Applicants should have a strong academic background in a relevant discipline. We welcome applications from candidates with expertise across the biological, chemical, computational, engineering, mathematical and physical sciences, provided they have the skills and motivation to undertake interdisciplinary research in generative biology. Please refer to the University admissions page for the full entry requirements. 

Applicants with a strong undergraduate degree are eligible to apply directly to the DPhil. We welcome applicants with a range of educational backgrounds and encourage you to consult the University admissions requirements if you are unsure whether you meet the entry criteria. 

No. Instead, you will apply for one or more advertised research projects. We strongly encourage applicants to contact prospective supervisors before applying to discuss their research interests and learn more about the project. 

Yes. We encourage prospective applicants to contact supervisors whose research interests them. These informal discussions are an excellent opportunity to learn more about the project, ask questions, and determine whether it aligns with your research interests and experience. 

You may indicate a preferred college from the DTP's five participating colleges (Jesus, Worcester, Reuben, Magdalen, and Linacre), although this is not a requirement. 

Successful applicants will be allocated to one of the programme's participating colleges as part of the University admissions process. While every effort will be made to accommodate your preferred college, this cannot be guaranteed. If your preferred college is unable to offer you a place, you will be allocated to one of the other participating colleges. Please note that you will not have the opportunity to select an alternative preference at that stage. 

Yes. As part of your application, you will select projects from both the Teal and Fuchsia project lists. Please refer to the application guidance for details of how to indicate your project preferences. 

Applicants are welcome to submit an original research proposal instead of applying exclusively to advertised projects. We particularly encourage proposals that align with the vision of the Generative Biology Institute (GBI) and the research themes of the DTP. Successful applicants may be able to further develop their proposals with their supervisor(s) during the programme. 

DTP funded students may be able to combine their DTP scholarship with another award, depending on terms and conditions. Please reach out to the DTP team if you have any questions. For Ellison Scholars, the Ellison Scholarship cannot be combined with any other scholarship.  

Applicants to the Generative Biology EIT DTP may also be nominated for consideration for the highly competitive Graduate Ellison Scholars programme. Nominations are made for applicants who meet the programme’s selection criteria and demonstrate an exceptional profile. There is no separate applications process for nominations.

Yes. You may apply to multiple Oxford graduate programmes, provided you meet the eligibility criteria and submit a separate application for each programme.  

No. The Generative Biology DTP is fully funded for both UK (Home) and international students, and there is no cap on the number of international places available. 

Applications are assessed according to the University's published admissions criteria, including academic achievement, supporting documents, references and interview performance. 

Interviews are designed to explore your academic background, research experience, originality and independence of thought, creativity, ability to self-start, drive, motivation for pursuing a DPhil in generative biology, and your interest in your chosen project(s). You may also be asked to discuss previous research, your approach to scientific problems, and your future research ambitions. 

Deferral requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and cannot be guaranteed. If you are considering requesting a deferral, please contact the programme team as early as possible to discuss your circumstances. 

The DTP is designed around students joining a specific research project. Any changes after admission would only be considered in exceptional circumstances and subject to the agreement of the relevant supervisors and the programme. 

Successful applicants will receive details of the next steps, including accepting their offer, college allocation, enrolment, and preparations for starting the programme. The programme team will support offer holders throughout this process. 

We expect to make offers by mid-March following the February interview period. 

If you have any questions about the programme, projects, funding, or the application process, please contact the programme team at genbio-dtp@chem.ox.ac.uk. We are happy to help.