How to apply — NERC GW4+

How to apply for a GW4+ Doctoral Landscape Training Partnership PhD

Choosing a project

Please go to the top of the Apply page to search for one of our 124 projects we are offering this year. Please apply for ONE PROJECT ONLY, choosing carefully the research you wish to undertake, the institution you wish to attend and the location you wish to live in.

FIND A PROJECT HERE

Use the drop down menus to search for projects in different ways:

By Science theme:

We have four themes:

Climate Change and Risk

Earth Science and Hazards

Evolution and Biodiversity Through Space and Time

Science for Environmental Solutions

By Institution

Use the ‘Institution’ drop down menu to find projects hosted at our Universities (Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter) and Research Organisations (British Antarctic Survey, Natural History Museum, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)

By Lead Supervisor

If you know a lead supervisor’s name, type it into the search box to find their project

By Keyword

Each project has up to five keywords. Type some topics you are interested in into the search box

The Application Process

IMPORTANT

When you are ready to apply, you must submit your application to the institution where your project is based by following the instructions at the end of your chosen project.

Before applying, you must also:

Write a Personal Statement to upload with your application. Further details below.
Optionally complete an Additional Statement. It is your choice whether to complete this statement. It is not required for you to submit your application. Further details below.
Complete this applicants questionnaire which will not be used as part of your application.

the Personal Statement

Please click here to download a blank copy of the Personal Statement. Read the guidance and respond to the three questions within the word limits given.

the Additional Statement

You have the option to also complete an Additional Statement which must be submitted directly to the GW4+ Doctoral Landscape Training Partnership using this link only. You must not include this information elsewhere in your application or on your Personal Statement.

An Additional Statement supplements the information in your Personal Statement but, unlike the Personal Statement, the Additional Statement is optional and will not be seen by the supervisor of any project you apply for. Information you provide in this Statement will be kept confidential and only used by the leaders of the GW4+ Doctoral Landscape Training Partnership to further consider your application with the additional context of any significant challenges, disadvantages and barriers you have encountered in your educational and scientific journey.

Accordingly please use the Additional Statement is to help us understand how those significant challenges, disadvantages and barriers have affected your educational and scientific journey and how you have overcome them along the way. You may find that, looking back, a lot of different things have contributed to your scientific development, including the challenges. ‘Significant’ means that it has had a lasting impact on your studies and scientific journey and is unique to you. We do not mean more general challenges that have affected large parts of the student population, such as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Please frame the Additional Statement as an answer to the following question and the maximum number of words you may use for this answer is 300. Please check the word count carefully to ensure you don’t go over, as any excess words over 300 at the end of your answer will be disregarded.

“We would like you to write freely about your journey in education and science and the achievements you are proud of, putting these in the context of any significant challenges, disadvantages or barriers you encountered along the way that needed your determination and perseverance to overcome.”

If you have any questions about disclosing this or what you should write, please consider contacting the GW4+ Doctoral Landscape Training Partnership here and we shall be happy to guide you confidentially.