Fully Funded PhD Opportunities at UCL
Pakistani students can apply for two fully funded PhD studentships at University College London (UCL) under the NERC-funded UNRISK Centre for Doctoral Training for the 2027 intake.
The opportunities focus on climate change, biodiversity, statistics and machine learning. Successful candidates will receive full tuition fee coverage, a UKRI maintenance stipend and additional funding for research and training.
The two UCL projects are Reducing Uncertainty in the Impact of Climate on Biodiversity and Robust and Scalable Spatio-Temporal Modelling.
Funding and Benefits
The studentships provide funding for three years and nine months. Candidates will receive a maintenance stipend at the applicable UKRI rate.
The current London-weighted UKRI stipend for 2026-27 is £23,805 per year. The stipend for students starting in 2027 will be based on the UKRI rate applicable at that time.
Each successful student will also receive a £6,000 individual Research Training and Support Grant. Around £5,000 worth of cohort-level training support will also be provided per student.
The programme includes an expected three-month placement, giving students additional research or professional experience.
Pakistani students are eligible to apply as international candidates. Overseas-funded places can cover international tuition fees in addition to the maintenance stipend and research support. However, the number of international-funded awards is limited.
The funding does not cover expenses such as UK visa fees, relocation costs or the Immigration Health Surcharge.
PhD Project 1: Climate and Biodiversity
The first project focuses on improving predictions of how climate change affects biodiversity.
Researchers will use Species Distribution Models to study how species respond to changing environmental conditions. The project aims to improve these models by adding long-term information from fossil records, museum collections, historical surveys and other palaeontological sources.
The research will have a particular focus on marine biodiversity, including arthropods and corals. Students will use computational methods such as text and image mining to extract useful ecological information from historical and palaeontological records.
Applicants from environmental science, Earth sciences, ecology, biology, palaeontology, computer science and related fields may be suitable. Experience with R or Python, statistics, programming, data analysis or machine learning can be useful. Previous experience with fossils is not essential.
PhD Project 2: Statistical and Machine Learning
The second project focuses on developing reliable statistical and machine-learning methods for climate prediction.
The research will address challenges caused by incomplete, irregular or inaccurate climate observations. It will explore methods including Gaussian processes, Kalman filtering, generalised Bayesian inference, robust statistics and scalable machine learning.
The project will use climate datasets, including satellite observations of the cryosphere and polar regions. It will combine mathematical research with large-scale computational analysis and real-world climate applications.
Applicants with backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, computer science, machine learning or other quantitative subjects may be suitable. Strong programming skills and an interest in mathematical and computational research will be important.
Academic Eligibility
Applicants normally need at least a UK 2:1 honours degree or an equivalent international qualification in a subject relevant to their chosen project. Relevant Master’s-level study may also be considered.
Candidates who already hold a PhD or are currently registered for a PhD are not eligible.
International applicants must also meet the applicable UCL postgraduate research English-language requirements before enrolment.
How to Apply
Applications for the 2027 intake will open on November 16, 2026, and close on January 13, 2027, at 1:00 PM GMT.
UNRISK uses a central application process administered through the University of Leeds, even though the two projects covered here are based at UCL.
Applicants must complete the required University of Leeds application as well as the separate UNRISK application form. Candidates should select NERC UNRISK CDT as their intended course and can identify up to two PhD projects.
Applicants are also encouraged to contact the relevant project supervisors before submitting their applications to better understand the research and expectations.
The opportunity offers Pakistani students a route to fully funded doctoral research in the UK, particularly for candidates interested in climate science, biodiversity, statistics, data science and machine learning.
Also read: NYU Falak Sufi Scholarship 2027-28 Open For Pakistanis
