Synthetic Biology

The EPSRC and BBSRC Synthetic Biology Centre for Doctoral Training (SynBioCDT) is a four-year doctoral programme that offers training in the new field of synthetic biology, the ‘engineering of biology’. This centre is a collaboration between the universities of Oxford, Bristol and Warwick. Applications are encouraged from students with a wide range of academic backgrounds, including engineering, biology, biochemistry, physics, plant sciences, chemistry, statistics, mathematics and computing.

Graduate destinations

The Synthetic Biology CDT will produce internationally excellent researchers with key skills desired by prospective employers in the nascent field of synthetic biology.

Students graduating from the CDT will be ideally placed to progress into many different scientific careers, including multidisciplinary research in both academia and industry.

This doctoral training programme combines the fundamental understanding of biological systems with the principles of engineering, so as to create the next generation of industrial and academic leaders in this nascent field. The CDT focuses on the design and engineering of biologically based parts, novel devices and systems, as well as the redesign of existing natural biological systems across all scales for molecules to organisms.

SynBioCDT builds on the multidisciplinary expertise offered by the research environment at the Universities of Oxford, Bristol and Warwick to provide training to cover all aspects of this extremely broad remit, including not only individual cells, but also self-assembled biomimetic systems, engineered microbial communities and multicellular organisms.

The training programme has been created in partnership with industrial, academic and public-facing organisations and includes responsible innovation, transferrable skills and outreach activities. SynBioCDT will endow you with the necessary skills to fulfil the potential of synthetic biology and to have a strong impact in this area.

The first seven months of the course are devoted to acquiring advanced theoretical and technical skills that form the backbone of synthetic biology, drawing from the engineering, mathematical, physical, chemical and biological sciences through a combination of intensive lecture courses and project work. Each taught module lasts for either one, two or three weeks and is assessed using a method appropriate to the course, for example, presentations, group assignments or assessed written work. This will be complemented with relevant research and communication skills training throughout the four years of the programme.

After completion of the taught training phase, two exploratory research projects of eleven weeks' duration each are undertaken, at least one of which will be in the institution to which the candidate is admitted (Oxford, Warwick or Bristol). The DPhil project then follows, also based primarily in the host institution.

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in physical sciences (eg engineering, physics, plant sciences, chemistry, statistics, mathematics, computing) or life sciences (eg biology, biochemistry) with the capacity to develop strong mathematical skills. 

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.

If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your qualifications match these requirements, you can contact the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC).

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Statement of purpose/personal statement:1,000 words
• References/letters of recommendation:Three overall, generally academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Higher level

• Global Education
• Hill Foundation Scholarships