This page contains information for prospective PhD students. A list of some of our current PhD students, complete with their research interests, is available. A more comprehensive list of all PhD students in the School has more information.
How to apply to study with us
We welcome applications from all potential PhD students! Within our group we currently have PhD students from many different countries.
Every year, we admit new students. You can apply at any time, but to be considered for our (limited) funded places, please ensure you application is with us in time for the annual deadline, the next of which is in 1st January 2024. If you are interested in applying to study with us, in addition to the Graduate School webpage, here is some general advice:
- You should apply online here.
- In "6. Course Details", you are asked to select a Supervisor. Information regarding potential supervisors is listed in the Available Supervisors tab. Feel free to contact any of us for more information and to ask about research areas. You are not required to list a supervisor, but it is helpful if you do so, and especially helpful if you contact them before you submit your application. If you do not select a supervisor, please give some information regarding which research group or groups you are interested in working with.
- In "6. Course Details", you are asked to select a Research Title. Please note that you are not required have to write a research proposal, so feel free simply to indicate which area of expertise you would like your PhD to be in. We understand that the vast majority of applicants do not yet have a clear understanding of precise research topics and directions!
- In "7. Finance", if you want to be considered for one of our funded places, please select "Univ of Glasgow Scholarship". If you are interested in being considered for a Maclaurin Scholarship, or if you are eligible for a Carnegie Scholarship, you should also mention this. Alternatively, if you have already secured funding from an external source, please say so in this section.
- Application Deadline. You can apply at any time, but to be eligible for our funded places, please ensure your application is with us by 1st January 2024.
More general advice
PhDs in mathematics are prized throughout the whole of science, industry and the broader economy. They are the entry-level to a career in academia, but they also lead to a host of other employment opportunities. As such, PhD programmes are challenging but also rewarding, sometimes lonely but often exhilarating, and everyone at some point faces the second year blues. There are many places on the web with good general advice for starting PhD students, here are some:
- Terry Tao has some great advice for various career stages.
- Ravi Vakil has some good advice (towards the bottom of the page) for starting graduate students.
- Dan Margalit has a wonderful resource with both general and topology-specific advice for PhD students
- PhD comics