Some projects are funded through research grants held by faculty members, and these will be advertised on the departmental website as and when they become available. PhD positions funded through research grants may be available to overseas students in exceptional cases.

Other projects are eligible for funding through scholarships offered through the College or through Centres for Doctoral Training that the department participates in. The Centres offer topic-specific education and training. See further information about the availability, deadlines and eligibility criteria of all scholarships as well as lists of projects that qualify for the main scholarships.

Not all potential PhD projects listed on the website have funding associated with them, and we also welcome applications from students who have secured their own scholarship funding.

Regardless of the source of funding, interested students should begin the application process by contacting a faculty member to discuss the potential research topic. 

Online applications should only be submitted after the potential academic supervisor has expressed sufficient interest in your application.

As we are a multidisciplinary department, we do not require applicants to necessarily hold an undergraduate degree in the Earth sciences. Applicants should hold an undergraduate degree in a field appropriate to the intended area of PhD research, with a classification of at least upper-second-class, or the equivalent.

The department admits about 40 PhD students each year. A full-time PhD at Imperial will normally take 3-4 years.