Postgraduate Training and PhD Studentships
The Department provides an academically stimulating environment in which to carry out the research for your PhD. This includes:
- Newly refurbished laboratories, which contain state of the art equipment in which to perform your experimental work
- Extensive computer and IT facilities for writing papers as well as your Ph D!
- A graduate training programme which will develop your knowledge base as well as enhancing your IT and presentation skills.
For more information on training opportunities please visit the Graduate School of Life Sciences Website.
- A lively academic environment including seminars and presentations
- Opportunities to apply for funding to attend international scientific conferences
- Yearly competitions for excellence in research, poster presentations and research seminars
- Opportunities to demonstrate in undergraduate practical classes and to participate in undergraduate small group teaching
Almost all of the laboratories are newly refurbished and contain state of the art equipment. The Department also has close links and collaborates with other science Departments in Cambridge as well as with local, national and international industry.
Student Testimonials
Lydia Hunter
3rd Year PhD student
Having read Biological Sciences as an undergraduate, I had thoroughly enjoyed studying a broad range of subjects from molecular biology to marine conservation. Towards the end of my degree I was able to appreciate the importance of applied science and decided to continue studying and pursue a career in research. Plant pathology had become my favourite field of interest: I was fascinated by the intricacies of plant-pathogen interactions and mechanisms of plant defence. Furthermore, living in an age of pending world food shortages, an increased understanding of plant pathology is pivotal for sustainable crop protection and food security.
Therefore, when it came to applying for PhDs within this field, I was keen to find a project at a department with strong research credentials which would enable me to reach my potential during my PhD. Now entering the second year of my project at the Department of Plant Sciences at Cambridge, I am extremely pleased with my decision and the progress of my project so far. I thoroughly enjoy the practical aspect of research alongside the seminar programmes and group meetings available at the department, which challenge my approach to my project work and expose me to a wide range of disciplines.
I am very fortunate to have a joint PhD studentship between the Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge and the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) in Dundee. This collaboration between the two Virology groups has been beneficial for both the project, and also for myself, as it has extended the resources and expertise available to me and I have gained a valuable insight into research at two very different institutes. Cambridge is a fantastic city to live and study in, and combined with my time at the SCRI, I feel that I am becoming familiar with a broad research community, providing me with a fantastic platform with which to begin my career.
Laura Bell
3rd Year PhD student
Towards the end of my undergraduate degree I began thinking seriously about the prospect of postgraduate study in plant sciences. I was attracted to Cambridge not only due to its status as a leading research institution, especially in my area of interest, but also to the broad range of skills and disciplines that an education in Cambridge offered. Particularly, I was interested in the opportunity to collaborate with an industrial partner, which my current project involves. This partnership allows first hand experience of plant science industry through the project planning and implementation stages, but it also means I get to spend time working in an industrial lab, and in my case, abroad. This would be thoroughly advantageous were I to pursue a career in industry as opposed to academia.
The academic environment in Cambridge has encouraged my development as a scientist for example, through opportunities for conference visits and offering regular talks by leading scientists. This both widens your background knowledge and your scientific horizons, and makes you think about research from different perspectives. I have found there is ample opportunity for presentation and discussion of your own research both in a relaxed informal environment and also to more formal audiences, excellent practice for a career in science.
I found the college system extremely helpful in making me feel part of the university both socially and academically. From a social point of view, MCRs provide diverse and active social lives for graduate students, and meeting people in different fields within colleges can also provide an opportunity to learn from other disciplines and gain interesting new perspectives.