Research degrees
Join us
Being part of our postgraduate community means you’ll join our friendly, supportive and diverse researchers who come from all around the world. Discover more about on-campus support, and living and working in Leeds.
Apply for a PhD
The easiest way to apply for a PhD is online, which will allow you to track your application at each stage of the process. Follow our step-by-step guidance.
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Fully funded PhDs
Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) are fully funded PhDs that train researchers to address science related problems for the benefit of society. Explore our CDTs.
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Guidance and support
From day one, you’ll benefit from a strong support network to guide you through your PhD. Find out more about support offered to postgraduate researchers.
MoreHear from our postgraduate researchers
Our postgraduate researchers work together across disciplines to tackle challenges in sustainability, health and the environment at the forefront of global agendas. Learn more about what they have to say.
Claire Rosato-Scott is part of a research and practice partnership that has been awarded funding from the Humanitarian Innovation Fund to conduct research in Bangladesh and Uganda on children and their caregivers’ experiences with incontinence. Find out more about her PhD.
Kingsley, a University of Leeds PhD researcher from Ghana, was among the first group of students selected for the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy programme (DARA): a project supported by the Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund.
The main aim of Azza's PhD research is to optimise the power consumption within data centre architectures which will decrease the levels of CO2 emissions. Find out more.
The aim of Saleh's PhD research is to investigate and assess the levels of methane produced in ‘anaerobic digestion,’ a process that takes place in the digestion of sewage sludge, for environmentally friendly outcomes. Find out more.
Through her MRes, Millie is looking into ways of designing devices which can both tangibly improve surgical care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Find out more about her research.
Research impact
Our academic researchers lead and facilitate research that has real-world results. Here are some examples of impactful academic research pioneered by our academic community.
Tracking extreme weather
A collaboration between the UK Met Office and the University of Leeds has used crowd-sourced weather data to better track extreme weather as it moves across the country and provide more accurate weather warnings.
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Reducing the environmental impact of cellulose films
Films made of cellulose offer a compostable, greener alternative to plastic food packaging. Research by Professor Mike Reis is helping one of the world’s largest producers of these films reduce its environmental footprint.
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An innovative answer to capturing carbon
An new method of carbon capture, developed by Chris Rayner and his team, can successfully separate and capture carbon dioxide from industrial flue gases. It could be a more deployed as a sustainable alternative to current technologies.
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Our climate plan
The University’s Climate Plan will see £174 million invested over the next decade, more than £150 million of which will be put towards achieving the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.