Welcome Trust Sanger PhD Programmes
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PhD Programmes
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has two PhD programmes:
The application process for the 2017 intake of the Institute's 4-year PhD Programme is now open. The application closing date is: Thursday 1st December 2016 (09:00 GMT).
The application process for the 2017 intake of the Institute's Clinical PhD Programme is now open. The application closing date is:Monday 14th November 2016.
The Institute is also affiliated with the following University of Cambridge PhD programmes:
- BBSRC DTP PhD Programme
- Wellcome Trust Mathematical Genomics and Medicine PhD Programme
- NIH OxCam PhD Programme
The University of Cambridge is hosting its first Postgraduate Open Day on Wednesday 2nd November 2016.
Attending the Open Day is an excellent way to explore the graduate courses and opportunities available at the University of Cambridge. Throughout the day there will be a variety of subject presentations, sample lectures and facility tours that will allow you to gain insight into life as a postgraduate student at Cambridge.
We are in the midst of confirming our full programme of events for the day which will be available two weeks prior to the Open Day. You will also have the opportunity to pre-book activities with the Colleges and Departments that interest you.
For more information and to register, click here for your Postgraduate Open Day ticket.
Overview
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world's premier genomics research institutes and is at the forefront of this fast developing field. We use large-scale DNA sequencing, informatics and analysis of genetic variation to further our understanding of gene function in health and disease.
The Institute is passionate about graduate student training, and one of our core aims is to nurture the next generation of world class genome scientists and clinicians who will make significant contributions to biomedicine.
The Institute's two PhD programmes are both open to overseas applicants, and we aim to attract the brightest and best young scientists and clinicians from all around the world.
We currently have around 80 graduate students. All students on our PhD programmes are registered at the University of Cambridge and are members of a Cambridge College, and this allows the students to take an active part in the University's academic and social life.
The Institute has over 40 Faculty members, each leading a specific area of research as well as collaborating across one or more of our five main research themes: Human Genetics; Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation; Infection Genomics; Malaria; and Cellular Genetics.
Graduate students at the Institute play an integral role in these research programmes and are often lead authors on many of the resulting publications. The vast majority of our students have already started to develop an excellent publication record by the time they leave the Institute, and this puts them in an advantageous position to go on and lead highly successful future careers.
The research facilities and resources available are exceptional, even at a global level, and therefore provide graduate students with unprecedented opportunities to develop their skills. These include state-of-the-art facilities for high throughput sequencing and genotyping, informatics and IT, microarray analysis, FACS, microscopy, mass spectrometry and CL2/3 containment.
As part of our PhD programmes we have a well established and comprehensive training programme, which provides a strong grounding in transferable and general research skills. Our students are encouraged to present their work at national and international scientific meetings, as well as to the Institute. We can also help to develop important links for students through our major roles in many national and international collaborations and consortia across all of our research areas.
Graduate students at the Institute are monitored and managed by a senior academic team (the Committee of Graduate Studies, which meets monthly), with support from dedicated administrative personnel. All students have a thesis committee that meets with the student every six months and primarily serves as a scientific advisory board for the student throughout their PhD work.
The Sanger Institute is nestled amongst the landscaped gardens of a restored 18th century mansion, and is located just south of Cambridge. The campus is shared with the European Bioinformatics Institute and provides excellent amenities including a well equipped library, restaurant and cafes, sports hall, sports field and gymnasium, onsite nursery and a free bus service.
