Postgraduate research funding opportunities

Find available funding opportunities for postgraduate research applicants to the School of GeoSciences.
We are continuously updating funding/scholarship opportunities for the academic year 2025/26. Please check regularly for updates and new funded projects.

Project search

You can search for projects under physical sciences or social sciences:


In order to attract the best and brightest PhD students, the University seeks to offer not only unparalleled research facilities and superb supervision, but also to provide development opportunities which will support our research students as they progress beyond their PhD, through an exciting scholarship scheme. 

The School of GeoSciences will offer 3 Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships (EDCS) for students starting their PhD programme in the academic year 2027/28. 

The School of GeoSciences holds a strong commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and welcomes applicants from Widening Participation and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. UK law recognises nine protected characteristics: race, gender, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability (including forms of neurodiversity), religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, and pregnancy and maternity. The School of GeoSciences is committed to challenging discrimination based on these characteristics, as well as other factors that can marginalise individuals, such as refugee status, being a single parent, or being the first in one's family to attend university. 

 

Value 

Each scholarship covers the University tuition fee (Home or International students), as well as a stipend equivalent to the UKRI stipend rate (£21,805 for 2026/27), plus a £3,000 Research Training and Support Grant. Scholarships are awarded for 3,5 years. Candidates are responsible for covering immigration and relocation expenses as these are not included in the scholarship. 

 

Deadlines 

Please read the following guidance carefully. Ensure that both steps are completed in order to be considered for the scholarship: 

  • Step 1 (Programme application): Thursday 14 January 2027 at 23:59 (GMT) 
  • Step 2 (Scholarships portal application): Monday 25 January 2027 at 23:59 (GMT) 

  

Before applying 

  • Review guidance on the University of Edinburgh Scholarships and Funding page here. 
  • Contact potential PhD supervisors at the School of GeoSciences, as soon as possible to discuss your proposal. Applications that are not supported by a supervisor will not be considered. You will be asked to provide name(s) of supervisor(s) in your programme application, so please ensure that you are in communication with one or more supervisors and they have agreed to support your application.  
  • Prepare both programme and scholarship applications. Due to the complexities of submitting two separate applications, it is advisable that you familiarise yourselves with the relevant guidance and address any issues with us well in advance of the application. 

Application Process 

There is a two-step application process, and both steps must be completed within required timelines, in order for applicants to be considered. Please note deadlines for programme and scholarship applications differ from the deadlines generated automatically by the application portal, when submitting your programme application. 

  

Step 1 - Programme application 

Deadline: Thursday 14 January 2027 at 23:59 (GMT) ***OPENING SOON*** 

Submit a PhD application for September/October 2027 start date through the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder (see below for application links): 

 

Institute   

PhD 

Global Change Research Institute 

Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (PhD) 

Earth and Planetary Science Research Institute  

Geology and Geophysics (PhD) 

Research Institute for Geography and the Lived Environment 

Human Geography and Environmental Sciences (PhD) 

We will only consider completed applications. 

 

Required documents 

- Academic transcripts: include degree certificates and transcripts for completed undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies along with certified translations of documents that are not issued in English. For ongoing studies, upload interim transcripts or matriculation certificates. 

- Research proposal: a detailed description of the intended research topic. It should consist of an overview, including research question(s) and the overall aim of your project, the context of the research, i.e. where it is situated within the relevant literature(s), methodology, an indication of ethical issues associated with the proposal, and an explanation for your choice of supervisor(s). The main body of the research proposal (excluding the bibliography) must not exceed 1,500 words. Use at least 11-point font and 2cm margins. Include Harvard style references on a separate page, and a provisional timetable for the proposed research. It is your responsibility to submit a research proposal that meets these requirements; proposals not meeting the outlined criteria might not be considered. 

- CV: please provide an updated academic CV. 

- Two academic references: Submit within ten working days of the programme application and no later than 25 January 2027. If you are expecting delays, please contact the School of GeoSciences PGR Office -pgrsupport.geos@ed.ac.uk  

Important notes 

  • Please read our general application guidance web page: Application Guidance. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. 
  • Applicants to multiple funding schemes (e.g., SGSSS DTP, E5 DTP) who wish to be considered for EDCS must follow the EDCS application guidelines and submit their research proposal in the specified format. If applying to multiple funding schemes, please ensure that "EDCS" is included in the title of the research proposal you want considered for EDCS when you upload it as part of your EUCLID programme application. Both steps (submission of both the programme and scholarship applications) must be completed for you to be considered for an EDCS scholarship. 

Not eligible to apply 

  • Candidates starting at a different time. 
  • Current PhD students. 
  • Supervisor-led projects. 

  

Step 2 - Scholarship application 

Deadline: Monday 25 January 2027 at 23:59 (GMT) ***OPENING SOON*** 

Submit a separate application via the scholarship portal. The scholarship application portal is now open.  

The scholarship application form will become accessible via your EUCLID Applicant Hub after you submit your PhD application and receive your login credentials (UUN and EASE password). Please note it can take five working days (or more during peak admissions times) for all system checks to be completed and for applicants to receive credentials and then be allowed to access the scholarship application portal. Therefore, candidates are advised to complete their programme application well in advance of the deadline.  

You will find guidance on the following University page: Applying for a scholarship as a Postgraduate Applicant 

  

Application statement 

As part of your scholarship application, you will be asked to provide an application statement, which should highlight your research journey: 

  • Outline your research journey: provide a summary of why you are ready to undertake a PhD now and how you will flourish as a result of PhD funding. You might include how you overcame personal challenges, and details about achievements and experience, etc. You may wish to include information about any barriers you have faced, whether educational, social, financial, or medical, and how these experiences have influenced your motivation or pathway into research (450 words max). 
  • Outline how you see yourself contributing to the PhD community and how you will support diversity and inclusion (250 words max). 

Note: The Personal Statement field in the Scholarships portal allows 4000 characters in total. Please ensure your answers fit within the suggested guidelines. 

  

Selection process and timelines 

A selection panel of academic colleagues from the School of GeoSciences will shortlist candidates based on SGSSS scoring framework to assess applications. 

  • Interviews will be held online around mid to end of March 2027. 
  • Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by the end of April 2026 via their Applicant Hub. 

  

Contact Information 

For more information or assistance on the programme application process, please contact the School of GeoSciences PGR Office -pgrsupport.geos@ed.ac.uk  

If you have any queries about your scholarship application, please contact the 'Scholarships and Student Funding Services' team -scholarships@ed.ac.uk  

If you experience technical difficulties when using the 'Scholarship application' software, please contact the Student Systems team -studentsystems@ed.ac.uk  

 

The University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or withdraw any of the advertised scholarships, without further notice.


The School of Geosciences leads the E5 DTP which is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and is hosted at the University of Edinburgh. The E5 DTP brings together a number of partners from all the Schools from The College of Science and Engineering, National Capabilities, Centres of Excellence and external partners in the policy, industry and society sectors.

The city of Edinburgh and its surrounding regions have one of the highest concentrations of NERC-remit research in the United Kingdom; it is home to the University of Edinburgh as well as the offices of large independent research organisations and partners such as the Centre for Hydrology and Ecology, the British Geological Survey, Scotland’s Rural College, the National Museum of Scotland, and Forest Research. Other partners at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre are all within easy reach, and there is a vibrant ecosystem of government, charity, and private businesses working in and around Edinburgh that are part of the E5 DTP partnership. 

Altogether, there are several hundred specialists across all areas of NERC’s research remit working with us who can collaborate in PhD training and supervision. Our available projects span a diverse range of research topics, while we also welcome self-proposed PhD projects that build upon our extensive academic and industry partnerships.

The E5 DTP offers a fully funded four-year studentship, which provides a stipend (set at UKRI rate), tuition fees and research costs of £3450. Students will also undertake a three-month Professional Internship Placement (PIP), which forms a part of the E5 DTP studentship.

 

Application deadline: 6th December 2026, 12 noon GMT

Before applying: 

Once applications open, you can explore a wide range of Supervisor-led PhD projects across diverse research themes, or propose your own project idea with the Student-led route.  

Before applying, it's important to contact prospective supervisors to discuss the project, learn more about their research, and gain an understanding of the research culture in their group.  This will help ensure the supervision style, expectation and working environment are a good fit for your interests, experience and approach to research.  Choosing a project and supervisor that match your needs and working style is key to having a positive and successful PhD.   

Submitting your application:

Once applications open, you will be able to submit your application through the E5 DTP portal, which is used to manage the application and selection process. You can create your account in advance, giving you plenty of time to prepare your application. Once your account has been created, you can upload your supporting documents at any time before submitting your application, provided that everything is completed before the closing date.

  • Supervisor led projects:  click “Apply for this project" on the project listing on our website.   
  • Student led projects – once your proposed project has been approved, the Admissions team will provide you with a personal link to upload your application. 

Applications must be fully submitted by the closing date.  Any application not submitted by the deadline or incomplete applications will not be considered under any circumstances, so please plan ahead. 

You may submit only one application (either supervisor-led or student-led).  Multiple applications will not be considered and rejected.  

Interview dates: 

In person- Edinburgh, Kings Buildings campus: 22nd & 23rd February 2027

Online (for applicants outside of the UK): 24th February 2027

All invitations to interviews will be sent out from the 1st February 2027. 

 
For more information, see our website E5 DTP or join us at one of our online Information and Q & A sessions:

The first E5 DTP Online Application information session:  21 October 2026 

The University of Edinburgh Online Open Day – E5 session - November 2026 (Date TBC) 
 

Further details about the session and how to register will be available soon. 

You can register here for the E5 DTP Online Application information session in October.


The University of Edinburgh is a member institution of the Scotland-wide Graduate School of Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (SGSSS DTP), which is funded and accredited by the Social and Economic Research Council (ESRC). The DTP provides world-class postgraduate research and training in the social sciences across a wide range of disciplines, known as “Units of Assessment”.

 Deadlines

Stage 1 (Programme application): Thursday 19 November 2026 at 23:59 

Stage 2 (SGSSS funding application): Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 17:00 

Before applying

Contact and seek advice from the relevant Unit of Assessment Lead and a potential PhD supervisor at the Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh as soon as possible to discuss your proposal and your interest in the ESRC awards. 

We also recommend that you check the scholarship information and ESRC eligibility criteria here and view all of the helpful applicant information videos on the SGSSS website here. You must also register to the SGSSS Apply system.

Please take the time to go through the application template, guidance and marking framework - applicants who do not contact supervisors to discuss their applications prior to applying will be rejected. 

Application process

There is an initial two stage application process and both stages must be completed in order to be considered for the student-led SGSSS open competition in the School of GeoSciences. 

 

Stage 1 – Programme Application *** Applications open early October 2026***

Submit an application including academic transcripts, academic statement and research proposal as per guidance below, CV and referee details to the PhD Human Geography and Environment Sciences programmee (see link below) by Thursday 19 November 2026 at 23:59. Please ensure that you clearly state your interest in the ESRC funding in your application.

Apply for a Human Geography and Environmental Sciences PhD 

You can find a detailed step-by-step guide to applying for a research degree below

PhD Application process – School of GeoSciences

Please review the relevant guidelines for information that should be included in your research proposal.

Additional guidelines for SGSSS DTP applicants

If you are applying for the SGSSS funding, please include the following information into your research proposal; specific requirements outlined below should be met. Please upload this information in the “Research Proposal” field of your EUCLID application. You can upload multiple items to this field.

  1.  Academic Statement:

    Outline your research journey: provide a summary of why you are ready to undertake a PhD now and how you will flourish as a result of PhD funding. You might include how you overcame personal challenges, achievements, experiences, etc (400 words max).

    Outline how you see yourself contributing to the PhD community and how you will support diversity and inclusion (250 words max).

  1.  Research proposal:

    The research proposal must be a detailed description of the intended research topic. It should include an overview, including research question(s) and the overall aim of your project, the context of the research, i.e. where it is situated within the relevant literature(s), methodology and an indication of ethical issues associated with the proposal. The main body of the research proposal (excluding the bibliography) must not exceed 1,500 words.

  1. Bibliography:

Include references referred to in the research proposal (Harvard style).

  1. Provisional timetable:

 Provide an indicative timetable for your research, which should fit for 3 years for a full-time PhD.

  1.  Pathway:

 State which SGSSS challenge-led pathway fits to your research most closely. You can provide up to 3 options. If you think your research does not fit into any of the pathways, state this as well.

Note: 

  • Depending on applicant experience, the award can be offered as MSc plus PhD (1+3.5). For further guidance contact the relevant Unit of Assessment lead.
Stage 2 - (SGSSS funding application) ***Portal open for applications***

All applicants must also submit a complete funding application to include academic transcripts, CV and referee details to the SGSSS via the Apply system by Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 17:00.For any issues with the system, please contact SGSSS at team@sgsss.ac.uk.

You will need to submit a programme application and a funding application in order for us to be able to consider you for these scholarships. Due to the complexities of submitting two separate applications to two different systems, it is advisable that you familiarise yourselves with the relevant application guidance and address any issues with us well in advance of the application deadlines.

 

Online Information Sessions

SGSSS Applicant Webinar
30 September 2026 12pm BST
Teams link 
Meeting ID: 365 832 286 263 014
Passcode: hf3pW7qY

University of Edinburgh Online Information Session – 7th October 2026 10am BST  

The Dean of Postgraduate Research is hosting a 1 hour online information session about the SGSSS Open PhD competition for prospective applicants. Please join this link for the start time of 10am. 

https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/8db5a5592dcf4ec98242a6fd24d9a3f5

SGSSS Drop-in Session 6 November 2026 12pm BST
Teams link
Passcode: jA9zB9mb

 

Contact information

Unit of Assessment lead – School of GeoSciences:  

Dr Hamish Kallin, Lecturer in Human Geography (from January 2025) 

PGR Office – School of GeoSciences: pgrsupport.geos@ed.ac.uk 

Important links:

SGSSS funding application guidance

Scottish Graduate School of Social Science studentships


Carnegie PhD Scholarships - CLOSED

The Carnegie Trust offers a number of scholarships each year to academically outstanding candidates who hold a First Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish University and intend to study on a PhD programme at any University in Scotland.

The deadline for application to the Scholarship is 24 January 2023 - please note that if you submit your PhD application after 14 January 2023 we cannot guarantee that you will be able to access the scholarship application form on time

 

Carnegie PhD Scholarships

Commonwealth Master and PhD Scholarships

Commonwealth Scholarships for Master’s and PhD study in the UK are offered for citizens of developing Commonwealth countries.

Commonwealth Scholarships

China Scholarship Council

The School of GeoSciences no longer participates in the China Scholarships Council PhD funding scheme. 

 

Other opportunities

The University Scholarships and Students Funding Services provide a handy Scholarship Search tool and further information on funding opportunities for prospective postgraduate students.

Postgraduate loans

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate course. There are different options available for students from different parts of the UK.

 


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