Early Cancer Institute non-clinical PhD studentships

The Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge invites applications from highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals for 3.5 year non-clinical PhD studentships funded at the UK home rate. Two studentships are available: The Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars/Michael Cowan Foundation Non-Clinical PhD Studentship and The Trinity Cambridge Research/Michael Cowan Foundation Non-Clinical PhD Studentship. These studentships commence in October 2026 and provide funding for tuition fees at the UK rate, an index-linked maintenance stipend for 3.5 years starting at £22,500 per annum, and an allocation towards project consumables and training costs. The students will be based in one of the Research Groups of the Early Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge. Five research projects are available covering areas including circulating cell free DNA and RNA signatures for early cancer detection, optical coherence tomography for renal tumour profiling, multimodal AI for kidney cancer early detection, genetic determinants of clonal haematopoiesis, and disease-associated somatic mutations in the liver. Applicants are encouraged to select two projects and rank them in order of preference.