4-Year MRC-ITND PhD Fellowships in Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2026-2027

The Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders is offering 1+3 (MRes+PhD) full-time fellowships suitable for both basic and clinical students from a wide range of science backgrounds: including biological and physical sciences, medicine, mathematics and computer science.

PhD opportunities are offered across a wide range of subject areas. Clinicians are encouraged to apply. Please note that MRes rotation projects and final PhD projects are agreed upon after an offer has been accepted.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: January 1, 2026
2. Value: Fully Funded (Covers Tuition, £27,000/year Stipend, Bench Fees)
3. Study Level: PhD (1+3 MRes + PhD)
4. Sponsor: Medical Research Council (MRC)
5. Course to Study: Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience)
6. Eligible Country: All Countries

Eligibility Criteria for 4-Year MRC-ITND PhD Fellowships in Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2026-2027

Applicants should have (or be expected to obtain) a bachelor’s degree with 2:1 honours (or overseas equivalent) in a STEM subject. A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a research-based master’s with Merit or Distinction.

If English is not your first language you will be required to provide evidence that you meet the minimum English requirements, Band D, as prescribed by the university’s English Language requirements.

At King’s, we are deeply committed to making the university an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study. We encourage and welcome applications from across the community and all appointments are made solely on merit.

The King's College London Admissions Portal will assign you a provisional fee status (Home, EU or Overseas) based on the information included in your application, but this will be reviewed by the Admissions team when they process your application. After Brexit, all students will be categorized by Admissions as either Home or Overseas.

To be treated as a Home student, candidates must meet one of the following criteria:

1. A UK national (meeting residency requirements)
2. Settled status
3. Pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements)
4. Indefinite leave to remain or enter

Selection process

Applicants will be interviewed on one of the following dates:

1. Wednesday 21 January 2026
2. Thursday 22 January 2026
3. Friday 23 January 2026

Benefits of 4-Year MRC-ITND PhD Fellowships in Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2026-2027

1. The fully funded studentships cover tuition fees, stipend and bench fees.
2. Tuition fees: Tuition fees will be covered by the programme.
3. Stipend: Students will receive an enhanced stipend for each year of study (approx. £27,000).
4. Bench fees: An allowance will be provided for research consumables, trainings and conference attendance.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the admissions portal by midnight (23:59 GMT), Thursday 1 January 2026.

On the ‘Choosing a programme’ page, please select ‘Taught programmes’, search for ‘Neurodevelopmental Disorders’, then select ‘Neurodevelopmental Disorders MRes / PhD 1+3 (Full-Time).

In your application, you will be asked to include:

1. Academic Transcripts — where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application
2. Details of your qualifications — you will need to attach copies
3. Details of previous employment — please include your CV
4. A personal statement describing your interests and why you wish to apply for this project. Please include this as an attachment rather than using the text box.
5. Academic References — all admissions applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on their referees to submit a reference directly to the College after they have submitted their admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that
6. (1) their chosen referee is made aware of the document submission deadline (i.e. 4 January 2026) and
7. (2) that the reference needs to be sent from an institutional email address.
8. NB: References will not be requested by King’s until you have actually submitted your application, so you will need to submit your application well in advance of the deadline in order to ensure that references have been received by the stated deadline.
9. English language test result if applicable. These are not required at the point of applying if you have not yet taken a test, however if you are assessed as requiring this, any offer would be conditional on the provision of a test that meets the B and D requirement.

In the Funding section of the admissions portal, please tick box 5 and include the following reference: GN-IOPPN-MRCITND-26

EU nationals with settlement status will need to provide a share code to prove your status. Please visit gov.uk website to obtain the share code, download the outcome in a PDF format and upload the PDF to your application.

Please note there is no need to complete the Research Proposal section in your application. You are welcome to email the Business Operations Team at the School of Neuroscience for administrative matters and Laura Andreae and/or Anthony Vernon for more information regarding the projects and studentship.

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Education support team at ioppn.pgr@kcl.ac.uk.

References must be received by the deadline for the applicant to be eligible. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

For more information, visit Kings College London Scholarship webpage

Application Deadline

January 1, 2026

Application Link(s)

• Apply for 4-Year MRC-ITND PhD Fellowships in Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2026-2027