PhD Opportunities
The Department of Chemistry has a thriving research school with about 100 students carrying out PhD degrees in a range of fields spanning the traditional subdivisions of organic, inorganic, physical, theoretical and analytical chemistry, as well as interdisciplinary areas such as chemical biology, artificial photosynthesis, and materials science. Many collaborative projects may involve co-supervision with a second academic staff member, either within chemistry or from another department. The Department is housed in the newly refurbished Dainton Building and linked Richard Roberts Building, which won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2004, and contains state-of-the art laboratory facilities and instrumentation.
Whatever your interests, we have research opportunities that will provide you with the range of experience you want and equip you with the expertise you will need in your future career. The possible routes to PhD entry are summarized below.
Departmental studentships
For information about individual research areas please look at our research pages and click through to individual staff profiles. Please contact individual staff directly to discuss possible projects. To request more information about chemistry-based PhDs contact out post-graduate admissions office. To apply on-line for a research degree click here. |
Doctoral Training Centres
|
Graduate Teaching Assistantships
|
Opportunities provided by the University
The Science Faculty has its own science faculty scholarships, which can be found here. These include ‘A-star’ scholarships for a PhD project split between the chemistry department (years 1 and 2) and a collaborating department in Singapore (years 3 and 4). |
The chemistry department has PhD studentships each year funded by a range of sources such as UK research councils, industrial sponsors, charities and the EU. These studentships cover the whole range of our research portfolio and are open to UK or EU students who have been awarded (or expect to get) a first or upper second class degree.
The university has a range of university-funded and EPSRC-sponsored ‘Doctoral Training Centres’ which combine a cross-disciplinary PhD research project with a formal programme of taught courses. The four-year package is deliberately designed to get research projects out of individual departments, and break down traditional scientific boundaries to carry out research on a range of societally important problems from solar energy to naotechnology. Chemistry-based projects will normally involve collaboration with a staff member in another department, either in Sheffield or at a different institution. For more information about our range of Doctoral Training Centres, and application details, click 
This innovative four-year PhD program combines a conventional PhD by research with the opportunity to contribute significantly to undergraduate teaching in the department. Our GTAs work as demonstrators in the undergraduate teaching laboratories throughout the duration of the PhD, typically for 2 days per week during the undergraduate teaching periods (around half of the year). Formal training from the university is provided on the teaching component. GTAs will leave not only with a PhD but will also be eligible for externally-recognised status as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. For more information, contact our 
In addition to these, some university-funded PhD scholarships are available competitively to home, EU or overseas students: for a full list see the We also welcome applications from students outside the EU who have their own funding. For information for international applicants, including details about the level of financial support required for a PhD in chemistry, see here.
For any further requests for information, contact our post-graduate admission office. To apply on-line for a research degree click here.