A £350m fund, allocated by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will create over 70 new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) across the UK, with several in Oxford involving Fellows of Univ.

The fund has today been announced by David Willetts, Universities and Science Minister, and it will train over 3,500 postgraduate students in engineering and physical sciences at 24 universities across the UK.

The College has played an important role in supporting this scheme, assisted by the generosity of the Oxford Radcliffe benefaction.

In addition to financial support, Univ has connections with several of the new CDTs through involvement of our Fellows.

Synthesis for Biology and Medicine

Directed by Dr Martin Smith, Helen Martin Old Members Fellow in Organic Chemistry.

Based in Oxford University’s Department of Chemistry, it will train the next generation of doctoral scientists to use chemical synthesis to tackle problems relevant to challenges including developing new anti-infectives to tackle the emergence of antibiotic-resistant disease and understanding how newly-discovered proteins interact with the human brain. In a unique “Intellectual Property-free” approach 100 fully-funded DPhil students at the CDT will freely share information and expertise between academic groups and 12 industrial partners.

Theory and Modelling in Chemical Sciences

Directed by Professor David Logan, Coulson Professor of Theoretical Chemistry, and Dr Martin Galpin, Special Supernumerary Fellow in Mathematics for Chemistry, is a member of the CDT team.

Theory and computer modelling play an increasingly central role in chemical and allied sciences, providing the means to understand, predict and design new molecules and materials. This CDT will combine the expertise of leading groups in Oxford, Bristol and Southampton Universities, to transform graduate-level training in computational and theoretical chemistry and deliver the research leaders of the future required by both academia and industry. Students will receive integrated, in-depth training in the core activities of fundamental theory, software development, and application to contemporary research challenges. The programme further includes extensive outreach to the wider national research and user community.

Industrially Focused Mathematical Modelling

Dr Peter Howell, Pye Fellow in Mathematics, is a member of the CDT team.

This will train the next generation of applied mathematicians to fill critical roles in industry and academia. The students will become adaptable problem-solvers armed with a breadth of cutting-edge mathematical techniques and outstanding communication skills. The Centre currently has 35 partner companies, spanning SMEs to multinationals firms, who are actively involved in designing, delivering, and supporting the Centre’s training and research. After a first year of intensive training, the students will pursue a research project aligned with a company so that all aspects of CDT research have immediate impact.

Next Generation Statistical Science: the Oxford-Warwick Statistics Programme

Professor Yee Whye Teh, Fellow in Statistics, is a member of the CDT team.

This will train graduates in the theory, methods and computation of modern statistical science for data-intensive environments. The world is facing an unprecedented demand for highly trained statistical scientists due to the explosive growth of data. The departments of statistics at the universities of Oxford and Warwick have worked together to create a new centre for doctoral training in statistics. Doctoral students will gain depth of understanding from a supervisor pool of international standing as well as a breadth of experience from partners in industry and academia, including Google, GlaxoSmithKline, Amazon, UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and ETH Zurich.

Professor Bill Roscoe, Senior Research Fellow in Computer Science, and Dr Andrew Ker, Tutorial Fellow in Computer Security, were also involved in the EPSRC CDT in Cyber Security, funded earlier in the year.

In addition to the CDTs, Univ are also helping to support an Earth Sciences studentship through the recently successful NERC Doctoral Training Partnership.

Published: 22 November 2013

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