca, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and University Hospitals Birmingham.

More broadly it will work with winners of the NHSX AI Innovation Award , which funds and supports promising artificial intelligence technologies in health and care. There will also be opportunities with businesses on the DTI listed top 100 digital health innovators which are using big data for healthcare innovation.

Take a look at our other training opportunities Master’s Degree Scholarships We offer 8 annual Master’s degree scholarships worth £10,000 for students with an interest in dementia or diabetes research. Undergraduate Summer Internship in Health Data Research The HDR UK-Wellcome Biomedical Vacation Scholarship programme offers invaluable practical experience for undergraduates.

Join the HDR UK Alumni Network HDR UK’s online Alumni Network brings together the amazing people who have been part of our training and education programmes.

Queen’s University Belfast - - - - Meet our PhD students Our PhD students come from a wide range of backgrounds - discover who they are and what their experiences have been as part of the PhD programme Meet the PhD Programme team Director, HDRUK-Turing Wellcome PhD Programme in Health Data Science, Co-Lead for the Capacity Building Programme Associate Director of the HDRUK-Turing Wellcome PhD Associate Director of the HDR UK-Turing Wellcome PhD Programme in Health Data Science Programme Director for Capacity Building Academic Recruitment Officer Student and Academic Recruitment Manager Our wider team consists of leading experts in disciplines including theoretical physics, computer science, mathematics and statistics, applied mathematics and biochemistry.

Miguel Bernabeu – University of Edinburgh Ioanna Manolopoulou – University College London Niels Peek – University of Manchester Iain Styles – Queen’s University Belfast Paul Taylor – University College London Catalina Vallejos – University of Edinburgh Angela Wood – University of Cambridge Tom Nichols – University of Oxford Magnus Rattray – University of Manchester