A full description of this studentship scheme plus instructions on how to apply is available - the deadline for requests is 31 October 2014.

What are ISIS Facility Development Studentships?

ISIS wishes to co-fund studentship projects which include an element of facility development. Studentship projects can be within any of the science areas studied by neutron scattering or muon spectroscopy at ISIS. They must include a facility-related component such as technique,  software or sample environment development.

How many studentships are available?

ISIS will make available co-funding for around 10 studentships, some of which we hope will be associated with Doctoral Training Centres.

Who may apply?

Any academic belonging to a UK university with the authorisation to supervise PhD students. We assume that the applicant will be the university PhD supervisor. It is expected that an ISIS staff scientist will be a co-applicant and play a full role in the studentship project and supervision.

What will ISIS provide?

ISIS will provide up to 50% of the funding for each studentship. Matching funds from other sources will need to be secured by the applicant. ISIS will also provide up to £2000 per year per student for travel and consumables (these amounts to be claimed against actual receipted expenditure).  The student will need to be registered at the host university, and ISIS will make payments to the university to cover the ISIS portion of the stipend and fees.  ISIS (STFC) will set up an agreement with the  host university which specifies a schedule for payments to the university to cover the ISIS contribution to the studentship, together with other details of the working arrangements for the studentship.

How long are the studentships for?

Studentships should start in Autumn 2015 and can be for between 3 and 4 years.

How to apply?

The application form should be completed and emailed, together with a 2-page project description, to Sean Langridge (sean.langridge@stfc.ac.uk) by 6pm on the proposal deadline.

When should applications be made?

The deadline for applications for this call is 31 October 2014.

Selection criteria for ISIS to provide funding:

• Scientific quality and timeliness of the proposed project
• An ISIS staff scientist as co-supervisor of the student
• Benefit to ISIS (i.e. there should be a component of the project which is related to ISIS facility development. This might include technique, sample environment or software development which will be of wider use beyond the immediate PhD project).
• Links to other RAL facilities such as Diamond, the Central Laser Facility or the Research Complex at Harwell will be viewed favourably, as will industrial links.
• The student should spend at least one year of their time at ISIS, in addition to normal short trips for experiments, during their PhD (in a schedule to be arranged by mutual agreement between the ISIS and university supervisors).
• Demonstration of a source of co-funding to provide the 50% contribution not supplied by ISIS.

Selection process:

Proposal review will be by a selection panel consisting of ISIS senior staff plus two members of the ISIS user community. The panel will meet to review proposals soon after the application deadline, and applicants will be informed within six weeks of the deadline.  In addition to the above criteria, ISIS will seek a breadth of science areas and partnering universities when making a final decision on which applications will be supported.

Proposal information:  

Applicants should provide the information requested on the application form.  In addition, a description of the research project to be undertaken should be provided, taking into account the selection criteria given above. This part of the proposal should be a maximum of two pages.