The Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP is an inclusive and innovative four-year graduate training programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UKRI-BBSRC). It aims to equip a new generation of researchers with the skills, insight and knowledge needed to tackle the most important challenges in bioscience research.
The programme is led by the University of Oxford, in partnership with eight world-class research organisations: The Pirbright Institute, Oxford Brookes University, Diamond Light Source, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, STFC Central Laser Facility, The Rosalind Franklin Institute, the Research Complex at Harwell and the Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford (NNRCO).
The course admits students who wish to conduct fundamental and applied bioscience research. Students from a diverse range of backgrounds are encouraged to apply including students with degrees in the Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Computational and Mathematical Sciences.
Research areas include: Integrative Plant and Animal Biology, Mechanistic Molecular and Cellular Bioscience, Transformative Technologies, Bioscience for Health, Animal Health and Welfare, Crop Science, Industrial Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals.
The Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP is closed for applications for entry in 2024. We will provide an update on applications for 2025 entry in autumn 2024. Applicants with interests in computational methods may wish to consider applying to the SABS:R3 programme, which is still accepting applications.
Mission Statement
Our Mission We aim to deliver training that will enable a new generation of researchers to drive forward the frontiers of bioscience, and to translate this research into high-impact applications.
Our Vision We aspire to be a world-leading partnership that inspires, enables and supports both staff and students to achieve their full potential in order to enrich scientific knowledge, tackle global and industrial challenges, and benefit the wider community. We are distinctive for our world-class research and facilities and our collaborative, interdisciplinary training approach.
Our values We aim to create a community that is innovative, inclusive and collaborative, in which everyone feels valued, respected, and supported.
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University of Oxford
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- Graduate School
- Subject Areas
Microbiology, Infection and Tropical Medicine
Oxford's contribution to infectious disease has been enormous. Penicillin and the related cephalosporin antibiotics were discovered and developed here. More recently Oxford has played a key role in the introduction of artemisinin-related drugs for malaria and in the development of new vaccines for bacterial meningitis and Ebola.
Oxford is rated the top University in the UK in the area of Infection and Immunity. It has a strong core of microbiological expertise ranging from fundamental through to translational research and clinical trials. Areas of strength in basic research include microbial structure-function relationships, aspects of viral, bacterial and parasite pathogenesis, and interaction of pathogens with the immune system including immune evasion strategies. Areas of strength in translational research include study of the mucosal microbiota in health and disease, development of vaccines against parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens and screening for novel drugs against viral infections. Much translation research is done in Oxford’s Tropical Medicine research units in Africa and Asia. Microbiology research is performed in a number of University Departments including the Nuffield Department of Medicine , Sir William Dunn School of Pathology , Paediatrics and Biochemistry . Institutes include the Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine , the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology , the Jenner Institute and the Institute for Vaccine Design .
Researchers in Oxford form part of the MRC Centre for Genomics and Global Health , an international collaboration that integrates genomic and population genetic data with clinical and epidemiological data to understand and combat globally important infectious diseases.
Supervisors in Microbiology, Infection and Tropical Medicine
Ambrose Agweyu
Principal Investigator
Ageing, Geratology and Degenerative Diseases
Bioinformatics, statistics and computational biology, genes, genetics, epigenetics and genomics, molecular mechanisms (including dna damage and repair), neurodegenerative diseases, neuroscience, structural biology, molecular, cell, systems and structural biology.
Brian J Angus
Translational medicine and medical technology.
Azim Ansari
Sir Henry Dale Fellow, Group Leader
Host-pathogen interactions
Proochista Ariana
Associate Professor
Sarah Atkinson
Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Paediatrics and Paediatric ...
Haematology
Adaptive immunity and autoimmune disease, bacteriology, epidemiology and population dynamics, parasitology, paediatrics, primary care, clinical epidemiology, and health care delivery.
Kevin Baird
Professor of Malariology
Lindsay Baker
Anti-microbial drugs, cell biology and microscopy, membranes, membrane proteins, ion channels and transporters, structural biology, protein science and proteomics.
Ellie Barnes
Gastroenterology and hepatology, immunodeficiency, hiv and aids, innate immunity and inflammation, mucosal immunology and inflammatory bowel disease, transplantation and tolerance.
Rachael Bashford-Rogers
Dna and protein sequence analysis, functional genomics, cancer diagnostics (biomarkers and imaging), cancer therapeutics (including biologicals) and vaccines, cellular mechanisms (including tumour microenvironment, angiogenesis and metastasis), developmental biology and stem cells, cell fate specification and differentiation, diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism, molecular & statistical genetics & translational genomics, inflammation-driven cancer, mucosal immunity, gene expression, genomics and statistical genetics, genetic disorders and therapies, leukaemia and lymphoma, lineage commitment and differentiation in haematopoiesis, systems biology, ophthalmology, visual and circadian sciences, ophthalmology, antibody and protein therapy, biomedical engineering, drug discovery and pharmacology, immunology of reproduction, james berkley, maternal health, reproductive, genitourinary and sexual medicine.
Professor of Biochemistry
Biochemistry and chemical biology
Stuart Blacksell
Professor of Tropical Microbiology
Francesco Boccellato
Leadership Fellow
Persephone Borrow
Thomas Bowden
Glycobiology.
Angela Brueggemann
IDEU Director and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Population, Global, and Public Health
Chris Butler
Professor of Primary Care
Design of patient pathways and clinical support systems
Evidence-based health care, clinical trials methodology and epidemiology, primary care and general practice, climent casals-pascual.
Alfredo Castello Palomares
Posttranscriptional networks in infection
Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology
Richard Cornall
Cell commitment, multipotent stem cells.
Prabin Dahal
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
Nick PJ Day
Statistical genetics, adrianus dondorp.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3545-3758
Alexander (Sandy) Douglas
Simon Draper
Susan Dunachie
Mike english, diagnostics, health experiences research, medical statistics, monitoring chronic disease, patient safety, psychology and psychiatry, social psychology, surgical science and practice.
Professor of Infectious Diseases
Ervin Fodor
Kevin Foster
Professor of Evolutionary Biology
Mathematical modeling
Inflammatory bowel disease.
Christophe Fraser
John frater.
Ronald Geskus
Sarah C Gilbert
Geraldine gillespie.
Philip Goulder
Professor of Immunology
Jonathan Grimes
Philippe guerin, tomas hanke.
Maria Harkiolaki
Principal Beamline Scientist
Matthew Higgins
Professor of Molecular Parisitology
Adrian Hill
Lakshmi Mittal and Family Professorship of Vaccinology
Deirdre Hollingsworth
Peter horby.
Georgia Isom
Astrid Iversen
Professor of Virology and Immunology
Cellular and molecular neuroscience
Viral and autoimmune liver disease.
David Jackson
Professor of Human Immunology
Dominic Kelly
BRC Consultant in Paediatrics and Vaccinology.
Syma Khalid
Samson Kinyanjui
Colin Kleanthous
Iveagh Professor of Microbial Biochemistry
Paul Klenerman
Sidney Truelove Professor of Gastroenterology
Julian C Knight
Dominic Kwiatkowski
Teresa Lambe
Professor of Vaccinology & Immunology, Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology
Trudie Lang
Clinton Lau
Wellcome CDA Research Fellow
KTRR Senior Research Fellow in Data Science
Epidemiology
Global health.
Martin Maiden
Evidence-based health care.
Kevin Marsh
Philippa Matthews
Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology
Richard Maude
Professor of Tropical Medicine
Rose McGready
Jacob McKnight
Andrew mcmichael.
Helen McShane
Catherine (Sassy) Molyneux
Professor of Global Health
Paul Newton
Hoa Thi Ngo
Francois h nosten.
Piero Olliaro
Professor of Poverty Related Infectious Diseases
Rafael Perera
Director Medical Statistics and Director of Graduate Studies
Cardiovascular Sciences
Epidemiology & clinical trials, vascular disease, clinical trials methodology, medical statistics.
Frances Platt
Head of Department
Integrative physiology
Stem cells and cell therapy.
Sir Andrew Pollard
Ashall Professor of Infection & Immunity
Richard Price
Oliver pybus.
Professor of Evolution & Infectious Disease
Jan Rehwinkel
Professor of Innate Immunology
David Roberts
Professor of Haematology
Mark Roberts
Signal transduction.
Christine S. Rollier
Associate Professor in Vaccinology
Sarah L Rowland-Jones
Sumana Sanyal
Peter Sarkies
Dna replication and repair, epigenetics, chromosomal biology.
Jason Schnell
Musculoskeletal science, structural biology and proteomics.
Trevor Sharp
Professor of Neuropharmacology
Genes and developmental neuroscience
Psychology, mental health and psychiatry, systems, cognitive and behavioural neuroscience.
Peter Simmonds
Professor of Virology
Alison Simmons
Adrian Smith
Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Studies and Honorary Consultant in ...
Matthew Snape
Professor in Paediatrics and Vaccinology
Kasia Stepniewska
IDDO Head of Statistics
Mathew Stracy
Christoph Tang
Louise Thwaites
Guy Thwaites
Sarah Tonkin-Crine
Associate Professor & Health Psychologist
Alain Townsend
Emeritus Professor of Molecular Immunology
Professor of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Group Head / PI and Hon Consultant ...
Stephan Uphoff
Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow
Richard Wade-Martins
Professor of Molecular Neuroscience
Alzheimer's disease
Gene therapy, induced pluripotency, motor neuron disease.
Senior Clinical Research Fellow
Linda Wicker
Bridget Wills
Daniel Wilson
Matthew Wood
Professor of Neuroscience
Cellular and molecular biology in musculoskeletal systems
Clinical neuroscience, clinical trials and epidemiology, embryonic stem cells, myocardial biology & energetics, nanomedicine, stem cell biology and tissue engineering, parkinson's disease, circadian sciences and sleep.
Nicole Zitzmann
Professor of Virology & Director of Glycobiology Inst
- Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP (BBSRC)
- Doctoral Training Fellowship Scheme for Clinicians
- Infection Immunology and Translational Medicine
Other Relevant Programmes
- Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatric Infectious Disease
- Vaccinology
Related links
- Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Vaccines
- Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Infection
- Admissions Requirements
- Fees and Funding
- Studying at Oxford
Course overview
UCAS code: C100 Entrance requirements: A*AA (with the A* in a science or Maths) Course duration: 4 years (MBiol); 3 years (BA)
Subject requirements
Required subjects: Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Maths Recommended subjects: Not applicable Helpful subjects: Not applicable
Other course requirements
Admissions tests: None Written Work: None
Admissions statistics*
Interviewed: 48% Successful: 15% Intake: 106 *3-year average 2021-23
Email: [email protected]
Unistats information for this course can be found at the bottom of the page
Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small.
About the course
Biology, the study of life, is an exciting and rapidly developing subject. Breakthroughs in Biology are playing a key role in addressing global challenges, from disease and poverty to biodiversity loss and climate change.
The study of living things has undergone tremendous progress in recent years. This progress has been accompanied by an integration of different biological disciplines.
This newly revised and upgraded Oxford Biology course was first introduced in 2019. The structure of the course encourages a cross-disciplinary approach. Following an introduction to fundamental biological principles in the first year, the second and third years allow students to choose options of particular interest and specialise in these areas with increasing depth. The options cover a comprehensive range of topics, which currently include but are not limited to:
- animal behaviour and physiology
- cell biology
- conservation
- developmental biology
- disease biology and host-microbe interactions
- evolutionary biology
- plant physiology and molecular biology.
The course offers an optional fourth year. This means that students can either leave after three years with a BA or choose to stay on and complete an extended research project under the supervision of qualified academic staff. Progression to the 4-year MBiol is contingent on satisfactory academic performance in the first three years.
The Biology degree is taught by the Department of Biology, with almost all teaching taking place in the University's Science Area. Additional resources include the Oxford University Museum of Natural History , the Botanic Garden , the Herbarium , the Arboretum , the John Krebs Field Station and Wytham Woods . There is a compulsory UK residential field course to study ecology in the first year, and optional residential field courses in the UK and overseas are available in the second year.
The course puts a strong emphasis on research skills training, which is an integral part of teaching across all years.
Compulsory skills training in the first year includes carefully selected dissections that have been designed with animal welfare and conservation principles in mind.
Skills training in the second year is also compulsory and covers a whole range of more advanced practical and quantitative skills essential for a modern biologist. Students can choose from a range of extended skills courses that last one or two weeks. Examples include ecological fieldwork (in the UK or overseas), genome sequencing and genome editing.
In the third year, students specialise on a narrower range of options, and skills training continues in the form of journal clubs and computer classes. Please note that despite the University's efforts to subsidise the course, fieldwork in the second, third and fourth years requires financial contributions from the student.
'Throughout my whole life my head has buzzed with questions; questions about humans, plants, the oceans and the microscopic world invisible to the naked eye. Oxford offers me the answers to these questions. It’s incredible! There’s loads of practical work, from a brilliant week-long field trip in the UK in your first year, to tropical Borneo in your second. Lab work is a great chance to test the theories you’ve learnt in lectures and the supervisors are always happy to offer help and explanation.'
| 'I'd always been interested in biology from a young age. I'd loved learning about the human body and was practically brought up on David Attenborough documentaries – therefore, learning more about the subject was a natural fit! The course at Oxford in particular spanned the whole topic, covering everything there is to know, and I liked the flexibility this could give me, simultaneously allowing me to learn about a broad spectrum of topics but also enabling me to discover what I found most interesting and specialise accordingly! It has also taught me more about the practical skills required, and thus the course has really helped me to become a well-rounded biologist.'
| 'With biology, there's no shortage of new and exciting research going on, and the breadth of content in the first year is just mind-blowing! It's a really great idea to give students a taste of all aspects of the subject today, as from the second year onward there are increasing opportunities for specialisation. That ability to drop less interesting topics and really focus on the ones you love is a most welcome form of flexibility.'
|
Unistats information
Discover Uni course data provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford for a particular undergraduate course.
Please select 'see course data' to view the full Unistats data for Biology.
Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small.
Visit the Studying at Oxford section of this page for a more general insight into what studying here is likely to be like.
A typical week
In the first year, your typical weekly timetable can be broken down into the following categories:
- Lectures: around eight hours a week
- Research skills: around six hours of laboratory practical demonstrations (practicals), one hour of computer practicals and one hour of group discussion sessions each week
- Tutorials: this will depend on individual colleges, but on average one hour a week, plus preparation time.
In the second and third years, the lecture and research skills workload remains roughly the same although there is a greater element of choice over the subjects studied.
Lectures and practical class sizes will vary depending on the options chosen, ranging from as few as 20 students in a class up to potentially 120 students in a class. In the third and fourth years, variable hours are also spent on research projects.
Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by trained PhD students and early career researchers with hands-on research experience.
To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.
Course structure
Three written exam papers (assessing lecture material and research skills); assessed practical write-ups |
Two written exam papers; coursework |
A full list of current options is available on the . | Three written exam papers; coursework |
Year 4 (Optional MBiol*)
The fourth year will give you the chance to pursue an in-depth research project under the supervision of an academic member of staff. There will also be a mini-conference in which all students have the opportunity to present their work to their peers. | Dissertation |
* Students can choose to leave after three years and graduate with a BA, or they can continue to a fourth year and graduate with an MBiol. Progression to the MBiol is contingent on satisfactory academic performance in the first three years.
The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes .
Academic requirements
| Requirement |
---|---|
| A*AA – Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics are required, and the A* must be in a science or Mathematics (view the ) |
| AA/AAB |
| 39 (including core points) – Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics are required with 7 in HL Mathematics or a science |
| View information on , and . |
Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.
Read further information on how we use contextual data .
Candidates are required to have Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics to A-level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level in the IB or another equivalent. |
If a practical component forms part of any of your science A‐levels used to meet your offer, we expect you to pass it.
If English is not your first language you may also need to meet our English language requirements .
All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown on our Applying to Oxford pages.
The following information gives specific details for students applying for this course.
All applicants must apply for the MBiol. Students can choose to leave after three years and graduate with a BA, or they can continue to a fourth year and graduate with an MBiol. Progression to the MBiol is contingent on satisfactory academic performance in the first three years.
Written work and admissions tests
You do not need to take a written test or submit any written work as part of an application for this course.
What are tutors looking for?
Tutors are looking for an enthusiasm for biology and potential to study it at university.
Interviews are not designed to test factual knowledge primarily, instead, they show an applicant’s ability to think critically and independently, and to understand the biological knowledge they have accrued up to that time. Be prepared to talk about particular aspects of biology that you find personally interesting.
The process is rigorous but sympathetic. Applicants may be asked to examine and comment on biological diagrams or images, or to interpret a graph, a written passage or a simple set of data, provided during the interview.
Visit the Biology website for more detail on the selection criteria for this course.
Around 40% of Oxford biology graduates go on to further study such as a research doctorate or postgraduate course in an applied field, while the vast majority of the remainder embark on a professional career after graduating in areas as diverse as education, research, not for profit, health, environmental work, media, marketing, and consultancy.
Hannah, now a research assistant at the Royal Veterinary College, reports:
‘My degree gave me a keen interest in my subject and the skills to pursue it. So far I have tracked rhinos across deserts, chased birds across oceans, and am currently working with chickens!’
After graduation, Jenny spent several years in a medical communication agency environment and now has her own business, working directly with major global pharmaceutical companies. She explains:
‘The tutorial system and writing opportunities during my degree were critical in developing the skills needed to analyse and interpret data, present them clearly and concisely in context and discuss results of clinical trials.’
The new Biology course was introduced for the first time in 2019; hence only career data for a single cohort of graduates is currently available. The information reported here is therefore based on the more extensive data from the previous 3-year BA in Biological Sciences, corroborated by information from the first cohort of graduates from the new course.
Note: These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here in 2024. Course fee information for courses starting in 2025 will be updated in September.
We don't want anyone who has the academic ability to get a place to study here to be held back by their financial circumstances. To meet that aim, Oxford offers one of the most generous financial support packages available for UK students and this may be supplemented by support from your college.
Home | £9,250 |
Overseas | £48,620 |
Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.
For more information please refer to our course fees page . Fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on likely increases to fees and charges.
Living costs
Living costs at Oxford might be less than you’d expect, as our world-class resources and college provision can help keep costs down.
Living costs for the academic year starting in 2024 are estimated to be between £1,345 and £1,955 for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to meet essential costs. For further details please visit our living costs webpage .
- Financial support
Home | A tuition fee loan is available from the UK government to cover course fees in full for Home (UK, Irish nationals and other eligible students with UK citizens' rights - see below*) students undertaking their first undergraduate degree**, so you don’t need to pay your course fees up front. In 2024 Oxford is offering one of the most generous bursary packages of any UK university to Home students with a family income of around £50,000 or less, with additional opportunities available to UK students from households with incomes of £32,500 or less. The UK government also provides living costs support to Home students from the UK and those with settled status who meet the residence requirements. *For courses starting on or after 1 August 2021, the UK government has confirmed that EU, other EEA, and Swiss Nationals will be eligible for student finance from the UK government if they have UK citizens’ rights (i.e. if they have pre-settled or settled status, or if they are an Irish citizen covered by the Common Travel Area arrangement). The support you can access from the government will depend on your residency status. . |
Islands | Islands students are entitled to different support to that of students from the rest of the UK. Please refer the links below for information on the support to you available from your funding agency: |
Overseas | Please refer to the "Other Scholarships" section of our . |
**If you have studied at undergraduate level before and completed your course, you will be classed as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification student (ELQ) and won’t be eligible to receive government or Oxford funding
Fees, Funding and Scholarship search
Additional Fees and Charges Information for Biology
First-year students are required to undertake a UK-based residential field course in the summer term (typically 6 days). You will study living organisms in a range of environments, both terrestrial and marine, and the content is assessed as part of the first-year examinations. The University covers all costs for this compulsory trip, including food and accommodation.
Towards the end of the second year, you will complete a two-week skills course. A range of courses will be offered and will include some optional field trips away from Oxford. In 2024, this will include:
- Oxford and Dorset: to study conservation programmes aiming to reverse biodiversity loss;
- Northern Ireland and Wytham: to study the field ecology of birds, split between Northern Ireland and our field-study centre in Oxford;
- Borneo: to study tropical rainforest ecology of both animals and plants.
As a guide, estimated costs for these optional courses in 2024 are:
- £440 for Oxford/Dorset;
- £475 for Northern Ireland/Wytham, plus whatever students spend on lunches and evening meals during the trip;
- £1900 for Borneo.
If you stay on for the fourth year, as part of your course requirements, you will undertake a project. Depending on your choice of topic and the research tools required, you may have to contribute to costs, but only in exceptional circumstances, for example, if you choose to conduct extensive fieldwork in expensive locations. You may choose a project that will incur no extra costs.
Contextual information
Unistats course data from Discover Uni provides applicants with statistics about a particular undergraduate course at Oxford. For a more holistic insight into what studying your chosen course here is likely to be like, we would encourage you to view the information below as well as to explore our website more widely.
The Oxford tutorial
College tutorials are central to teaching at Oxford. Typically, they take place in your college and are led by your academic tutor(s) who teach as well as do their own research. Students will also receive teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. However, tutorials offer a level of personalised attention from academic experts unavailable at most universities.
During tutorials (normally lasting an hour), college subject tutors will give you and one or two tutorial partners feedback on prepared work and cover a topic in depth. The other student(s) in your tutorials will be doing the same course as you. Such regular and rigorous academic discussion develops and facilitates learning in a way that isn’t possible through lectures alone. Tutorials also allow for close progress monitoring so tutors can quickly provide additional support if necessary.
Read more about tutorials and an Oxford education
College life
Our colleges are at the heart of Oxford’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world.
- At Oxford, everyone is a member of a college as well as their subject department(s) and the University. Students therefore have both the benefits of belonging to a large, renowned institution and to a small and friendly academic community. Each college or hall is made up of academic and support staff, and students. Colleges provide a safe, supportive environment leaving you free to focus on your studies, enjoy time with friends and make the most of the huge variety of opportunities.
- Porters’ lodge (a staffed entrance and reception)
- Dining hall
- Lending library (often open 24/7 in term time)
- Student accommodation
- Tutors’ teaching rooms
- Chapel and/or music rooms
- Green spaces
- Common room (known as the JCR).
- All first-year students are offered college accommodation either on the main site of their college or in a nearby college annexe. This means that your neighbours will also be ‘freshers’ and new to life at Oxford. This accommodation is guaranteed, so you don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to live after accepting a place here, all of this is organised for you before you arrive.
- All colleges offer at least one further year of accommodation and some offer it for the entire duration of your degree. You may choose to take up the option to live in your college for the whole of your time at Oxford, or you might decide to arrange your own accommodation after your first year – perhaps because you want to live with friends from other colleges.
- While college academic tutors primarily support your academic development, you can also ask their advice on other things. Lots of other college staff including welfare officers help students settle in and are available to offer guidance on practical or health matters. Current students also actively support students in earlier years, sometimes as part of a college ‘family’ or as peer supporters trained by the University’s Counselling Service.
Read more about Oxford colleges and how you choose
FIND OUT MORE
- Listen to the course podcast
- Visit the department's website
Our 2024 undergraduate open days will be held on 26 and 27 June and 20 September.
Register to find out more about our upcoming open days.
RELATED PAGES
- Which Oxford colleges offer my course?
- Your academic year
RELATED COURSES
- Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular)
- Biomedical Sciences
- Earth Sciences (Geology)
- Geography
- Human Sciences
FEEL INSPIRED?
Why not have a look at the University's latest research on our Science Blog , and discover more about what's happening in the department.
You may also like to have a look at New Scientist or National Geographic .
Follow us on social media
Follow us on social media to get the most up-to-date application information throughout the year, and to hear from our students.
Fellowships
Research Fellows play a key role within the Department of Biology, making up 40% of academic staff. We have a Fellowship mentoring programme, enabling us to provide advice, support, and feedback to strengthen applications to major UK and international fellowship programmes.
- Mentorship Programme
- Schmidt AI in Science fellowships
- Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowships
- Other ECR fellowships
- Royal Society Faraday Discovery fellowships
Applications for the current round will be open from 1 September to 31 October 2024
The mentorship programme aims to support strong senior Independent Research Fellowship (IRF) applications to join the Department of Biology.
Successful applicants can expect to be paired with a senior academic mentor in the Department of Biology. The mentor will provide advice and support to strengthen fellowship applications, and through interactions with the facilitation team, will ensure costings and support letters are prepared according to funder guidelines and within the required timeframes.
The programme invites applications from early career researchers with excellent track records who wish to apply for the following UK and international funding schemes:
- BBSRC Fellowship
- NERC Independent Research Fellowships
- MRC Early Career Awards
- Royal Society University Research Fellowships
- Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships
- Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowships
- ERC Starting Grant
Application cover sheet
Complete the cover sheet as part of your application to the mentorship programme, and send it to us along with your research proposal and CV
Who should apply
Interest is welcomed from early career researchers in all areas of biology, including those at interdisciplinary boundaries with other life sciences, physical or social sciences who may draw on the outstanding breadth of Oxford’s research environment. Please check your eligibility for the fellowship you intend to apply to; generally, the fellowships applicable for the mentorship programme are intended for those who have already completed their PhD and some require several years of postdoctoral research experience.
If you wish to seek the Department’s support to apply for any of the fellowships listed above, you must engage with this process.
Please note this is not an offer of a job or a guarantee that you will be successful in gaining any of these fellowships to join the Department.
What to expect
Selected applicants are assigned a mentor who is a senior researcher within the department who will provide support and advice. The aim of the mentoring system is to:
- Aid the progression to an independent researcher and group leader
- Identify ways in which the Department can best support and help you
- Facilitate progression to either another Fellowship or permanent position
See the 'How to apply' section for more details.
In many Fellowship schemes, an interview is the final step in the application process. We provide mock interview practice and have found that this has a positive impact on success rates.
When to apply
Mentorship applications are advertised twice per year, with closing dates on 31 March and 31 October every year. Applicants should assess which deadline is most suitable for them depending on which fellowships they wish to apply for.
Round | Applications open | Applications close | Outcomes communicated and mentors assigned | External fellowships |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 February | 31 March | 7 May | NERC Independent Research Fellowship Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship Royal Society University Research Fellowship ERC Starting Grant Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship (July and November deadlines) |
2 | 1 September | 31 October | 7 December | BBSRC Discovery Fellowship MRC Early Career Awards ERC Starting Grant Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship (April deadline) |
The Department has several research Sections (themes); you will need to choose the most appropriate Section for your mentorship submission based on your research interests. Read more about the Sections of the Department .
How to apply
To express your interest, please send the following to [email protected] by the deadline:
- a completed application cover sheet ;
- a two-page research proposal;
- your CV (no more than five pages).
Please include all appointments, publications, and appropriate research information. Please note that all three items must be included to ensure that your application is considered. Any questions can be directed to [email protected] .
Selection criteria
- Scientific excellence
- Potential readiness and competitiveness for schemes in programme
- Potential synergy or complementarity with Section and Department
- Availability of facilities for the proposed work
We aim to notify all applicants 5 weeks after the deadline if they have been selected and who will be their assigned mentor.
From this point onward, the mentor will be your main point of contact. The mentor will advise on all aspects of the preparation of their applications and will agree a timeline for the next steps. You will also have support from research facilitation and costings officers who will help ensure your application is ready on time.
The candidates will be expected to:
- Confirm their intent to submit an application at least 6 weeks before the intended fellowship deadline
- Finalise all aspects of the application at least 3 weeks before the funder’s deadline
- Be available to address queries for internal approvals, such as budgeting and support needs, until the application is submitted.
Achieving academic success
Once you have obtained a Fellowship, the Department can provide a wealth of support and advice to assist you in maximising the success of your Fellowship research.
- Grants: Various Fellowship schemes allow you to apply for additional research funding. Advice and information can be provided for external funding applications.
- Additional funding support: Oxford has a diverse range of internal funding schemes to support research, including pilot projects.
- Graduate students: Fellows holding Fellowships of at least three years duration are actively encouraged to supervise DPhil (PhD) students from their first year.
- Recognition: We actively nominate researchers for national and international awards, such as Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal, Michael Faraday Prize, and L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Awards, among others.
The Department of Biology is dedicated to upholding and developing good employment practice for women working in science, and holds an Athena Swan Award for its initiatives in this area.
Privacy notice
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oxford is part of a new international initiative to drive innovative use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in STEM research (engineering, and the natural and mathematical sciences). Oxford will host c.55 postdoctoral fellows (totalling 110 years of research) over six years, and provide them with the tools to increase the scope and speed of their research through the application of AI and Machine Learning (ML).
The biology department is very keen to support applications to this scheme. Round 3 will open in August 2024 with a deadline of 12:00 noon on 22 October 2024. We are limited in the number of applications we are allowed to put forward and we are therefore running an internal selection process. To apply, you need to identify both a department PI to support your application, and an AI mentor. The deadline for applications is 10 September 2024 . Please contact [email protected] for further information.
MSCA postdoctoral fellowships are open to excellent researchers of any nationality. The Work Programme emphasises skills acquisition, two-way knowledge exchange and career development as key objectives of the fellowship. Applications are made jointly by the researcher and a PI supervisor within the biology department. To apply, you must meet certain eligibility criteria
- You must have a PhD and have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research measured from the date the doctoral degree was conferred (career breaks, and time spent outside of research will be taken into consideration)
- Applicants must comply with MSCA mobility rules; you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the Beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
For full eligibility information, see the MSCA Guide for Applicants
The Biology department supports several applications to the MSCA PF programme every year. Before notifying us of your intention to submit an application, please make sure you have spoken with and got the support of a faculty member.
Please note, the department deadlines are often significantly earlier than the funders deadline so if you are considering applying, please contact [email protected] as early as possible.
Timelines for the 2024 call are shown below as a guide:
31 July 2024 | Notification of intent to apply |
12 August 2024 | Draft application submitted to the department for review |
24 August 2024 | Research Services deadline |
11 September 2024 | Funders deadline |
There are various Fellowship schemes which bridge the gap between post-doctoral and Independent Research Fellowships, which are not a part of this programme. For example:
- Wellcome Trust Early Career Fellowships
- Royal Society Career Development Fellowships
- Royal Society Newton International Fellowships
- JSPS Fellowships
- Royal Commission of 1851 Fellowships
- Daphne Jackson Fellowships
There are also several Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) advertised by Oxford colleges.
If you wish to pursue any of these, please directly contact academic staff in the Department of Biology who are active in a relevant area of science. If a fellowship that you would like to apply to is not listed, please contact [email protected] .
Some of these fellowships have department limits on numbers of applications that can be supported. It is therefore advisable to contact [email protected] at least 8 weeks prior to the funders deadline to check the arrangements for the scheme(s) you are interested in.
This programme is aimed at outstanding mid-career Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) researchers, providing grants of up to £8m over a ten-year period to support the development of world-leading research groups in the UK.
More on the fellowships can be found on the Royal Society website .
If you are interested in applying for this fellowship, please send your CV, personal statement, research vision and a reference letter to [email protected] by midday on 4 September 2024 .
COMMENTS
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If you are a new member of our department and would like to have a profile page created, or you're a current member wishing to update an existing profile, please fill in this form . Fill in the form. Contact the Comms Team. Department of Biology (Mansfield Road) 11a Mansfield Road. Oxford OX1 3SZ.
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