UniDLA Guidance for Applicants

Personal Information

Address(es)

Your Home Student status requires proof of residency in the UK, so we need you to provide your address(es) for the past three years. This is a UKRI requirement.

Referees

You need two different referees. They can be from education or employment (see Choosing Referees below). References from friends and family are not permitted. Both references must be submitted before the closing deadline for applications. Please contact your referees in advance and check that they are willing and able to provide a reference for you by the deadline.

UniDLA operates an anonymous shortlisting process where possible. This means that all your personal information (name, addresses, referees, etc.) are stripped from the information given to shortlisters to avoid any conscious or unconscious biases. To help with this, do not include personal identifying details such as your name, age, gender, in the parts of the form describing your education, experience, and personal statements.

You must list at least one university degree-level qualification.

Completing the diversity information part of the form is required. This information is separated from the rest of your application, pooled and anonymised. You have the option of answering “Prefer not to say” to each of the questions. The information you provide will help the programme to make sure that its recruitment and admissions processes are as fair and balanced as possible.

We need to add that personal data of successful candidates who will be offered a UniDLA studentship, will be entered on the UKRI Studentships Data System.

Research experience

List one or two most relevant research projects on the form. It is fine if you only have one research experience. Research experience can be from your degree, a job or other work experience. The project details should include your research aims and hypothesis with some context - was it addressing an outstanding question, was it improving current knowledge/techniques etc. Provide details of the techniques you used and what they were used for. Also provide details of whether you were working alone or as part of a team and what your specific intellectual and practical contributions were. Practical research work can be wet (i.e., laboratory or field-based) or dry (i.e. computational or theoretical). If you don’t have practical experience, perhaps you have conducted a literature review or data analysis to address a specific question. Provide details of how you went about deciding on the topic of review or the aim of your analysis, and how you conducted your research.

Research outcomes

Describe your key findings and the implications of the research mentioned in the Research Experience section. If you weren’t able to achieve your research aims, what were the limitations of the study and how could you address this in future work if you continued working on it? If it was a literature review, did you identify gaps in the literature where further research is required? What were your personal outcomes – did you gain confidence with a particular technique or another skill that will be useful for doing a PhD? What did you learn about the research process and your ability to do research? Provide details if you presented your findings somewhere or if they will contribute to a publication.

Industry Interest

The UniDLA programme is a joint collaborative programme with Unilever as the industrial partner. Describe what interests you in a PhD project with an industrial partner. What additional skills or experience do you want to gain from an industrial linked PhD project.

Personal statement

We are interested in why you are applying for the UniDLA programme, why you believe you are a strong candidate and that the programme represents a good fit for you. Demonstrate your interest in research and the UniDLA programme itself. Think about the unique aspects of the UniDLA

programme and project or projects that interest you. Other than your qualifications, what qualities do you think a PhD candidate needs? Independence, curiosity, resilience, communication, problem solving, time management etc. Give examples of your experience that demonstrate these qualities. What research ideas are you excited to explore and what techniques will you use to do this? How will your current experience and skill set assist you with this? Don’t be too general – try to express specific interests that fall within the BBSRC remit and to deliver the requirements of the project. You may also wish to mention any personal challenges you have faced during your professional or academic experience, and how you have overcome or adapted to this.

Choosing your referees

Choosing the most appropriate referees will be important for your application as they reinforce your academic and professional experience and ultimately provide an impression of your capacity to be a PhD candidate. Whoever you choose, you should approach them to communicate your desire to do a PhD and inform them of the application process to ensure they are willing and able to provide a reference. It is essential to discuss with them your objectives and motivation to do a PhD so that they can support your application appropriately. Sharing your application materials with them may assist this. Giving your referee plenty of notice will help them fit it into their schedule and ensure they have enough time to do you justice.

Your referees must be able to comment on your research and/or academic abilities, and why you would make an excellent PhD candidate. They will also be asked to provide evidence of your aptitude or potential for postdoctoral research. You should think about these points when choosing your referee and discussing your application with them.

At least one of your referees should be from an academic setting, ideally a supervisor of a research project who worked closely with you to oversee your work. This may be the principal investigator or another senior researcher, such as a post-doc in the lab. A personal tutor or module leader who knows you well and can express your research goals, interests and abilities can also be a good choice. A previous employer may also provide a useful reference, where they can vouch for your skills and interest within an area related to your research goals.