PhD Studentship Programme
The Rosalind Franklin Institute (The Franklin) is the UK’s national institute for technology development for the life sciences, funded by the UK Government through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The principal mission of The Franklin is to bring about transformative technological changes that enable scientists to see the biological world in unprecedented ways—from individual molecules to entire organoids—speeding up drug design and advancing fundamental understanding of human health and disease.
The Franklin currently has 1 fully funded PhD position available for a Home candidate. Applications are invited for this final available position aligned with one of three interdisciplinary research challenge areas:
Molecular Perturbations: Chemistry Engineering Biology Designing and applying molecular tools to probe biological function, combining strong experimental laboratory skills with computational and analytical technologies.
Multidimensional Imaging Developing next-generation transmission electron microscopy methods for biological research, focusing on high-resolution imaging, phase retrieval, image reconstruction, inverse problems, and scalable computational approaches for large microscopy datasets.
Quantitative Biology Across Scales Developing and applying advanced imaging and computational approaches to fundamental biological questions and women’s health, incorporating electron or X-ray microscopy, image analysis, AI, machine learning, quantitative data science, or computational modelling.
As a PhD student at The Franklin, you will work on highly interdisciplinary projects with real-world impact, receive guidance from world-leading supervisors, access state-of-the-art research facilities, participate in industrial collaborations, and connect with top universities across the UK.]
[Eligibility Criteria: • Open to UK Home candidates. • Strong academic background in a relevant discipline corresponding to the chosen challenge area: – Chemistry, biochemistry, or related fields (for Molecular Perturbations). – Physics, mathematics, engineering, or quantitative disciplines (for Multidimensional Imaging). – Biology, imaging, computer science, or quantitative data science (for Quantitative Biology Across Scales). • Enthusiasm for working across disciplinary boundaries at the interface of biology, chemistry, imaging, computation, and AI.]
[Required expertise/skills: • Excellent experimental laboratory skills or strong computational and quantitative skills depending on the chosen research area. • Experience or strong interest in advanced imaging methodologies (electron microscopy, X-ray microscopy), phase retrieval, inverse problems, AI/machine learning, or molecular tool design. • Ability to work collaboratively across interdisciplinary experimental and computational teams.]
[Salary details: Fully funded PhD studentship (covers UK home tuition fees and provides a standard tax-free doctoral stipend)]
[Application Deadline: August 14, 2026]