The GW4+ Doctoral Landscape Training Partnership (DLTP) encompasses the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter alongside five prestigious Research Organisation partners:

• British Antarctic Survey
• British Geological Survey
• Natural History Museum
• Plymouth Marine Laboratory
• UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

It also brings together a consortium of around 28 Collaborative Partners from industry, policy and third-sector research organisations.

If successful, you will be registered at Bath, but the training programme includes opportunities for collaborations between the institutions and Research Organisation partners. Collaborative Partners can provide you with opportunities for workplace secondments and student training.

Research themes

Studentships are available for defined research projects across:

• climate change and risk
• earth science and hazards
• evolution and biodiversity across space and time
• science for environmental solutions

You could receive funding for up to three and a half years. This includes:

• tuition fees
• a research and training support grant and training budget
• a maintenance stipend at the UKRI minimum rate

Funding eligibility

Home and International students can apply for this award; however, in line with guidance from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the number of awards available to International students will be limited to 30% of the total.

International students should also note that studentships do not cover UK Student visa costs, or the cost of the mandatory UK Immigration Health Surcharge. These costs can be considerable, so we ask all International applicants to check these costs before applying and to ensure they would be willing and able to cover these from their personal funds.

International applicants must satisfy all visa and immigration requirements, including successfully obtaining ATAS clearance if their offer of study confirms this is required.

Find out more about your tuition fee status.

Academic eligibility

You must have obtained, or be expected to obtain, a 1st or 2:1 Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in a discipline appropriate to the project.

English language requirements

If English not be your first language, you must meet our English language entry requirement.

Programme expectations

This is an in-person PhD programme, and you are expected to attend in person and be based at the University of Bath from the start of the programme (except during placements).

Scheme opens

Applications usually open in late October or early November. Check the GW4+ DLTP’s website for updated information..

Application deadline

When the scheme is open, the deadline for the receipt of applications will be published on the GW4+ DLTP’s website.

Find a project

You will first need to find an available project that you are interested in. We strongly advise you to contact project supervisor(s) in advance of applying to discuss the project and to ensure you make an informed choice.

Make an application

Apply online for the relevant PhD programme.

Note: the PhD programme you should apply for will be quoted in the relevant project advert.

As part of your application you will need to provide supporting information and documents.

In the ‘Funding Your Studies’ section of the application form, please select ‘NERC GW4+ DTP’ from the first drop-down menu. In the ‘Your PhD project’ section, please quote the project title and supervisor name in the appropriate fields. You must complete the NERC GW4+ personal statement template and attach this to your application.

Guidance to help you complete your personal statement.

Applying for multiple projects

The GW4+ DLTP requires candidates to select just one project and will reject applications to multiple projects and institutions. We strongly advise you to contact project supervisors in advance of applying to ensure you make an informed choice about your project.

Should you wish to apply for a GW4+ DLTP project alongside another (non GW4+ DLTP) project at the University of Bath, you may do so within the same application to us (up to a maximum of two projects in total), but you should ensure you quote each project title (and intended supervisors) in order of preference in the appropriate boxes within the 'Your PhD project' section and, IMPORTANTLY, you should upload a separate (clearly labelled) personal statement for each one, outlining your interest and suitability for that particular project. You should also select the appropriate funding source for the second project from the relevant drop-down menu in the ‘Funding your Studies’ section.

We welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability status.

For more information, please visit the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpage or the GW4+ DLTP’s website.

If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.