The University of Southampton is offering fully funded PhD positions through the Black Futures Scholarship program and in the area of implantable brain machine interfacing. The Black Futures Scholarship is designed for talented Black and Mixed-Black heritage UK-domiciled students who wish to pursue a PhD at Southampton. The scholarship provides a tax-free stipend of £20,780 per year for 3.5 years, full UK tuition fees, and a £1,200 annual training and support grant. Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK, eligible for UK fees, and from specific Black or Mixed-Black backgrounds as defined by HESA.

In addition, Dr. Majid Zamani, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) and Lead of the BrainL∞p Research Lab, is seeking highly motivated PhD candidates with governmental funding to work on implantable brain machine interfacing. Candidates should have a master's degree in machine learning, electronics engineering, or neuroscience from a prestigious university, be proficient in deep learning techniques (such as CNN, Autoencoder, LSTM, GAN), and have strong programming skills in MATLAB and Python. Familiarity with digital hardware architectures, FPGA design, and experience in computational modelling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using COMSOL are also desirable. A high GPA (UK upper second-class honours or 2:1) and an IELTS certificate are required for entry into Electronics and Computer Science at Southampton.

To apply for the Black Futures Scholarship, identify a PhD project from the university's current offerings or propose your own, then apply online for both the PhD project and the scholarship scheme. For the brain machine interfacing position, send your CV and a one-page cover letter detailing your expertise to Dr. Zamani at [email protected]. The deadline for the Black Futures Scholarship is Friday, 27 February 2026. Early application is encouraged due to the competitive nature of the funding.

For more information, visit the University of Southampton's Black Futures Scholarship page or contact the Doctoral College at [email protected].