Postgraduate Studies

The MBU’s PhD programme is run by the Unit’s Postgraduate Education Committee (PGEC). Our primary focus is on learning by being embedded in a world-leading laboratory, closely supervised by one of our group leaders. Every student also undertakes the Unit’s formal training programme. In the first year, they attend our lecture course on mitochondrial biology and medicine, plus a number of training courses prescribed by the University. They present a short talk to the Unit at the start of the year, laying out their project plans. At the end of their first year, each student submits a formal report on their work that is assessed in an oral examination by two of the Unit’s group leaders. They also take a separate oral examination testing their knowledge of mitochondrial biology and medicine. In their second year, we hold a joint student poster session with our partner institute in The Keith Peters Building (Cambridge Institute for Medical Research) and then each MBU student presents their poster to the Unit in a seminar format. Then, towards the end of their studies, each student presents their achievements in a formal research seminar. Throughout their studies our students are actively encouraged to take advantage of a broad range of training opportunities both within and outside the Unit and the wider University. For example, the University provides courses on scientific writing, good research practice, ethics and integrity, intellectual property rights, communication skills, project management and career planning. Our students are further encouraged to attend seminars, lectures and workshops that are relevant and interesting to them, selected from the huge range available in Cambridge, and we support them in attending both national and international conferences to present their work, form new contacts and connections, and broaden their knowledge. We fund every student to attend at last one international conference during their studentship and encourage them to apply for additional funding from their Colleges, and elsewhere. Finally, all our students are members of the Unit’s Postgraduate Student Society. The Postgraduate Student Society plans and runs a regular series of events, including journal clubs and social events, and provides a forum through which issues of concern to students can be raised, and communicated and discussed with the Unit’s PGEC and Director.

Students who either are UK nationals or have established UK residency are eligible for the award of a full UKRI/MRC studentship. The formal rules for eligibility for "Home" status can be found here.

During the autumn of each year, the University runs various Postgraduate Open Days.  They provide opportunities for potential students to ask questions, to find out more about the application process, to explore Cambridge virtually, and they include live sessions with departmental representatives.

Unibuddy platform for prospective students

Unibuddy is a platform for prospective students to have a one-to-one chat with current students at the University of Cambridge. It is a great way to gain valuable insights into student life and build professional and social connections with fellow peers.  The student ambassadors are well-versed in answering queries relating to studies and life at Cambridge. Applicants can also connect with student ambassadors from their department of interest and country of origin (this may depend on the availability of the student ambassador).

Collation and circulation

Immediately after the 16 May closing date, all applications will be downloaded from the University’s application portal and circulated to potential supervisors. Open applications will be circulated to all supervisors.

Interview process

Interviews will be arranged as part of an MBU “Open Day”. The interview panel will consist of four group leaders, who will interview and rank all candidates. Ranked applicants’ papers will be considered by the Postgraduate Education Committee. Approval of offers will be communicated to the supervisor(s) and then the applicant, informally, by the supervisor.

Our PhD students come from all over the world. Between 2015 and 2022, we hosted 69 PhD students - 36 from the UK, 23 from the EU, and 10 from other countries, including Brazil, China, Iran, India, Japan, Malaysia and the USA. Nearly all our PhD students complete within four years, with an average time to thesis submission of 3 years 9 months. Our students have achieved ca. 200 authorships on MBU publications, and regularly participate in conferences by giving talks and presenting posters. They are snapped up by academia, biotech and industry – several now hold their own independent academic positions at universities across the world, and others hold senior leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry. Of the 44 students who graduated over the past 7 years, 22 moved on to post-doctoral research positions, 12 took up industry research positions, and the rest moved on to other careers, such as patent law, clinical training, publishing, business development and secondary school teaching. If you would like to talk directly to our current PhD students about life in the MBU, please contact the current president of the MBU Postgraduate Student Society, Robert Waddell.