FAQs
This scheme is open to all healthcare professionals, including nurses, midwives, allied healthcare professionals (NMAHPs), medical doctors, healthcare scientists, pharmacists, dentists and clinical psychologists.
Academic excellence, evidence of interest in medical mycology and medical mycology research and the desire to pursue a clinical academic career are essential.
We will consider candidates on a case-by-case basis as we recognise that career and training paths differ greatly across disciplines and specialties
You must be registered with a relevant healthcare professional regulatory body in the UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) and hold a qualification that allows you to practice clinically in the UK or RoI
e.g. For Medical trainees: MBBS, MBBCh or equivalent medical qualification
and holder of full registration with the GMC with the necessary licence to practise by the commencement of and throughout your PhD
Currently clinically active (either on a run-through training programme or hold an NTN) and at between ST3 and ST6 of speciality training, with documented evidence of satisfactory competency and progression for stage (eg ARCP outcome)
Other Healthcare Professionals
You must be registered with a Professional Regulatory Body (e.g. Health and Care Professions Council for healthcare scientists, General Pharmaceutical Council for pharmacists)
Clinical experience in a field relevant to medical mycology, e.g. infectious diseases, microbiology (including working in a diagnostic lab), antimicrobial pharmacy and pharmacology, respiratory medicine, intensive care, haemato-oncology is desirable.
You will need to be released from any training and/or clinical requirements for the duration of the fellowship- except for 0.2FTE (see below) allowable to maintain clinical competencies
Fellows who are already registered for a PhD are not eligible for this scheme.
To be eligible to apply you must have a qualification that allows you to practice clinically and be registered with a regulatory body in the UK or RoI.
Fellows will be supervised by a minimum of two supervisors selected from our supervisory pool.
The primary and second supervisor in each supervisory team will be based at one of the 4 applying institutions (ideally across two of those institutions); at least one supervisor will be an academic healthcare professional. Fellows choosing to base part of their training overseas will have one supervisor associated with the host institution.
Supervisors will need:
- To meet the requirements to supervise PhD students set by their employing institution (City St George’s, Exeter, Imperial or Manchester Universities)
- To have a substantive contract of employment at one of these institutions.
You can have up to 4 supervisors- providing the first and second supervisors meet the criteria above, the 3rd and 4th can be based at any organization in the UK or RoI (or at an overseas centre for candidates spending time at one of our linked overseas centres). Any additional supervisors must bring additional expertise or access to infrastructure not available to the 1st and 2nd supervisor.
Information on how to apply including links to the application form and key dates can be found here: https://mycodtp.org/apply/
The interviews will be held in person in early March. More information will be provided to applicants who shortlisted after the Stage 1 application. For anyone unable to attend, they should advise the MycoDTP Team in advance so alternative arrangements can be made.
Yes. Applicants can propose their own research project- however these need to be discussed and have agreement from their proposed supervisors upon submission of the application. Please note the project must align with the MycoDTP themes and objectives.
Applicants are likely to have previously undertaken research, either through a formal internship, pre-doctoral programme (e.g. NIHR PCAF or ACF), during their training or early career or a Masters degree with relevant modules. Practical research experience is desirable, specifically demonstrating that you have been involved in the research cycle including design, implementation, analysis, write-up and dissemination of findings.
We appreciate that not all health professionals have access to a period of funded research during their training or early on in their career. Therefore, we encourage applicants who are in this position to consider undertaking a pre-doctoral fellowship, including a 12-month Masters’ programme. Funding (or part funding) for such programmes is available via our Universities: applicants should indicate their interest in the Stage 1 application form.
Different health professionals have different clinical training pathways resulting in different amounts of clinical experience, therefore we do not set out years of clinical experience as eligibility criteria. We encourage applicants to think about when in their career trajectory doctoral training is most appropriate and feasible.
Funding covers salary, travel, and training costs, full UK University PhD tuition fees, research/consumables/materials/PPIE costs, as well as overseas travel and subsistence costs for applicants undertaking part of their PhD oversees.
The standard duration of a PhD fellowship funding award is three years full-time (or part-time equivalent) from the date of registration at your host institution.
This scheme will fund tuition fees based on the ‘home’ rate and so applicants who would be required to pay overseas fees to their University, will be required to pay the difference themselves (or through alternative sponsorship). Overseas applicants are also required to be registered with a UK or Republic of Ireland regulatory body.
Yes, you can do your PhD on a part-time basis, but not at the same time as carrying out other salaried employment. We follow Wellcome policies related to flexible research careers.
You are permitted to undertake up to one day a week (to 0.2 FTE) of clinical work if appropriate to your training or helpful for your research question. For craft specialists (e.g. surgeons or midwives), this can be increased to 0.4 FTE. A craft specialty is defined as a specialty or profession where manual skill and dexterity is central to the delivery of care, and individuals require dedicated time in an operating theatre environment (or equivalent) to maintain these skills. However, the emphasis of this is on your research training and this should not be compromised.
Most PhD fellows will be employed by the University where the PhD is registered and be a member of staff on the same clinical salary grade. To carry out any clinical work, you will be asked to obtain an honorary contract with your NHS or Social Care employer. The independent funding provided as part of this fellowship ensures that you remain supernumerary to the NHS or Social Care and thus not subject to the demands of service provision during your research training.
An academic reference can be from anyone that knows you in an academic context, it does not need to be from your own degree(s) or a current lecturer or degree supervisor. You can also provide a reference from a colleague or line manager from your current workplace.
Applicants are eligible to apply twice for a MycoDTP fellowship.
All fellows will receive free access to the University of Exeter’s online Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Medical Mycology, providing a strong foundation in the biology, diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections.
Throughout their PhD, fellows will participate in quarterly student-led research seminars, delivered in a hybrid format. These will provide opportunities to present their research, receive feedback, discuss findings and exchange ideas with fellow students and supervisors across the four partner universities.
Annual in-person training workshops will provide opportunities to learn about the latest advances in medical mycology, alongside developing broader research and professional skills.
Fellows will also have access to research training and professional development opportunities at their host university. All four partner institutions have established doctoral training programmes (DTPs), including programmes supported by Wellcome, and offer training in areas such as research methods, data analysis, scientific communication, grant writing, leadership and career development.
Additionally, depending on their research interests and training needs, fellows may have opportunities to undertake specialist research placements and training with collaborating institutions and industry partners. These include the Drug Discovery Unit at the University of Dundee and IMMY, a fungal diagnostic company in the USA, and international research collaborators.
Fellows will also be encouraged to participate in the wider medical mycology research community through professional societies and networks, including the British Society for Medical Mycology and the Microbiology Society. These organisations provide opportunities to attend scientific meetings, conferences, lectures and webinars, develop collaborations and establish professional networks.