Wellcome Sanger Institute 4-Year PhD Programme 2027

Overview

The Wellcome Sanger Institute offers 12 fully funded four-year PhD studentships per intake at its campus on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge, UK. The institute sequences and analyses genomes at scale to understand the biology of humans, pathogens, and other organisms. Students spend the first year rotating through three research groups, then choose a primary supervisor and project for years two to four. The programme is open to all nationalities. Applications close at 09:00 GMT on 27 November 2026 for a September or October 2027 start.

Benefits

• Tax-free annual stipend starting at approximately £36,000, rising to around £65,000 in later years (exact rates confirmed each cycle).
• Full Cambridge University tuition fees covered for all nationalities.
• Visa application costs and the immigration health surcharge reimbursed for international students.
• Up to £1,500 per year for attendance at national and international scientific conferences.
• Access to cutting-edge sequencing platforms, high-performance computing, and large-scale genomic datasets.
• Training in both wet-laboratory and computational approaches across the rotation year.
• 12 funded positions in the 2027 intake.

Eligibility

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biology, biochemistry, genetics, bioinformatics, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a closely related discipline.
• Research experience relevant to genomics, computational biology, or molecular biology is valued but not required for all positions.
• Open to all nationalities; there are no country restrictions.
• Candidates should be available to start in September or October 2027.
• English proficiency is required. International applicants without a degree taught entirely in English will normally need an IELTS Academic score of at least 7.0 (no band below 6.5) or an equivalent qualification.

How to apply

1. Browse the list of participating supervisors and their projects at sanger.ac.uk/about/study/phd-programmes to identify three to five groups of interest.
2. Email the supervisors you are most interested in to introduce yourself and discuss your research background. This step is recommended but not mandatory.
3. Complete the online application at forms.sanger.ac.uk/form/Sanger_PhD_Application. You will upload university transcripts (PDF), a personal statement (max 400 words), a research interests statement listing your preferred supervisor groups (max 200 words), and a summary of relevant experience (max 200 words).
4. Submit before 09:00 GMT on 27 November 2026. There is no application fee.
5. Shortlisted candidates are invited for two rounds of interviews in January and February 2027. Offers are typically made by March 2027.