Non-Clinical PhD Studentships

Non-Clinical PhD Studentships is sponsored by Cancer Research UK Manchester Centre. These PhD studentships offer recent graduates or final year undergraduates the opportunity to explore a wide range of basic and discovery research in cancer, gaining skills and expertise for a career in cancer research.

Non-Clinical PhD Studentships - Cancer Research UK Manchester Centre Non-Clinical PhD Studentships Develop a career in cancer research through our fully-funded non-clinical studentships Home Study Research Opportunities Non-Clinical PhD Studentships What is a Non-Clinical PhD Studentship?

Our Non-Clinical PhD Studentships are open to recent graduates or final year undergraduates who have, or expect to achieve, a First or Upper Second-class honours degree in a relevant subject. A related Master’s degree is also an advantage. You’ll have the freedom to explore a wide range of opportunities in basic and discovery research and will gain the necessary skills and expertise to develop a career in world-leading cancer research.

Why do a Non-Clinical PhD Studentship? Graduate with a PhD in a cancer-relevant field Gain the skills, knowledge and expertise to develop your academic career Have your PhD tuition fees paid, along with an annual stipend to help with your living costs Receive mentorship and training from world-leading academic clinicians and cancer scientists Email us to find out more Find out more about our Non-Clinical PhD Studentships.

Our Non-Clinical PhD Studentships are usually funded for four years, with funding covering: University tuition fees university tuition fees (at the UK rate, with some scholarships available for high-performing EU/International candidates) An annual stipend of £22,113 per year to help with living costs Studentships are highly competitive and so we encourage you to contact any supervisors who you are interested in working with before applying for our Non- Clinical PhD Studentships.

The University of Manchester aims to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK. We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries to high-performing EU and international candidates, covering PhD fees only. Bursaries do not include financial support for visa/health surcharges.

We assessed each EU and international candidate’s suitability for a bursary at the application and interview stages. You must hold, or be about to achieve, a First or Upper Second-class honours degree in a relevant subject. A related Master’s degree is also an advantage.

Our studentships are highly interdisciplinary and we welcome applicants whose background isn’t necessarily in a scientific field but who have the ambition and motivation to develop a career in cancer-related research. International applicants (including EU nationals) must ensure they meet the academic eligibility criteria (including English Language) before contacting potential supervisors to express an interest in their project.

Eligibility information can be found on the University’s Country Specific information page. CV scoring forms part of our PhD interview process and will be conducted by panellists ahead of our interviews. We welcome CVs submitted in your own format but have provided general guidance for those new to submitting a CV.

This guidance is for clinical and non-clinical applicants, many of whom will be at very different career stages, e.g. clinical applicants tend to apply for our PhDs at a later career stage. You should not be put off from applying if you are unable to provide all of the information below. CVs should be typed and submitted as a PDF document.

They should not usually be longer than two pages maximum (Non-Clinical applicants) and four to five pages maximum (Clinical applicants). They should be laid out clearly for the reader so that they are easy to read. It is conventional to have your name in large letters at the top followed by contact details but don’t allow these to take up too much space on the page.

Education – include the start/end dates of any degrees, along with the name of institution, title of any research projects/name(s) of supervisors if relevant – list these in reverse chronological order, e.g. the most recent first. Include start/end dates, title and level of qualification, institution and grades. Clinical speciality and current clinical training level (if applicable) – for clinical applicants only.

Employment – provide your career history relevant to this role , e.g. any posts with transferable experience relevant to your PhD application, including career breaks if you wish to provide this information and relevant dates, job titles and employers. Technical skills – you should list your relevant technical skills. You can include IT skills as well as laboratory skills, for example.

Training – provide details of any training you have attended/undertaken relevant to doing a PhD. Awards and prizes – list any prizes you have won for academic merit, again in reverse chronological order. If the prize will not be understood by the reader give a brief explanation, e.g. ‘awarded for the highest mark in the year’.

Publications – most candidates will probably not have publications. However, if you do have these, present them as you would expect to see them cited in an article with the most recent first. They should then always be in reverse chronological order, e.g. with the most recent first.

You can also note anything that speaks to the impact of the publication, for example, being selected for the cover of the journal or for a highlight article. It should be clear where the article is in the publication process, for example, ‘submitted, ‘under review’, ‘accepted for publication’. Current and recent research funding – most candidates will probably not have received funding previously.

If you have, list the most recent first, including the name of the funder, name(s) of grant holder(s), title of the project, total amount awarded (and how much of this you received), your role in the project, and the start and end dates. Explain your role in getting the funding. For example, whether you held them in your own right as lead applicant, co-applicant, or as part of a group.

This could also relate to funding awards gained during work with university societies, as an undergraduate student etc. Reference details will be requested elsewhere on your application and you do not need to include these on your CV. Virtual PhD Taster Session - 30th October 2025 If you missed our Virtual PhD Taster Session on 30th October 2025, watch the recording now on the MCRC YouTube channel .

Meet Melville Nyatondo, a first year Non-Clinical PhD student. She spoke to us about her journey to studying a PhD, her research focus and her advice for other people considering applying for a PhD Meet Melanie Seaton, a Non-Clinical PhD student. In her PhD project, she’s developing cellular micromotors to improve ovarian cancer management.

Email a Current Non-Clinical Student Want to know more about our Non-Clinical Studentships? Melville Nyatondo is a Non-Clinical student and is on hand to answer any questions you may have. Our MB-PhD studentship allows aspiring clinical scientists and academics to undertake medical degree training in tandem with the research expertise of a PhD in Cancer Sciences.

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