Funding & How to Apply

We are taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.

• Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) and your contextual statement (if you choose to provide one) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.
• We recognise that the socio-economic contextual data that we routinely collect via the application form may not fully capture an individual student’s personal circumstances or educational trajectory, so if any of the criteria circumstances listed below apply, we encourage you to submit a statement providing additional details on your situation personal circumstances, using the contextual statement form. Contextual statements are used to contextualise provide further context during application assessment and selection processes, and may be used in association with answers to the standard contextual data questions. any socio-economic contextual data.
• Please note, this statement is separate from completing the 'Extenuating circumstances’ section of the standard application form, which should be used to declare specific significant circumstances that may have had a negative effect on the strength of your application, for example a bereavement that took place during your previous degree-level studies. Highly sensitive information should not be included in a contextual statement but instead be shared via the ‘Sensitive Personal Extenuating Circumstances’ form. 
   
  • You may wish to provide a contextual statement, particularly if you:
    • are in the first generation of your family to go to university
    • have been in care for at least three months 
    • have been a young carer
    • are from a low-income background
    • have received a means-tested scholarship
    • have needed to work to support yourself during your academic studies because of your socio-economic circumstances
    • are a refugee
    • are neurodivergent
    • have or have had one or more disabilities or chronic illnesses that have affected you in education or at work
    • wish to disclose other circumstances that have substantially affected you in education or at work

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics or a closely related subject. 

Entrance is highly competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent. 

A previous master's degree is not required, but it is expected that most applicants with a ‘physical science' background will have completed a four-year integrated master's course. The undergraduate degree requirement may be alternatively demonstrated by strong performance in a relevant master's degree. 

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0. However, most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.8 or above. No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University's minimum entry requirements. The list of countries in the link above is not exhaustive and we will use other comparison sources such as https://www.ecctis.com/ for countries not listed.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Professional experience, especially research experience in artificial intelligence, is valuable and will be taken into consideration as a substitute for an academic qualification. Applicants must be able to demonstrate, in their statement of purpose and/or CV section of the application form, that they are highly numerate and capable of graduate level research in mathematics and computer science to complete the course. Prior research experience that has resulted in journal or conference publications should be included if present.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. More information on this is available on the university website.

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances (www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford/application- guide/qualifications-experience-languages-funding/extenuating-circumstances) in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
 

All applications must be made via the university admissions portal. Please take note of the admissions deadline for applications. All material, including references must be submitted by noon on the deadline day and you should aim to submit at least 2 weeks before this date. You are not expected to contact prospective supervisors prior to application.

• Please use the 'Field and title of research project' on the 'Course' tab of the application form to state which of the 4 methodological and EIT research themes you are most interested in working on:

1. Generative Design & Physical Simulation; 2. Scientific Foundation Models & Multimodal Representation; 3. Agentic AI & Autonomous Experimentation; 4. Learning Efficiency, Scaling & Architecture

A. Microbes; B. Pathogens and infectious diseases; C. Plant sciences; D. Enzymes

• It is not necessary for you to identify a potential supervisor in your application.

As part of the application form, candidates will be asked to upload:

• Official transcript(s)
• For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application
• You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. 
• Statement of purpose: there is a set format for the statement of purpose (see below). Please note that if these instructions are not followed, your application will not be considered as complete and may not be considered.

Your statement should be written in English and should focus on your motivation, research interests and career ambitions, rather than on other personal achievements, interests and aspirations.

You must structure your statement into the three sections listed below. Please ensure that the word counts are clearly displayed. The section headings will not count towards the word count. Please be as specific and detailed as possible in your answers.

1. Give an overview of your academic education and professional career to date and how it led to an interest in conducting research in the fundamentals of AI (250 words)

2. Which of the CDT's methodological research themes are you most interested in, and why? Describe a research project you have undertaken that demonstrates your interest or experience in developing, adapting or investigating AI methods relevant to this theme. What research question did you address, what was your individual contribution, and why was methodological development needed rather than straightforward application of an existing off-the-shelf approach? Finally, describe the kinds of methodological research questions you would be interested in pursuing during your DPhil.? (Up to 400 words)

3. Which of the CDT's scientific focus areas (microbes, pathogens and infectious diseases, plant sciences, or enzymes - are you most interested in, and why? Describe one or more scientific questions or challenges within these areas that you would be interested in addressing using AI. Explain how your methodological interests could contribute to this research and what you would hope to learn from working with scientists in the area. (up to 400 words)

Please note that if these instructions are not followed, your application will not be considered as complete and may not be considered.

Your responses may form the basis of questions at interview. It is therefore important that your written application accurately and authentically reflects your own experience, research interests and motivations, and that you are prepared to discuss your responses in detail.

You may also explain any special circumstances relating to any element of your application that you wish to bring to the attention of the assessors in your statement.

Your statement will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying
• evidence of understanding the proposed area of study
• your ability to present a coherent case in proficient English
• your commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
• your preliminary knowledge of the subject area and research techniques
• your capacity for sustained and intense work
• your reasoning ability and ability to absorb new ideas often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace
• your willingness to engage with foundational AI for scientific discovery projects with potential to impact across a range of scientific themes associated with the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT)

You are not required to contact the CDT prior to application. However, if you do have questions informal enquiries should be made to the CDT in Fundamentals of AI programme manager in the first instance.

Your primary DPhil supervisor must be an Oxford university academic, but students are encouraged to also work closely with members of EIT research teams. Students may also work with other academics beyond the main supervisor as co-supervisors. 

You should not include a research proposal in your application form. Instead of the research proposal we are asking for a number of specific questions to be answered in the Statement of Purpose. 

Your statement should be written in English and should focus on your motivation, research interests and career ambitions in the area of the CDT, rather than on other personal achievements, interests and aspirations. 

The department is looking for applicants whose research interests are aligned with its mission and whose academic and professional experience to date meet the following specification:

• Delivered an outstanding performance in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a subject that involves the extensive study of relevant graduate-level mathematics: We are looking for individuals with an exceptional academic track record who can demonstrate a high level of performance in a subject of study that involves graduate-level mathematical study. This would normally involve successfully completing undergraduate and possibly further postgraduate study in subjects such as mathematics, statistics, engineering, computer science or physics.

• Have demonstrable experience of artificial intelligence research: We are looking for individuals to provide evidence of their interest and commitment to artificial intelligence research commensurate with their career stage. This could involve research projects as part of their formal academic studies, internships or professional work experience.

• Possess a clear motivation for the study of fundamentals of artificial intelligence: We want to understand how your career record and experiences to date have led to an interest in the further study of the fundamentals of AI. We want to see a compelling vision for how this CDT will support your future aspirations.

• Candidates should select and demonstrate a clear interest and commitment to research in at least one of the CDT's research themes and in applying AI to at least one of its scientific focus areas. Applicants should explain how their track record and research interests align with a methodological theme -

Generative Design & Physical Simulation;

Scientific Foundation Models & Multimodal Representation; 

Agentic AI & Autonomous Experimentation; 

Learning Efficiency, Scaling & Architecture.

• Candidates should select and demonstrate a clear interest and commitment to research in at least one the CDT's scientific areas: 

microbes

pathogens and infectious diseases

plant sciences

enzymes. 

Candidates are not expected to have prior expertise in both AI and the relevant scientific domain, but should demonstrate genuine motivation to work within these areas and to develop AI methods that address substantive scientific questions.

• Provides indicators of emerging leadership capabilities: We are seeking individuals who can demonstrate the potential to not only undertake great doctoral research but may have the ability to become leaders in their field and beyond. The CDT will develop these skills during the programme but we want candidates who can give examples where they have demonstrated strong communication skills, the ability to engage and work with others, or taken the initiative and responsibility. 

  Evidence could be in the context of academic or professional work but can also be shown through personal interests, sports and hobbies (e.g. charity work).

An application fee of £20 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;

• refugees and displaced persons; 

• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 

• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission.

Application fee waivers for eligible associated courses

If you apply to this course and up to two eligible courses during the same application cycle, you can request an application fee waiver so that you only need to pay one application fee. We recommend that you use your application fee waiver to apply only for eligible courses that are closely related in research area to this one.

To be considered eligible for an application fee waiver, each additional course must be:

• doctoral level eg a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) course; and

• offered by one of the departments in the MPLS Division or one of the departments in the Medical Sciences Division.

If this is the first eligible course that you are applying to, you can request an application fee waiver for an additional course after you have submitted your application for this course. If you have already applied to another course that the meets the eligibility criteria shown above, you should request an application fee waiver before starting an application to this course.

For 2027 entry students will focus on working within one of these methodological themes:

1. Generative Design & Physical Simulation
2. Scientific Foundation Models & Multimodal Representation
3. Agentic AI & Autonomous Experimentation
4. Learning Efficiency, Scaling & Architecture

These methodologies are expected to be applied across EIT AIR's scientific research programmes, focusing on:

• Microbes
• Pathogens and infectious diseases
• Plant sciences
• Enzymes

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process and are expected to be held in February or March following initial shortlisting of the applications. 

Interviews will be held online, normally with at least two interviewers from the supervision pool and one from EIT. Prior to interview you may be required to prepare a short video highlighting your interest in a topic related to EIT and the CDT.  In some cases, you may be invited back for a second interview. 

Interviews will focus on technical aspects, specifically your foundational mathematical, statistical and computational skills, your appetite to engage with cohort activities, and your commitment to innovation to solve global problems through technological advancements.
 

AI may be used to assist in researching application materials, but any submitted documents must be written by you and must adhere to our plagiarism policy, and any text that is not your own should be referenced. All supporting documents must be in English, unless stated otherwise on your course page. Supporting documents may not be translated into English by an AI tool, as our academic assessors need to understand your powers of expression in English. Our application assessors will be evaluating your ability to undertake critical analysis, so using AI for more than assistance with initial research is likely to reduce your chances of success. 

If academic assessors consider that inappropriate use of AI was made in application documents, they may reject your application. Please note that AI technology to assist with a disability (such as voice recognition software for transcriptions or spelling and grammar checkers) may be used.