How to Apply for a SUSTAIN PhD Studentship
Deadline for submission of applications: Friday 2nd May at 12pm (BST)
Before submitting your application, please read the following information carefully.
Each CDT has different requirements, and the instructions for other programmes may not apply to SUSTAIN AI CDT.
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If you have any questions, please contact us at SUSTAIN@lincoln.ac.uk. If you would like us to check whether your application is complete and includes all relevant documentation, please contact us by Friday 18th April 2025.
Click here to be kept informed of future application dates.
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Available studentships are on our 2025 Studentships Page. Check Eligibility requirements below.
Overview of Required Documents
​Please submit the following application documents via email to SUSTAIN@lincoln.ac.uk.
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SUSTAIN Personal Statement for each project you are applying to. Please use this template.
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Official transcript(s) of your latest degree
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Official transcripts(s) of any previous degree(s)
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Current CV
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Language certification (if applicable)​​​
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For further enquiries contact the SUSTAIN Team.
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The SUSTAIN CDT Privacy Notice can be found here.
Quick Links
Applicant Information
Project Selection
You will apply for a 4-year PhD programme under the supervision of a team led by one of our four partner universities. Successful Candidates will be based at the University leading their specific project. Academic staff and partners have co-created projects based on key industry challenges, which will be shaped with your input during the first year of your PhD. All projects will benefit from external partner involvement
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In your application, you will be asked to select up to 3 projects, in order of preference, that match your skills, experience and interests. Please browse the list of available projects here.
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Please note that due to funding restrictions, some projects may not be available to international applicants. The eligibility criteria will be specified next to each project.
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Application Materials and Process
Applicants must complete the SUSTAIN AI CDT Application Form and Personal Statement(s), and submit them via email along with their CV and transcripts. Additional documents may be required specifically for international students, such as immigration check codes for those with settled or pre-settled status applying as home candidates and evidence of recent English Language qualifications.
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Please note that references are required as part of your application, but will only be requested after interview.
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Candidates are welcome to submit their draft application for one review and feedback from the central SUSTAIN team up to 18th April 2025. Please note that we can only provide feedback on administrative aspects, such as missing documents. We cannot provide guidance on the content of your application.
At the SUSTAIN AI CDT, we prioritise equality, diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, especially those who self-identify as part of a minority and underrepresented groups. To ensure a fair and equitable recruitment process, the SUSTAIN team anonymises all applications before they are reviewed by the Admissions Committee and Project Teams. This means all identifying information is removed to mitigate any potential unconscious bias.
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Personal Statement(s)
The Personal Statement Template can be found here.
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​You may submit up to 3 Personal Statements in total - one for each project you are applying to. Please complete all five questions listed on the template, within the word limit.
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Questions 1-4 are generic and can be used across multiple Personal Statements.
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Question 5 is project-specific and requires a separate separate answer for each project.
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Please save each Personal Statement with the following naming convention:
Your Initials, Personal Statement, Project Reference
For example, 'SW Personal Statement L1111'. ​
Ensure you omit all identifying information (for example, your name, country of residence, employer, links to any research papers you have authored, etc.). To mitigate any potential unconscious bias, information about the projects you select and their order of preference will be redacted (removed) from your application form during the anonymisation process. Therefore, a separate Personal Statement is required for each project to ensure the project teams cannot infer your order of preference from the position of Question 5 on the template.
Evaluation Criteria
Please note that if you have applied to the SUSTAIN AI CDT three times without being shortlisted for interview, you will not be eligible to reapply to the programme for one year.
Evaluation Criteria
The SUSTAIN Admissions Committee and Project Teams will evaluate your application based on the SUSTAIN Skills Matrix to shortlist and select successful candidates.
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If you are selected for interview, you will need to give a presentation explaining your interest in your selected project(s) and SUSTAIN. Your presentation will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
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Subject knowledge
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Communication skills
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Industry knowledge
Student Eligibility - Qualifications
As a minimum applicants must hold the following:
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A minimum first class or 2:1 Bachelor's degree or MSc with merit in a relevant subject area.
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Non-native English speakers must hold a minimum qualification equivalent to IELTs 6.5. A Bachelor's or Master's degree from an English-speaking University will also be considered.​
Student Eligibility - Residency
Both home and International students must be resident in the UK for the majority of their studies and any time spent overseas should be for the purposes of fieldwork/long-term attachment. ​
To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria and the associated residency requirements:
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Be a UK National or,
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Have settled status or,
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Have pre-settled status or,
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Have indefinite leave to remain or enter
If a candidate does not meet these criteria, they would be classed as an International student. ​
This will not apply to Irish nationals living in the UK and Ireland whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis for UK and Irish nationals under the Common Travel Area arrangement.
International students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.5.The standard UKRI cap of 30% open eligibility for studentships applies to all CDT grants. The 30% cap is per academic year intake (CDT cohort) from the Academic Year 2024/25 onwards.
Part time study is available.