Fully Funded Rotation PhD in Plant and Microbial Sciences at John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and Earlham Institute John Innes Centre in United Kingdom

Fully funded PhD opportunity in Plant Science, Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics, Computational Biology, and Crop Science through the John Innes Foundation Rotation PhD Programme in Plant and Microbial Sciences.

This is a 4-year rotation PhD hosted across the John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and Earlham Institute, with degree registration at the University of East Anglia. The programme is designed for students who want broad training before choosing a main supervisor and research topic. In Year 1, students complete three 10-week mini-projects across different labs, then select a main PhD project and supervisor.

The programme covers a wide range of research areas including plant science, microbiology, biological chemistry, applied mathematics, computational biology, systems biology, genetics, genomics, crop science, cell biology, molecular biology, and plant health. It is especially suitable for applicants interested in interdisciplinary life-science research and exploring multiple projects before committing to a final thesis topic.

Funding: studentships include a generous stipend for living expenses, full tuition fees, and research/training costs. The post states that the stipend is competitive with the UKRI minimum rate. Up to five studentships are available each year, with up to two potentially awarded to international candidates.

Eligibility: open to UK and international applicants with a degree in any scientific subject relevant to the programme. Applicants should meet PhD registration requirements at the University of East Anglia and normally hold, or expect to obtain, at least an Upper Second Class honours degree or equivalent.

Deadline: 22 June 2026 (midnight UK GMT) for the second round, for Home Fee status applicants only.

How to apply: submit the application via the University of East Anglia online postgraduate research application form. Read the application guidance first, and do not submit more than one application. If you need to update an existing application, contact [email protected] before the deadline.