PhD and Postgraduate Research

The School offers the opportunity to study for a research degree in any of the areas of interest of our staff members.

Two students walking outside the Postgraduate Statistics Centre

We offer several fully-funded PhD studentships on the following PhD programmes in the School.

Lancaster is also home to the Statistics and Operational Research Centre (STOR-i) and is a participant in the and the . Details on these programmes, and how to apply, can be found on their respective websites.

Regardless of your preferred programme, the conventional entry point is at the start of the academic year in October. We recommend that you apply 6-12 months in advance of this to maximise your chance of being offered a place and funding.

Who we are

We are a highly active research School, achieving 7th place overall and 1st for impact in REF2021. Our research is regularly published in top international academic journals and many members of the School have been successful in obtaining research grant income from highly competitive funding bodies.

Our research interests cover Pure Mathematics, Statistics and Mathematics for AI in Real-world Systems. The web pages for each of these areas provide specific details of research interests and activities, and we encourage you to use these pages to identify which of our research topics interest you. A good starting point is to look at the research groups, which reflect broad areas of interest. Once you have narrowed down your interests, we suggest that you get in touch with potential supervisors using the PhD Supervisors list.

Student research environment

For many people, their PhD studies will be the first time that they undertake independent research and supporting the transition from taught programme to trainee researcher to fully independent researcher is integral to our PhD programmes. Our graduates are equipped with highly specialist subject knowledge and skills, but also the broader set of research skills which are essential to any research-led career pathway, whether in industry or academia. As well as regular contact with your supervisor, who will be your main point of contact and academic support, you will be given the opportunity to further your subject knowledge and awareness by engaging in research activities in the School and wider university. We strongly encourage our students to develop peer support mechanisms, through shared offices, student-only seminars and social activities.

How to Apply

  • Entry date: our academic year starts in October and most students enter at this time. Entry in January or April is also possible. Applications are considered throughout the year, but there are deadlines for funding decisions (see below).
  • Timeline: Applications for entry in October of the following year are normally considered between October and May.
  • Categories of candidates: Different studentships have different eligibility criteria but broadly cover 3 categories: UK students, UK/EU students and Overseas (non-EU) students. All eligible applicants are automatically considered for available studentships.
  • Studentships deadline: Due to high demand for studentships we have a deadline of 31st January. All applications received by this date will receive equal consideration. Applications received after this deadline will be considered for any remaining studentships. Final studentships decisions are usually made by April but please feel free to contact us to find out whether studentships are still available.

There are additional special funding routes available in Applied Maths and AI, and Statistics which have their own deadlines. Please visit the websites of the Mathematics for AI in Real-world Systems centre, , and for more information.

The most important considerations when choosing to study for a PhD or MPhil are the project and supervisor. For this reason, we require all applicants to discuss research projects with potential supervisors. Whilst we welcome proposals for research projects from applicants, most research projects are developed by academics taking into consideration applicants’ strengths and knowledge. We suggest mentioning the name of your prospective supervisor in your personal statement.

At the bottom of this page, you can see a sample of possible projects offered by our staff, but please note that this list is only indicative and is not exhaustive. You should contact members of staff directly for more details. You might also wish to look at our research pages, to learn more about our specialisms.

Application Process

  1. Identify and contact the prospective supervisor.
  2. Complete an online application.
  3. After an initial screening, all applicants who are under consideration for an offer will be invited to a half-hour online interview with a small panel of academic members of the Department.
  4. Following the interviews, the Postgraduate Research Committee will decide which applicants will be offered a place.

Applicants who are eligible for UK studentship funding: the departmental studentships are awarded according to a competitive process. Allocation is made by the Postgraduate Research Committee at the meeting at which offers of places are decided.

Applicants who are not eligible for UK studentship funding: will also be invited for an interview. If you are successful in being offered a place, this will be made conditional on you obtaining funding from elsewhere.

Note that occasionally studentships are tied to a specific project. In these cases, candidates should follow the application instructions provided on the project advert.

All applicants for postgraduate study in the School of Mathematical Sciences need to complete an online application via the University .

Once you have created an account at our Postgraduate Admissions Portal you will be able to fill in your personal details, background and upload supporting documentation.

Current Lancaster Students

If you are a current Lancaster student, or you have recently graduated from Lancaster, and are made an offer, you will only need to provide one reference.

What to include

  • Postgraduate application form, available once you have created an account in the online portal and selected your mode of study.
  • Two references – you should include at least one academic referee who can comment on your academic quality, performance and potential to pursue independent research.
  • Transcripts of previous higher education degrees or other courses that you have completed or for which you are currently studying. Please note, for transcripts in languages other than English, a certified English translation will be required.
  • A detailed CV (up to 3 pages) – this should cover academic achievements, past projects and any employment history.
  • Personal statement (up to 2 pages) – you should include information on your research interests, relevant experiences and the subject area that you would like to work in, and if possible, the name of the supervisor(s) you would like to work with.
  • If English is not your first language, proof of English language competency is required.
    • IELTS is the recommended test but we consider tests from other providers; please refer to the university's information on . If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team for clarification.
    • Our requirements for IELTS are an overall score of at least 6.5, with no individual element below 6.0. If your score is below our requirements but all individual elements are at least 5.5, we may consider you for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Please note that the Department does not require applicants to submit a research proposal. This is optional, but if an applicant would like further guidance on this issue, please contact the relevant PhD admissions tutor with the subject line your intended programme (e.g. PhD Mathematics or PhD Statistics etc.).

Research Areas

With 100% of our research being rated world-leading or internationally excellent (REF2021), Lancaster is one of the UK's top departments for research in mathematical sciences.

Studentships and Funding

As a postgraduate research student, you can be funded from several different sources:

  • Research Council Studentships: full payment of tuition fees plus a stipend for living expenses are available for prospective students via the UKRI. As of 2021/2022, these studentships are now also available to international students. Please note that the University is limited to offering a maximum of 30% of these studentships to international students.
  • Department Studentships: normally full payment of tuition fees (at UK/EU level) plus a stipend for living expenses. No restrictions on applicants, unless specified, but overseas applicants would need to pay the difference in fees.
  • ESRC Studentship competition: The North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) holds an annual , which can be used for study towards a PhD in Statistics or Social Statistics. The NWSSDTP is a collaboration between Lancaster, Manchester and Liverpool universities. Candidates may apply for funding towards master's and doctoral (1+3/2+2) study, or doctoral study only (+3/+2). If you are interested, you must contact the department with a PhD proposal and find a supervisor who can work with you towards making an application.
  • Studentships funded by industry and other external sources: normally full payment of tuition fees (at UK/EU level) plus a stipend for living expenses. No restrictions on applicants, unless specified but overseas applicants would need to pay the difference in fees.

Details of currently advertised funded PhD studentships are given below. You are strongly encouraged to contact the prospective supervisor before making an application.

Note that the majority of funding opportunities for October entry in any given year close before March of that year.

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Self-Funded Opportunities

The School also considers applications from self-funded students. Please contact the PhD admissions team - Dr David Pauksztello (pure mathematics) and Dr Lloyd Chapman (statistics) - to discuss this possibility.

PhD Supervisors

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