Applications are now open for the University of Manchester fully funded 2026/27 Bicentenary PhD Studentships and Fellowships

Ednah Carrick October 31, 2025

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Closing Date: 14 November 2025

Applications are now open for the University of Manchester fully funded 2026/27 Bicentenary PhD Studentships and Fellowships

University of Manchester is investing in early career researchers, in partnership with philanthropic support – to develop the next generation of research leaders.

Bicentenary PhD Studentships and Fellowships

University of Manchester is celebrating over 200 years of achievement in research-driven learning, development and innovation with its prestigious Bicentenary PhD Studentships and Fellowships.

This new £28 million initiative represents a major investment from the University to recruit and fund more than 200 early career researchers between 2025/26 and 2026/27, in partnership with philanthropic support. As a Bicentenary Postgraduate Researcher or Research Fellow, you’ll contribute to the ongoing success of University of Manchester and the next two centuries of research excellence.

Key themes

University of Manchester particularly welcome approaches that foster interdisciplinary research (a priority within its strategic plan) and build on its strengths to address major challenges across key themes:

Digital and AI (including robotics)
Environment and climate change
Health inequalities
Creative industries
Open theme

Why Manchester?

University of Manchester is a world-leading university (ranked 35th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2026).
1st in Europe and 2nd in the world for social and environmental impact (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings).
26 Nobel Prize winners among its current and former staff and students.
93% of its research activity assessed as ‘world-leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*) (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

Researcher development

Manchester is one of the best places in the country to establish and develop your research career. University of Manchester is a global powerhouse of discovery and innovation, offer an unrivalled level of interdisciplinary research, and its research environment achieved a result of 99% ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’ in the last Research Excellence Framework (2021).

Postgraduate researchers

University of Manchester postgraduate researchers are the lifeblood of its research community, fostering research excellence in a creative, ambitious and supportive environment.

As part of the Manchester Doctoral College (MDC) community, you’ll benefit from being at the forefront of your field, with extensive development programmes and facilities designed to enhance your experience, enrich your skills and help you to develop in your chosen career.

University of Manchester stimulating postgraduate research environment is recognised and enhanced by external investment, with its Doctoral Training Programmes and Centres for Doctoral Training studentships receiving £100 million from UKRI and major charities.

Fellows

University of Manchester vision is to empower Manchester fellows with the skills to become the next generation of leaders who, in research, industry, or in any other career, will be ambitious in their research and leadership – asking original questions, uncovering new knowledge and inspiring others with their breakthroughs.

Join University of Manchester thriving and diverse community of more than 100 fellows and you’ll gain access to both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary training environments and receive specialist support from our Research Services and researcher development teams.

University of Manchester has held the HR Excellence in Research Award since 2011, recognising the support University of Manchester provide for early career researchers through the Research Staff Concordat.

Programme applications

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Join University of Manchester’s mission to address the world’s most pressing challenges in biology, medicine and health.

Pioneer the future of innovation and discovery and conduct groundbreaking, multidisciplinary research that has real-world impact on the lives of people around the world with one of more than 30 Bicentenary PhD Studentships and three Fellowships for 2026/27 entry.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Research your passion in the place where the atom was split, graphene was discovered and AI was born.

You could receive one of our 45 Bicentenary PhD Studentships, engaging in interdisciplinary research across the Faculty in chemistry, computer science, engineering, physics, materials, mathematics, and earth and environmental sciences.

Faculty of Humanities

Become part of a diverse community of more than 1,000 humanities postgraduate researchers exploring their life’s passion.

University of Manchester Bicentenary PhD Studentships & Fellowships for 2026 will support six PhD researchers as well as a number of early career postdoctoral research fellows across disciplines as diverse as business, arts, languages and cultures, environment, education and development, and social sciences.