The UCL Department of Statistical Science is offering at least four fully funded PhD studentships for entry in October 2026. These prestigious studentships are open to both Home and Overseas applicants and provide an excellent opportunity to join one of the largest and most dynamic statistics groups in the UK, based at University College London.

Research in the department spans a wide range of areas, including but not limited to: statistics, statistical science, machine learning, probability, causal inference, computational statistics, biostatistics, environmental statistics, Bayesian statistics, data science, mathematics, econometrics, health economics, stochastic models, and operational research. The department's research is organized into six main themes: Causality; Computational Statistics and Machine Learning; Economics, Finance and Business; Environmental Statistics; Probability; and Statistics in Biomedicine and Health Economics. Many projects are interdisciplinary and involve collaborations within and outside UCL.

Each studentship covers full tuition fees, an annual maintenance stipend (£24,280 for 2025/26, with expected increases), and an allowance for research training. Studentships are for 3.5 years (full-time) or 6 years (part-time). Full-time students will also gain teaching experience during their studies. Additional UCL-wide scholarships, such as the UCL Research Excellence Scholarships, EPSRC Landscape Award, Research Opportunity Scholarships, and CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarships, are available for eligible candidates.

Applicants must have, or expect to achieve, at least a high upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree with merit or distinction in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative discipline. International qualifications of an equivalent standard are accepted. All students whose first language is not English must provide recent evidence of English proficiency at UCL's standard level. Candidates are expected to identify and contact a prospective supervisor in advance and prepare an outline research proposal aligned with departmental research areas. A list of potential supervisors and their research interests is available on the department website.

To apply, candidates should first submit an application for admission to the MPhil/PhD in Statistical Science at UCL. Afterward, they must send the funding application form and supervisor reference form (both as PDFs) to [email protected] and complete the online Diversity Data Form. The deadline for all application steps is 9 January 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews in late January, typically held online.

For more information, visit the department's research and postgraduate admissions pages, or contact Ms Marina Lewis at [email protected].