How to Apply

Overview

We invite applications from students who are enthusiastic and strongly motivated to develop cutting-edge AI methods and applications for healthcare in a diverse, multidisciplinary setting.
For entry in October 2023, there are a dozen or more places available, for both regular PhDs and clinical PhD fellowships.

Our Centre values diversity and equality, and all staff and students are committed to providing an inclusive environment in which everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Applications are encouraged from students of all backgrounds; all applications will be considered equally, purely based on academic merit and aptitude, irrespective of ethnicity, disability, religion, gender, age, race, nationality, origin. Our students are registered in the Department of Computing, which is an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Two Ticks Employer, and working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.

Entry Requirements and Eligibility

Our programme is open to all applicants* who meet both the general Imperial College London minimum eligibility and entry requirements, and the AI for Healthcare CDT programme’s eligibility and entry requirements.

*As well as UK nationals and applicants settled in the UK (i.e. indefinite leave to remain), the programme is open to international applicants.

Imperial College Requirements

The general Imperial College entry requirements for PhD study are listed HERE. If you have a non-UK degree or qualification, please check the Imperial College minimum entry requirements via the ‘Country Index’, but please note that the entry requirements to this CDT programme are normally higher than College minimum requirements.

English Language Requirements

Applicants will be asked to show they have met the College’s English-language requirement. The College’s postgraduate English language entry requirement page describes the exemptions and tests accepted: our programme requires that students have proficiency at Standard level.

AI for Healthcare CDT Programme Requirements

Entry to our AI for Healthcare CDT programme is very competitive. Successful applicants normally have a First Class (4-year-undergraduate degree) and/or Distinction level Master’s degree or equivalent degree in a relevant scientific or technical discipline, such as computer science, engineering (mechanical, electrical/electronics, biomedical engineering), mathematics, physics, statistics, as well as biological sciences, or medicine. Desirable core skills include mathematics, statistics, or data science. Additional expertise in medicine or biology (especially quantitative and biological systems) is valuable, as is expertise in machine learning, computer vision, deep learning, robotics, natural language processing, human-computer interfaces or software engineering. If in doubt, prospective applicants are encouraged to apply in any case.

Clinical PhD Fellows Eligibility

Our Centre is looking forward to receiving applications from medical graduates who want to become a clinical PhD fellow and demonstrate their commitment to research on AI Technologies applied to healthcare. The clinical supervisors and healthcare partners span the full breadth of healthcare challenges facing society, such as dementia, brain and mental health, infectious diseases, cancer and surgery, obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular and lung diseases, intensive care and primary care.

Eligibility criteria: Normally, clinical PhD applicants:

  1. must be a GMC registered Doctor in training in the UK
  2. be at Core Training level or above (or in GP Training), normally ST2-4
  3. GP Trainees may apply if within 12 months of having CCT
  4. be eligible to take time out of their clinical training programme (OOPR)
  5. be Home/UK students, or must meet UK residency requirements (e.g. Indefinite Leave to Remain)

Application deadlines

For HOME/UK applicants:
The provisional application deadline is 15 January 2023; if places are left after that, applications are considered on a rolling basis until places are filled.

For INTERNATIONAL/Overseas applicants:  
The application deadline is 15 January 2023. We are unable to accept late applications.

It typically takes up to 4 months to confirm the outcome of your application or interview [to count from the application deadline of 15 January 2023 initially]

Before you apply

Before you apply for this programme, you should have decided what research area within AI for healthcare -as a general idea-you would like to work in, but you do not need to have a full research proposal.

Please note that the online application portal has a section for a ‘research proposal’ which is compulsory to complete, but this is the section you should upload the personal statement to. Also, please note that the online application needs to be submitted first before documents can be attached.

Below in sub-sections A-C, find more details on what information you should include in your application: List A has the details on what to include in your CV; List B is on Academic Transcripts, and List C on your Personal Statement.

It is your responsibility to ensure your application is complete. This means that both references should have been received, in addition to the transcript(s), your CV and your personal statement before we can begin to review the application. We are unable to consider incomplete applications, neither will there be reminders to you of what is missing. Furthermore, please ensure you are familiar with the Imperial College application process. This programme requires ATAS clearance which is UK government requirement. So we also recommend applicants check whether they require ATAS.

A. What to Include in your CV
  1. Full name and your title
  2. Nationality
  3. Country of normal residence for the past 5 years
  4. All correspondence details (address, email, and phone numbers).
  5. Dates, institutions and qualifications arising (with grades) from all of your higher and further education (since the age of 17)
  6. For those currently studying for a degree, the names of the programmes and results that they have achieved so far (percentages as well as grades) and their expected final grade
  7. Any professional qualifications, internships and research projects done in the past; any prizes or awards that you may have received so far
  8. Employment history
  9. Statement of your fluency in English and (if available) scores of English language tests.
  10. Please feel free to include information about any extra support or assistance you may need throughout your application journey, for health, disability or other reasons
B. Academic Transcripts

Please provide all academic transcript(s); this can be in form of scanned documents or transcript confirmations -email or letters- you may have from previous universities. For those currently studying for a degree, please create a list yourself which should state the name of the programme you are studying, start and end dates of studies, list of modules including results that you have achieved so far (percentages as well as grades) and your expected final grade.

C. Personal Statement

The statement should describe your academic and career plans as well as your motivation for research and not be longer than 1 page. When writing your personal statement, please make sure it answers the following questions:

  1. What are your interests in Artificial Intelligence research?
  2. What are your healthcare interests, and where do you see AI research having impact?
  3. Why do you think the AI4Health CDT is the right choice for you?
  4. If applicable: Again, no specific research proposal is required and you do not need to contact a potential supervisor, but if you have spoken to any about a specific project, please mention this in your personal statement.

How to apply

Please submit your PhD application to the Imperial College online application portal. The programme title is ‘AI and Machine Learning’ (PhD 4YFT). In the online system’s application category, please select ‘Postgraduate Research’ first to be able to see this programme name.

What the application journey looks like

  1. Students prepare material and documents for their application and then submit it online to the Imperial College application portal. (see sections ‘Before you apply’ and ‘How to apply’).
  2. Applicants who meet the Imperial College requirements are normally required to take admissions tests and are being emailed details about the admissions tests. (please check your Spam folder and add our email address to your safe-sender list).
  3. Applications are being reviewed by the Admissions Panel consisting of several members of academic staff and AI and/or healthcare experts.
  4. Steps 2 and 3 are used to prepare a shortlist for interview; shortlisted applicants would normally get access to the projects that are available to select from when they are asked to select an x-number of projects, ranking them in order of preference. This will then be used to match students with supervisors in their areas of interest for the interview stage.
  5. After interviews and reviews, recommendations are considered by the CDT Panel for confirmation of an offer of a place and studentship, usually for a specified project. 
  6. Successful applicants would receive an email confirming the proposed outcome, and any remaining conditions to be fulfilled. Students are then asked to accept the offer for the proposed supervisor and project. The formal offer of admissions will then be sent through the online application portal and the student needs to accept this offer in the online application portal.
  7. Any offer conditions need to be satisfied prior to starting the programme in October. Please see details here on how offer conditions are submitted. 

Contact

For further enquiries or questions, please email us at ai4health-admissions@imperial.ac.uk

Once your online application is submitted, you can also monitor the progress of your application on your application portal.

If you are experiencing problems with your account, you can report a technical issue.

Funding for Regular PhDs

The studentship can provide support for up to 4 years. However, please note that stipend support for months 36-42 are subject to progress conditions and stipend support for the final six-month “Impact” phase (months 42-48), which gives you scope to move your work further towards real-world application​, is dependent on good project progress and opportunities for impact. The studentship covers a tax-free stipend at the standard UKRI rate (e.g. rate in 2022-23 is £19,668 per annum) and the tuition fees (Home/UK Fee level) including the Writing-up fee in the fourth year. The stipend rates usually increase each year in line with inflation rates.

Funding for Clinical PhD Fellows

The clinical PhD fellows typically study for 3 years and the funding provides a clinical salary and covers the tuition fees (Home/UK rates), for 3 years.