How to apply
The university has a standardised application system for all DPhils, which can be accessed here: Apply for a Therapeutic Genomics DPhil.
This application system requests a lot of detailed information including academic background (e.g., school and university) and questions about socioeconomic status, underrepresented minority visa status, dependents, etc. Many of these questions are geared towards understanding if our admissions policies are fair and where we need to do better; others are so that the university knows what is needed to best support incoming students. Our selection of who is offered a fully funded DPhil/PhD will be based only on our assessment of academic suitability for the position such that they can deliver the top-quality scientific output required.
Deadline for all applications is 12noon, Tuesday 3rd December 2024 (we recommend submitting well before this time)
Guidance: General details of how to complete the application form are provided on the ‘How to Apply’ tab of the DPhil in Paediatrics website. Here, we provide some specific guidance on how to complete this form for these Therapeutic Genomics DPhils.
Application type: On page one of the application form, select ‘Standard’. Applications will cost £20.
Course: On page two of the application form, for ‘Proposed field and title of research project, if applicable’, write ‘Therapeutic Genomics’ and the title from one of the proposals, e.g., ‘Targeting enhancers to treat neurological diseases.’ For ‘Proposed supervisor(s) name(s), if applicable’, please copy the Supervisors listed for each proposal, e.g., ‘Assoc. Prof. Carlo Rinaldi, Prof. Stephan Sanders’. Your choice of ‘College preference’ does not impact your chance of being offered a DPhil position; it is fine to state, ‘I have no college preference’. To maximize your chance of being offered a DPhil at Oxford, including outside of our Therapeutic Genomics Centre, we recommend saying ‘Yes’ to whether you would consider an alternative course.
Contact details: On page three of the application form, most applicants will select ‘No’ when offered the chance to provide details of a nominated third party. You may want to select ‘Yes’ if you expect to be out of contact for extended periods of time in the coming months.
Referees: On page five of the application form you will be asked to provide details for up to three academic or professional referees. The deadline should be ’03 December 2024’.
Funding: On page eight of the application form, please use the codes listed with each proposal (e.g., MRCTGCORE2024004) to select one of the proposals in the box ‘Reference code from departmental webpage (if applicable)’. For the section on ‘University of Oxford scholarships’, most applicants will not want to select any of the specific scholarships listed here, especially since these are fully funded DPhils. Those from the Russian Federation may want to select the ‘Hill Foundation’ while those from ‘developing and emerging economies’ with interest in the commercial application of therapeutics may want to select the ‘Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme’.
Supporting Documents: On page nine of the application form, under the section ‘Statement of purpose / Research proposal’ please provide a statement about your academic-related achievements and interests of up to 500 words. This will be assessed for 1) your reasons for applying, 2) motivation and understanding, 3) quality of writing in English, 4) capacity for sustained and focused work, and 5) understanding of current research challenges and ability to formulate an argument. Please note you do not need to submit a Research Proposal for these Therapeutic Genomics DPhils.